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Blue Jays reliever Elvis Luciano made his major league debut on Sunday against the Tigers. The right-hander gave up a hit and a walk and struck out one while tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings of work.

More astonishingly, though, Baseball Reference points out that Luciano is the first player born in the 2000’s to reach the majors. The 19-year-old came into the world on February 15, 2000. The next-youngest player in baseball is Fernando Tatis Jr., who was born on January 2, 1999. After Tatis, it’s Juan Soto, born on October 25, 1998.

Also from the “Wanna Feel Old?” department: Since Adrián Beltré (retired) and Bartolo Colón are not active, we no longer have any players in Major League Baseball who played in the 20th century.

Time comes for us all. </s> TORONTO -- Elvis Luciano became the youngest pitcher in Blue Jays history when he took the mound during the seventh inning of Sunday afternoon's 11-inning, 4-3 loss to the Tigers. Luciano tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings, while surrendering a double to Niko Goodrum and issuing an intentional walk. At 19

TORONTO -- Elvis Luciano became the youngest pitcher in Blue Jays history when he took the mound during the seventh inning of Sunday afternoon's 11-inning, 4-3 loss to the Tigers.

Luciano tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings, while surrendering a double to Niko Goodrum and issuing an intentional walk. At 19 years and 44 days, Luciano is the first player born in the 2000s to appear in a Major League game, and he's second only to Brian Miller (at 18 years, 218 days in 1978) as the youngest player in franchise history.

The Dominican native entered in the seventh, and got Nicholas Castellanos to fly out and end the threat. In the following inning, the biggest highlight of all came when Miguel Cabrera stepped into the box and Luciano eventually got him to fly out to left.

"That was wild right there," Luciano said, through an interpreter after the game. "When I was 12 years old, Cabrera was my favorite player. I used to be an infielder, and when I saw him, when I knew I was going to face him; that was my proudest moment of the entire day."

The Blue Jays acquired Luciano from Kansas City during the December Rule 5 Draft at the annual Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. He won a spot on the 25-man roster during Spring Training and he has to remain there -- barring injury -- all season, or be offered back to the Royals for $500,000.

Richard goes down

Blue Jays left-hander Clayton Richard, who will miss at least the next two weeks because of a stress reaction in his right knee, was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday.

Right-hander Sean Reid-Foley was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in time to make Monday's start against the Orioles, which originally belonged to Richard. Reid-Foley had yet to make an appearance in a game, awaiting the start of the Minor League season, but spent the spring competing for a job with the Blue Jays.

Richard is in a no-throw situation for approximately the next two weeks, and will then be re-evaluated at that time.

"It hurts when he lands, so we have to be careful with that," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said.

The top four-fifths of the Blue Jays' rotation got off to an incredible start this season, with a combined 24 scoreless innings over the first four games. Even with Trent Thornton's record-setting debut on Sunday, there is a lot more uncertainty in the final two spots. Clay Buchholz continues to get stretched out in the Minors after signing late in camp, and left-hander Ryan Borucki will need to miss at least one more outing because of elbow soreness, and now Richard goes down as well.

Jansen in the DH spot

Montoyo continues to prove that he's not afraid to take some risks. The latest example came in the series finale against Detroit, when Danny Jansen was inserted into the leadoff spot of the lineup as a designated hitter.

The Blue Jays' manager knew he wanted to give Jansen a break behind the plate, but he still wanted his bat in the lineup. That's why Montoyo settled on the DH spot, even if he knows there's a downside to this strategy, which became apparent in the eighth inning when Rowdy Tellez pinch-hit for catcher Luke Maile.

Montoyo's move paid off when Tellez hit a three-run homer, but it also left the Blue Jays without a DH for the rest of the game because Jansen had to move back behind the plate. Jansen went 1-for-5 on the day.

"He matches up better than anybody on this team, that's why we're doing that," Montoyo said earlier in the day when explaining the move. "Of course, when we're doing that, I'm taking the risk of a catcher getting hurt, and I'd have to manage a National League team. Hopefully nobody get hurts and everything is fine."

Galvis sits, then plays

Freddy Galvis was held out of the Blue Jays' starting lineup because of tightness in his lower back. For a couple of hours, it looked like Galvis might miss his first big league game since 2016, but the veteran infielder still found a way to enter late as a pinch-hitter.

Galvis appeared in 162 games during each of the last two seasons with the Padres and Phillies. Utility infielder Richard Urena replaced Galvis in the starting lineup approximately 20 minutes prior to first pitch, but Montoyo said after the game he did not believe it would be a serious issue.

"He said he couldn't go," Montoyo said. "Of course he has his streak going. So I said, 'Well get loose, I'll give you time.' And he said 'No, I just won't be able to go.' So for Freddy to say that, you know he couldn't go. Then around the third inning our trainer said, 'He got loose and he feels pretty good, so he should be able to pinch-hit or play.'"

Quotable

"The one thing I know is that he's not going to be scared. I don't know how he's like that, because I would be, but he's not. That's a plus. If you see him out there and he's wild or something, it's not because he's scared or something, it's because he's just a kid from Rookie ball. But you're going to see him, and we've got to find out." -- Montoyo, on Luciano. </s> Blue Jays RHP Luciano is first big leaguer born this century

TORONTO (AP) — While Major League Baseball no longer has a single player who was active during the previous century, it now has its first player born in this one.

Blue Jays right-hander Elvis Luciano became the youngest pitcher in Toronto history when he debuted Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. Luciano, who turned 19 on Feb. 15, allowed one hit in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

"I feel very good about it and very proud of myself," Luciano said through a translator. "I wasn't nervous at all. I was anxious because I really wanted to do the best I could for the team."

