The Baseball Hall of Fame's Today's Game Era Committee selected Chicago icons Harold Baines and Lee Smith for enshrinement in Cooperstown, New York, it was announced Sunday.

Baines and Lee were joined by Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Charlie Manuel, Lou Piniella and George Steinbrenner as candidates on the ballot.

Twelve votes from the 16-person committee were needed for election during baseball's winter meetings in Las Vegas.

Next summer's ceremony will be July 21.

Results from the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting will be announced Jan. 22. </s> CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Closer Mariano Rivera, starting pitcher Roy Halladay, starting pitcher Mike Mussina and designated hitter Edgar Martinez were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). Voting results were announced Tuesday evening, Jan. 22, on MLB Network and mlb.com.

Rivera became the first player to be named on 100 percent of the ballots (425 of 425). Halladay and Martinez received 85.4 percent and Mussina 76.7 percent.

The quartet joins outfielder/DH Harold Baines and closer Lee Smith in the Class of 2019. Baines and Smith were elected by the Today's Game Era Committee in December.

I am privileged to be a BBWAA voter for the Hall of Fame. I chose eight players; maximum number allowed was 10. A player needed to be named on 75 percent of ballots cast (319 of 425).

Here is my quick thought on each player on the 2019 ballot, listed in alphabetical order. Some observations carried over from previous years' ballots because my thoughts on those players had not changed. My selections are in bold, with inductees in CAPS: </s> LAS VEGAS — Longtime closer Lee Smith and smooth-swinging Harold Baines were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Former outfielder and manager Lou Piniella fell one vote short.

Results of the 16-member Today’s Game Era Committee were announced at the winter meetings. It took 12 votes for election — Smith was unanimous, Baines got 12 and Piniella had 11.

Smith and Baines both debuted in Chicago during the 1980 season. Smith began with the Cubs and went on to post a then-record 478 saves while Baines started out with the White Sox and had 2,866 hits.

George Steinbrenner, Orel Hershiser, Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Davey Johnson and Charlie Manuel all received fewer than five votes.

Baines was a .289 hitter with 384 home runs in a 22-year career. He never drew more than 6.1 percent in five elections by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, far from the 75 percent required.

“I wasn’t expecting this day to come,” the six-time All-Star said.

The Hall board-appointed panel included longtime White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and Baines said he was grateful for his support. Hall members Greg Maddux, Roberto Alomar, Joe Morgan, Bert Blyleven, Pat Gillick, Tony La Russa, John Schuerholz, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre also were on the panel.

Smith’s fastball helped him become a seven-time All-Star in an 18-year-old career. He owned the major league record for saves when he retired during the 1997 season while with Montreal, and Trevor Hoffman and then Mariano Rivera reset the mark.
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Smith, who never reached 51 percent in 15 BBWAA elections, became the seventh pitcher who mostly was a reliever to make the Hall. Baines was a designated hitter for much of his career, and DHs have struggled to gain backing from Hall voters.

Both closers and DHs could see the numbers increase again very shortly.

Rivera is eligible for the first time and big-hitting DH Edgar Martinez will be back on the ballot when results of the next BBWAA election are announced Jan. 22.

Induction ceremonies are scheduled for July 21 at Cooperstown, New York. </s> The greatest closer and designated hitter of all time will join a dominant starter in being honored in Cooperstown this summer.

Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay were voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, while Edgar Martinez was elected in his final year on the writers' ballot and Mike Mussina edged over the threshold.

Rivera was named on all 425 ballots from 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the first-ever unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame. Ken Griffey Jr. had set the mark at 99.32 percent in 2016.

Halladay polled at 85.4 percent in his debut and Martinez netted the same number of votes to end a decade of waiting to get the call, while Mussina's 76.7 percent just cleared the 75 percent standard for induction.

They will be honored July 21 in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with fellow Class of 2019 members Lee Smith and Harold Baines, who were elected by the Today's Game Era Committee in December.

Larry Walker had the biggest jump among those who missed the cut, going from 34.1 percent in 2018 to 54.6 this time. He'll have one more shot to make it in on the writers' ballot next year before falling off.

Other contenders who saw increases from 2018 included Curt Schilling (51.2 percent to 60.9), Roger Clemens (57.3 to 59.5), Barry Bonds (56.4 to 59.1).

Fred McGriff failed to make the cut despite a surge in support from 23.2 to 39.8 percent in his final year on the writers' ballot but will be a strong contender for election by the Today's Game Era Committee.

