Yankees NEWS - BBWAA Announces Class of 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees : Joe Torre

 

The Class of 2014 features two 300-game winners, a member of the 500-home run club and three of the members of the Top 5 all-time list for managerial victories.

Torre led the Yankees to six AL pennants and four World Series titles (1996, 1998-2000) in his 12 seasons in New York, and also managed the Mets, Braves, Cardinals and Dodgers – winning one division title with Atlanta and two with Los Angeles. His 2,326 wins in 29 seasons rank fifth on the all-time list, and Torre was twice named Manager of the Year by the BBWAA (1996, 1998). In his final 15 seasons as a manager, Torre led his clubs to the postseason 14 times. Torre’s four World Series titles as a manager rank fourth all-time behind Joe McCarthy (7), Casey Stengel (7) and Connie Mack (5) and tied with Walter Alston.

Glavine, whose 305 career victories rank fourth all-time among left-handers, was named on 91.9 percent of ballots cast by the BBWAA on Jan. 8. Glavine was elected on his first time on the BBWAA ballot after receiving 525 votes. A two-time National League Cy Young Award winner and 10-time All-Star Game selection, Glavine was one of the anchors – along with Maddux – of the dominant Braves rotation of the 1990s and 2000s that won five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series title. Glavine was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in ’95 after going 2-0 in the Fall Classic, including pitching eight shutout innings in the decisive Game 6.

Maddux, who was named on 97.2 percent of all ballots cast, won 355 games in his 23 big league seasons, capturing NL Cy Young Awards every year from 1992-95. An eight-time All-Star and 18-time Gold Glove Award winner – a record number for any position – Maddux joins Glavine to become the first long-time members of a rotation elected to the Hall of Fame in the same year since Eddie Plank and Rube Waddell, each members of the Philadelphia A’s rotation from 1902-07, were elected in 1946. Maddux, who received 555 votes in his first time on the BBWAA ballot, won 15-or-more games in a record 17 straight seasons and won four NL earned-run average titles.

Thomas, who was named on 83.7 percent of all ballots cast, hit 521 home runs over 19 seasons in the big leagues, batting .301 while driving in 1,704 runs. Thomas won back-to-back American League Most Valuable Player Awards in 1993-94, led the AL in on-base percentage four times and captured the 1997 AL batting title. The five-time All-Star posted seven straight seasons (1991-97) with at least a .300 batting average, 100 RBI, 100 walks and 20 home runs, the longest such stretch in big league history. Thomas, named on 478 ballots in his first year on the BBWAA ballot, is the first player elected to the Hall of Fame who played the majority of his games as a designated hitter.

Glavine, Thomas and Maddux became the first trio of first-ballot electees selected by the BBWAA since George Brett, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount in 1999. They join three former managers who were each unanimously elected by the Expansion Era Committee in December: Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre.

Cox skippered the Braves and Blue Jays for 29 seasons, leading his teams to 15 first-place finishes. From 1991-2005, Cox led the Braves to 14 straight seasons where they finished in playoff position. The Braves won five National League pennants and the 1995 World Series under Cox, who finished with 2,504 victories – the fourth-best total of all time. He won the BBWAA’s Manager of the Year Award four times. He won more than 2,000 games with the Braves, becoming only the fourth manager to reach the 2,000 win plateau with one team following Connie Mack (A’s), John McGraw (Giants) and Walter Alston (Dodgers).

La Russa managed the White Sox, A’s and Cardinals for 33 seasons, winning 2,728 games – the third-highest total of all time behind Hall of Famers Connie Mack and John McGraw. He led his teams to 12 first-place finishes, six pennants and three World Series titles – one with the A’s (1989) and two with the Cardinals (2006 and 2011). His teams won 100-or-more games four times and was named the BBWAA’s Manager of the Year in his league four times. He is one of only two managers (along with Sparky Anderson) to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to win All-Star Games in both leagues.

There are now 306 Hall of Fame members, 68 of whom are living.

2014 Award winners Roger Angell, Joe Garagiola and Eric Nadel will receive their recognition and deliver brief speeches during the Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 26 at 4:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field.