Sluggers Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, and Joe Mawer, who represented the American Major League Baseball (MLB) just a few years ago, have finally entered the Hall of Fame.
Master coach Jim Leland (79), who led the Miami Marlins to their first World Series championship, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Beltre, Helton, Mauer, and coach Leland held the 2024 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, USA on the 22nd (Korean time).
Several superstars who were already in the Hall of Fame and thousands of fans attended the event to congratulate them on their induction.
Previously, Beltre received overwhelming support with 366 votes (95.1%) out of 385 votes in the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) vote held in January.
Beltre, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers and worked with Chan-ho Park and Shin-soo Choo, is a slugger with a batting average of 0.286, 3,166 hits, and 477 home runs in the 21st season.
The third baseman also received the Gold Glove Award five times.
‘ />
Helton received 307 votes (79.7%) and Mawer received 292 votes (76.1%), passing the 75% threshold.
Helton, who played 17 seasons for the Colorado Rockies, recorded a career batting average of 0.316, 2,519 hits, and 369 home runs.
Helton, whose career performance was undervalued due to the home stadium being advantageous to hitters, entered the Hall of Fame after six attempts.
Mawer, who also played 15 seasons for the Minnesota Twins, made a name for himself as an offensive catcher, hitting a career batting average of 0.306, 2,123 hits, and 143 home runs.
Mawer, who became the first catcher to win the batting title three times, was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Beltre in his first year of voting.
Coach Leland, who led the U.S. national team to its first championship in the 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC), was selected as a Hall of Fame inductee in December of last year through the ‘Contemporary Committee’ comprised of Hall of Fame inductees, former team owners, and reporters.
Coach Leland, who is approaching 80, joked, “I watched most of the Hall of Fame induction speeches, and I wasn’t the only one who shed tears.” He added, “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Also, when Beltre, who said he had prepared his speech for several weeks, went up to the podium, David Otis, a friend from his hometown and 2022 Hall of Fame member, approached him from behind and playfully touched his head before running away.
During his career, Beltre hated other players touching his head.
/Yonhap News