Though Hall of Fame voters have traditionally struggled with how to handle relievers, Rivera was a no-doubter. His 652 career saves are an all-time record and he was one of the most dominant postseason pitchers ever, posting a 0.70 ERA in 96 playoff games as he helped the Yankees win five World Series titles.

Halladay didn't get nearly as many chances in October, but his postseason debut was one for the record books — a no-hitter against the Reds in Game 1 of the 2010 NLDS. The durable right-hander won Cy Young awards in both leagues, with the Blue Jays in 2003 and the Phillies in 2010, and led his league in complete games seven different times even as working nine innings became a lost art. Halladay died in a plane crash Nov. 7, 2017, at age 40.

Martinez made it to the majors as a third baseman but ended up setting the standard for designated hitters, to the point that the annual award for the best DH is named after him. He collected 2,247 hits in 18 seasons with the Mariners and had a .418 career on-base percentage, which ranks just outside the top 20 all-time.

Mussina was a consistent force in the Orioles’ and Yankees’ rotations, posting at least 11 wins for 17 consecutive years and topping 200 innings 11 times.

This election continued the recent trend of multiple players making the cut after no one was elected from the writers' ballot for the class of 2013. Those who just missed out this time will like their chances next year, with Derek Jeter the only apparent Hall lock set to debut on the 2020 ballot.

Others from the current group who will return to the ballot in 2020 after receiving at least 5 percent of the vote: Omar Vizquel (42.8), Manny Ramirez (22.8), Jeff Kent (18.1), Scott Rolen (17.2), Billy Wagner (16.7), Todd Helton (16.5), Gary Sheffield (13.6), Andy Pettitte (9.9), Sammy Sosa (8.5) and Andruw Jones (7.5).

Notable first-year candidates falling off the ballot include Michael Young (2.1), Lance Berkman (1.2), Miguel Tejada (1.2), Roy Oswalt (0.9) and Placido Polanco (0.2). </s> Finally! After waiting for more than 15 years, Lee Smith is a Hall of Famer.

The towering righthander, whose speed befitted his size, was one of two players chosen Sunday in a vote by a special Veterans Committee that considered a 10-man ballot.

The decision was announced on the eve of the Baseball Winter Meetings in Las Vegas.

Smith, who spent the maximum 15 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, held the career record for saves for 13 years before Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman passed him. But he pitched for eight clubs, an odyssey that hurt his chances with the BBWAA electorate.

He had 478 saves in 18 seasons, reaching the All-Star Game seven times. He even finished in the top five for Cy Young Award voting – a rare achievement for a reliever – three different seasons.

He’ll be joined in Cooperstown next July by Harold Baines, who just missed 3,000 hits in a career that stretched 22 seasons, primarily with the Chicago White Sox.

Primarily used as a designated hitter because of weak knees, Baines was an RBI machine, finishing his career with 1,628. Only 33 other players in the history of the game had more.

A two-time winner of the Edgar Martinez Award, then called the Designated Hitter of the Year, Baines made the All-Star team six times and had 2,866 hits.

The selections were surprising on a ballot that also contained the names of owner George Steinbrenner, managers Davey Johnson, Lou Piniella, and Charlie Manuel; and former postseason stars Orel Hershiser, Will Clark, Albert Belle, and Joe Carter.

Steinbrenner, whose Yankees won seven world championships and 11 American League pennants during his often-controversial 37-year as owner, has now been rejected by Veterans Committee four times.

This year’s selections were made by a 16-man panel representing Today’s Game, one of four eras committees that meet on a rotating basis. Twelve votes are required for election, in keeping with the Hall of Fame’s policy of 75 per cent approval.

Finalists for the ballot were named by a Historical Overview Committee reviewing owners, executives, managers, umpires, and retired players whose biggest impact on the game came between 1988 and the present.

When the Today’s Game committee meets for its next vote in 2021, some of the same names could be reconsidered.

The other Veterans Committees are Modern Baseball (1970-87), Golden Days (1950-59), and Early Baseball (prior to 1950). Today’s Game and Modern Baseball both meet twice within a five-year span.

Smith pitched for the Cubs, Cards, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Reds, and Expos, while Baines played for the White Sox, Rangers, A’s, Orioles, and Indians.

The selection of Smith is especially timely because Rivera, now the lifetime saves leader with 652, is the leading candidate in the BBWAA vote that will be announced on Jan. 22. Only a relative handful of relief pitchers have followed Hoyt Wilhelm, the first one chosen, into the Hall of Fame.

Baines could also have a partner from his primary position since Edgar Martinez, who topped 70 per cent of the vote last year, is likely to top the 75 per cent plateau in the writers’ vote.

If the writers choose four candidates, the Class of 2019 will match the Class of 2018, which had six electees for the first time since 1971. </s> Wednesday was a day Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman never will forget.

Those four players were elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted into Cooperstown, NY., alongside Alan Trammell and Jack Morris on July 30.

It was the first year on the ballot for both Jones (97.2 percent) and Thome (89.8 percent), while Guerrero (92.9 percent) made the cut on his second try and Hoffman (79.9 percent) got in on his third attempt.

And each of these four Major League Baseball greats had an incredible reaction upon hearing the news.

First, one of the four best third basemen in baseball history got the call.

Then, Vlad the Impaler kept it cool.

Next up: Hell’s Bells gets emotional.

Congrats to the 2018 Hall of Fame class. </s> Tim Kurkjian breaks down Mariano Rivera becoming the first player to receive 100 percent of the votes into the Baseball Hall of Fame. (0:52)

Closer Mariano Rivera, designated hitter Edgar Martinez and starting pitchers Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina will be the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rivera became the first player to be unanimously voted into the Hall, appearing on all 425 ballots.

The four were voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Tuesday. Of the four, Halladay and Mussina were first-round draft picks, though only Mussina was touted for stardom from the start of his career.

Before Rivera, the highest vote percentage to gain Hall entry belonged to Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016, when he received 99.3 percent (named on 437 of 440 ballots).

"This was just beyond my imagination," Rivera said on a conference call with reporters. "Just to be considered a Hall of Famer is an honor, but to be unanimous is just amazing."

Martinez, in his final year on the ballot, received 85.4 percent, culminating a late surge of support; he received just 27 percent four years ago, when his election felt like a remote possibility. Halladay, who died in 2017 when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast, also received 85.4 percent of the vote, joining Rivera as a first-ballot inductee. Mussina received 76.7 percent of the vote, clearing the 75 percent threshold by seven votes.

Curt Schilling received 60.9 percent of the votes, while Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds -- whose cases are muddied by steroid accusations -- continued to make small gains, up from 57.3 percent and 56.4 percent, respectively, in 2018 to 59.5 percent and 59.1 percent. They have three years remaining on the ballot. Fred McGriff made a leap on his final year on the ballot but fell short at 39.8 percent, and now he moves over to the Veterans Committee.

Rivera signed for $3,000, was left unprotected in the 1993 expansion draft and struggled in his initial big league trial as a starter. Now he is not only a Hall of Famer, but the first player the BBWAA ever has unanimously elected.

Hall of Fame voting results Receiving the necessary 75 percent of votes, four were announced Tuesday as the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2019. Here are the results from the 425 ballots cast. Name Votes Pct. Mariano Rivera 425 100% Roy Halladay 363 85.4% Edgar Martinez 363 85.4% Mike Mussina 326 76.7% Curt Schilling 259 60.9% Roger Clemens 253 59.5% Barry Bonds 251 59.1% Larry Walker 232 54.6% Omar Vizquel 182 42.8% Fred McGriff 169 39.8% Manny Ramirez 97 22.8% Jeff Kent 77 18.1% Billy Wagner 71 16.7% Todd Helton 70 16.5% Scott Rolen 73 17.2% Gary Sheffield 58 13.6% Andy Pettitte 42 9.9% Sammy Sosa 36 8.5% Andruw Jones 32 7.5% Michael Young 9 2.1% Lance Berkman 5 1.2% Miguel Tejada 5 1.2% Roy Oswalt 4 0.9% Placido Polanco 2 0.5%

Martinez signed for $4,000, hit .173 in his first minor league season and didn't get the opportunity to become a full-time starter in the majors until he was 27. He is now a Hall of Famer.

The late Halladay was a first-round pick but was once so lost in the majors that he had to go all the way back down to Class A to rebuild himself as a pitcher. He is now a Hall of Famer.

Mussina was an 11th-round pick out of Montoursville, Pennsylvania, in 1987, but he went to Stanford University and then was a first-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 1990. He is now a Hall of Famer.

Rivera, Martinez, Halladay and Mussina will join Lee Smith and Harold Baines -- who were selected in December by the Today's Game Era Committee -- in a unique Hall of Fame class: two closers, two designated hitters and two starting pitchers, including one with 203 wins, the fewest for a starting pitcher since the Veterans Committee elected Addie Joss in 1978 with 160 wins.

Tuesday's selections represent a much-beloved foursome:

• Rivera, the greatest closer of all time with a record 652 saves over his 19-year career, helped the New York Yankees win five World Series titles, becoming one of the most iconic players in the storied history of the franchise. His postseason performance was even more remarkable than his regular-season dominance, finishing 8-1 with a 0.70 ERA over 96 appearances and 141 innings. He recorded 42 postseason saves -- including 14 of two innings. That's more two-inning saves than all other relievers combined in the postseason while Rivera was active.

• Martinez spent his entire career with the Mariners, staying in Seattle and becoming a franchise icon while other stars -- Griffey, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez -- left. Martinez won two batting titles and hit .312 with 309 home runs over 18 seasons. He is one of just six players who began their careers after World War II and retired with a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage.

• Halladay finished 203-105 in his career with a 3.38 ERA, playing 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and the final four with the Philadelphia Phillies. He won two Cy Young Awards, one with each franchise, finished second two other times, threw a perfect game and tossed a no-hitter for the Phillies in the 2010 National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds. He also was one of the last great workhorses. During his peak from 2003 to 2011, he threw 61 complete games -- 30 more than the No. 2 guy (CC Sabathia).

• Mussina played 18 seasons, 10 with the Orioles and eight with the Yankees. He compiled a 270-153 record with a 3.68 ERA and 2,813 strikeouts. Mussina was a five-time All-Star and earned seven Gold Gloves. He never won a Cy Young Award, finishing second in 1999 behind the Boston Red Sox's Pedro Martinez.

play 0:41 Rivera compares unanimous hall selection to World Series win Mariano Rivera sits down with SVP to describe the feeling of finding out he was the first player unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

More than anything, however, these four players are a testament to hard work and perseverance -- and even a little good fortune.

The Yankees left Rivera, then a Class A player who had suffered an elbow injury, exposed in the 1993 expansion draft. The Marlins were reportedly set to take him, but the Rockies selected Brad Ausmus, meaning the Yankees couldn't lose any more players. The Yankees also nearly traded Rivera to the Mariners after Rivera posted a 5.51 ERA as a rookie in 1995. Instead, the Yankees moved him to the bullpen and one day in 1997, while playing catch with Ramiro Mendoza, his ball suddenly started moving. He had found his famous cutter.

"Mariano was a fierce competitor and a humble champion, which has made him such a beloved baseball legend," said Yankees managing partner Hal Steinbrenner. "Success and stardom never changed Mariano, and his respect for the game, the pinstripes and for his teammates and opponents alike makes this day such a celebration of his legacy. There will be many more great and talented relief pitchers, but there will never be another like him."

The Yankees didn't even wait until Rivera's final game to retire his No. 42 -- he was the last player in the major leagues to wear that number, grandfathered to him when No. 42 was retired in honor of Jackie Robinson in 1997.

"Wearing No. 42, representing Jackie Robinson, I assume he was the first No. 42 elected,'' Rivera said. "To be the last No. 42 elected to the Hall of Fame, and unanimously, is amazing.''

Rivera and Smith will be the seventh and eighth relievers in the Hall, joining Hoyt Wilhelm (1985), Rollie Fingers (1992), Dennis Eckersley (2004), Bruce Sutter (2006), Rich Gossage (2008) and Trevor Hoffman (2018).

Martinez spent most of three seasons in Triple-A, hitting .344 over 276 games. The Mariners wouldn't give him a full-time job. When Darnell Coles made a bunch of errors at third base early in 1990, Martinez finally got the chance to play. Martinez hit .302 that season and never stopped, topping .300 10 times, in part because of his great eye at the plate, as he routinely finished with more walks than strikeouts.

Martinez and Baines will join 2014 inductee Frank Thomas as the only Hall of Famers to play the majority of their games at designated hitter. David Ortiz will be eligible in 2022.

"I think the fact that Harold Baines and me got in this year is going to help the future of the DH for years to come,'' Martinez said.

As for the wait, Martinez said it might have been a blessing.

"I think the wait, I think I'm more mature right now. I think I've enjoyed it more at this point with my family, the way my kids are older now and it just has a lot of meaning, even more meaning now,'' he said. "The wait, actually it worked out well for me.''

Martinez's Hall of Fame classmates certainly couldn't get him out. The slugger was 11-for-19 (.579) lifetime against Rivera, 23-for-75 (.307) with five homers against Mussina and 8-for-18 (.444) against Halladay.

play 0:38 Martinez gets the Hall of Fame call Edgar Martinez receives the news that he has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Halladay came up to Toronto as a prized prospect and had a 3.92 ERA as a rookie in 1999. Everything fell apart in 2000, however, and he had one of the worst seasons in major league history: 4-7 with a 10.64 ERA over 67⅔ innings. The next season, he started back in the Florida State League, with the Blue Jays hoping Halladay could fix things enough just so they could trade him. They sent him to Double-A to work with pitching coach Mel Queen, and the two rebuilt his mechanics -- starting the first session by not even letting Halladay throw a baseball. Halladay was back in the big leagues in July, and he won his first Cy Young Award in 2003.

In a statement, Brandy Halladay, Roy's widow, said that making the Hall of Fame was never his goal.

"His goal was to be successful every single day of his 16-year career," she said. "Tonight's announcement is the end result of that effort.

"If only Roy were here to personally express his gratitude for this honor, what an even more amazing day this would be."

Braden Halladay, Roy's oldest son who has signed to pitch at Penn State, tweeted a tribute to his father.

The only other player elected on the first ballot posthumously was Christy Mathewson in 1936. Roberto Clemente was elected by a special election in 1973 after dying in a plane crash on Dec. 31, 1972.

"It's well-deserved," former Phillies teammate Cole Hamels said of Halladay on MLB Network. "Just to understand the character he really had and what he meant to baseball -- he was by far the greatest pitcher for 10 years."

Mussina received 20.3 percent of the votes in his first ballot in 2014, but he had steadily gained support since. Armed with a nasty knuckle curveball, Mussina also got a push from the sabermetric community.

The head boys' basketball coach at Montoursville High, Mussina had just finished practice when his phone rang with the news he had been voted in.

"There was a girls' game coming in after us with people coming in for that, so I had to go hide somewhere in the other end of the building so no one could see me," Mussina said on MLB Network.

Mussina's 3.68 ERA will be the third highest in Cooperstown behind Jack Morris (3.90) and Red Ruffing (3.80), but writers gave him a break for pitching in the slugger-heavy AL East, with its cozy ballparks.

"You know they're small or hitter-friendly, it's just how it was,'' Mussina said. "I just kept trying to make adjustments.''

Mussina fell short of 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts, but those traditional markers haven't been as crucial to modern voters. This proved more relevant: His 83 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference, rank 58th all-time. That's just ahead of first-ballot Hall of Fame pitchers Nolan Ryan and Tom Glavine.

Asked if his plaque would depict him wearing an Orioles or Yankees hat, Mussina said he couldn't make that decision -- and the Hall of Fame has the final say in such matters.

"I wouldn't be on this phone call if it wasn't for both places," he said.

"I played for both organizations and was proud to play for both and there's no way I could pick one over the other."

Mussina knew the votes were tracking as if he would be selected, but he wasn't sure until receiving the phone call.

"It's surprising, somewhat. [The vote totals were] steadily improving, but it was a pretty big jump from last year to this year," Mussina said.

"I knew it was going to be close, but it's pretty cool."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. </s> Harold Baines answered the phone and learned he was a Hall of Famer.

So were many others around the baseball world.

In fact, in the hours after his selection by a Hall-picked panel was announced Sunday at the Mandalay Bay resort, a lot of conversations at the winter meetings started the exact same way: “Harold Baines?”

No one doubted Baines was a top player — a six-time All-Star with 1,628 RBIs, 384 home runs and 2,866 hits.

“I had a great career. I’m very proud of it,” he said.

But a couple other numbers stood out, too.

Baines never drew more than 6.1 per cent in five elections by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, far from the 75 per cent required. In the key WAR stat compiled by baseballreference.com, Baines’ lifetime total was tied for 545th.

Behind the likes of Placido Polanco, Jim Sundberg and Rafael Furcal in wins above replacement, not to mention Gil Hodges, Dick Allen, Don Mattingly, John Olerud and dozens more.

The vote by the Today’s Game Era Committee was sure to spark renewed cries of cronyism at Cooperstown. Especially because the 16-member panel appointed by the Hall board included longtime Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf.

“I’m glad he was on that committee this year to help to get into the Hall of Fame,” Baines said.

Baines spent nearly all of his first 10 seasons with the White Sox and currently serves as a team ambassador in their community relations department.

“So happy for Harold. He’s a great player and a great human being,” Reinsdorf praised in a statement. “I am so honoured that I was a member of the committee. He deserved to be in long ago. I am just so excited.”

“Not only was Harold one of my favourite players to watch, but I have nothing but admiration for him as a player and as a human being,” he said.

Tony La Russa, Baines’ first big league manager, also was on the panel that elected him.

In the past, Phil Rizzuto and Bill Mazeroski were among the players who benefited from friendly faces on Veterans Committees to reach the Hall. That panel has been revamped over the years, and the Today’s Game Era group was created as part of changes in 2014.

“The era committees were established as a sort of a court of appeals for an opportunity in the event that over time it was felt that maybe somebody slipped through the cracks,” Hall President Jeff Idelson said. “And in the case of someone who received 6 per cent of the vote in the BBWAA election, the reason that may have happened could be for many, many reasons.”

It took 12 votes for election by the panel — longtime reliever Lee Smith was unanimous, Baines got 12 and former outfielder and manager Lou Piniella fell just short with 11.

George Steinbrenner, Orel Hershiser, Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Davey Johnson and Charlie Manuel all received fewer than five votes.

Baines, now 59, had a smooth, consistent, left-handed stroke. But he never finished higher than ninth in an MVP vote, and never was among the top five AL hitters in the yearly batting race. His single-season high was 29 home runs at a time when lots of players hit more.

As this vote approached, his name drew little-to-no buzz in debates over who might be selected.

“I wasn’t expecting this day to come,” the career .289 hitter said.

Baines became a designated hitter after knee trouble ended his days in the outfield, and DHs have struggled to gain backing from Hall voters.

Baines joined Frank Thomas as the only players in the Hall who spent more than half his games as a DH.

“Everything I hear or read is DH is really not part of the game, I guess. But I disagree. But maybe this will the open up the doors for some more DHs,” Baines said.

Both closers and DHs could see the numbers increase again very shortly.

Mariano Rivera is eligible for the first time and big-hitting DH Edgar Martinez will be back on the ballot when results of the next BBWAA election are announced Jan. 22.

Induction ceremonies are scheduled for July 21 at Cooperstown, New York.

Between now and then, there’s certain to be more discussion about who else should be in the Hall. Drug-tainted Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are on the upcoming BBWAA ballot, influential players’ union head Marvin Miller has been denied seven times by various committees, and steroids user Mark McGwire wasn’t among Sunday’s candidates. </s> Harold Baines and Lee Smith were elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, MLB.com's Chad Thornburg reported.

According to Thornburg, Baines received 12 of 16 votes from the Today's Game Era Committee, which was the minimum number of votes required to earn passage to the Hall of Fame. Smith, meanwhile, received 16 yes votes.

Reaction to the news was mixed, to say the least:

Baseball Reference's JAWS metric helps evaluate a Hall of Fame resume. It takes a player's seven best single-season WAR and averages it against his career WAR.

Smith's supporters can point to the fact that he sits higher than Bruce Sutter, Trevor Hoffman and Rollie Fingers in JAWS among relief pitchers, per Baseball Reference. Sutter, Hoffman and Fingers have all been enshrined in Cooperstown, New York.

Smith retired with a 3.03 ERA and 478 saves, which were the most all-time when he stepped away from the game after the 1997 season. Hoffman and Mariano Rivera have since surpassed him.

While Smith isn't generally remembered as a dominant closer—not in the way Rivera and Dennis Eckersley are—his Hall of Fame honor isn't entirely undeserved.

Baines, on the other hand, is a head-scratcher. He was a career .289 hitter with 384 home runs and 1,628 RBI, the last two of which rank 65th and 34th all-time.

According to FanGraphs, Baines had two seasons with at least 3.0 WAR. To put that into perspective, Carlos Delgado had seven 3.0-plus-WAR seasons and lasted one year before failing to collect enough support to even remain on the Hall of Fame ballot.

More than anything, Baines wasn't a player who helped define the era in which he played.

Baines spent 22 seasons in MLB. In only four of those seasons did he receive an MVP vote, and he never finished higher than ninth. Baines epitomized a player seemingly destined for the proverbial "Hall of Very Good" rather than Cooperstown.

The criticism toward his election is likely only beginning.
In Major League Baseball, the Hall of Fame announces the first members of its 2019 induction class, with Harold Baines and Lee Smith voted in by one of four special committees. They, along with any players elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in January 2019, will be formally inducted at the Hall's facility in Cooperstown, New York on July 21, 2019.