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo was impressed with Luciano's performance, especially a fastball that reached 96 mph.

"Just to pitch in that moment, in that situation, that shows you a lot," Montoyo said after his team lost 4-3 in 11 innings. "For sure he's not nervous. He's got the stuff to compete in the big leagues."

Pitching with runners at the corners and two outs in the seventh, Luciano retired the first batter he faced, Nicholas Castellanos, on a fly to center.

"Good fastball," Castellanos said. "He came right at me — he wasn't shy. He did his job and got me out. Hopefully if he has a 20-year major league career, I can say that I was the first guy he ever got out."

Luciano got slugger Miguel Cabrera on a fly ball to the wall in left field for his first out of the eighth.

"That was a 'wow' right there," Luciano said. "When I was 12 years old, Cabrera was my favorite player. I used to be an infielder and when I saw him, when I knew that I was going to face him, that was the proudest moment of the entire day for me."

Niko Goodrum's one-out double was the only hit off Luciano.

"I was just trying to get a heater," Goodrum said. "He has a good arm."

The Blue Jays got Luciano from Kansas City in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings last December. He hadn't pitched above rookie ball in two minor league seasons before this year.

Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon were the final two big leaguers who were active in the last century, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Brian Milner is the youngest player in Blue Jays history. The catcher was 18 years and 218 days old when he debuted with Toronto against Cleveland in June 1978. </s> TORONTO -- Nicholas Castellanos' RBI single in the 11th helped the Detroit Tigers edge the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at the Rogers Centre.

Daniel Stumpf (1-0) picked up the win and Shane Greene provided the save as the Tigers (2-2) earned a split of the series with the Blue Jays (2-2).

Thomas Pannone (0-1) was saddled with the loss.

Blue Jays starter Trent Thornton (0-0) surrendered two hits over five innings while striking out eight in his big league debut. Toronto starters have now pitched 24 shutout innings to begin the season, beating the previous franchise record of eight innings set by Jack Morris in 1992.

In the fifth, Thornton got Mikie Mahtook swinging to record his eighth strikeout of the afternoon setting a new franchise record for strikeouts in a major league debut. The record was previously held by Matthew Boyd and Marc Rzepczynski who each recorded seven strikeouts in their respective debuts.

With Tim Mayza on in relief, Niko Goodrum led off the seventh with a double and later scored on a bases-loaded walk issued to Jordy Mercer by Javy Guerra. Jeimer Candelario then singled to left scoring a pair of runs.

Candelario finished the afternoon going 5-for-6 with a pair of RBIs in the win.

Elvis Luciano became the youngest pitcher in Blue Jays history to make an appearance when he came on in relief of Guerra with two out in the seventh. The 19-year-old is also the first player born in the 2000s to appear in a Major League game.

Tigers starter Matt Moore (0-0) went seven innings allowing just two hits while striking out six and walking two.

Toronto responded in the eighth with Joe Jimenez on in relief for the Tigers, Kevin Pillar reached on a single and advanced to third on a ground rule double from Richard Urena. Rowdy Tellez, pinch-hitting for Luke Maile, then took Jimenez 1-1 changeup over the wall in centre field for his first home run of the season tying the game 3-3.

Notes: Urena replaced Freddy Galvis (lower back tightness) at shortstop in the Blue Jays' starting lineup prior to Sunday's series finale with the Tigers. … Blue Jays LHP Clayton Richard (right knee), Monday's scheduled starter, is expected to be placed on the disabled list. RHP Sean Reid-Foley will get the ball as Toronto opens a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. … Sunday's announced attendance was 16,098. </s> TORONTO -- When Aaron Sanchez exited his start on Saturday he had a simple message for Trent Thornton: don't mess it up.

The rookie right-hander was confused at first, before realizing Sanchez was referring to the string of scoreless innings Blue Jays starters had amassed to start the season.

Thornton pitched five scoreless innings in his big league debut, but did not factor into the decision as the Blue Jays fell 4-3 in 11 innings to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon.

"It was pretty much everything I ever dreamed of since I was four years old," said Thornton who surrendered two hits while striking out eight. "I was able to go out there and kind of show I belonged there, had my family out to witness that, it was really special."

Nicholas Castellanos delivered an RBI single in the 11th and Daniel Stumpf (1-0) picked up the win as the Tigers (2-2) earned a split of the series with the Blue Jays (2-2). Shane Greene provided the save in the victory.

Thomas Pannone (0-1) was saddled with the loss.

In the fifth, Thornton got Mikie Mahtook swinging to record his eighth strikeout of the afternoon setting a new franchise record for strikeouts in a major league debut. The record was previously held by Matthew Boyd and Marc Rzepczynski who each recorded seven strikeouts in their respective debuts.

Toronto starters have now combined for a franchise-best 24 shutout innings to start the season -- the first team to do so since the 1994 Atlanta Braves' starters tossed a combined 25 scoreless frames.

"That's the main (reason) we've been in every game: pitching and defence. I feel really good about it," said Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo. "They have been outstanding, the whole rotation, they've been pretty good. We have a chance every day."

With Tim Mayza on in relief, Niko Goodrum led off the seventh with a double and later scored on a bases-loaded walk issued to Jordy Mercer by Javy Guerra. Jeimer Candelario then singled to left scoring a pair of runs.

Candelario finished the afternoon going 5-for-6 with a pair of RBIs in the win.

Elvis Luciano became the youngest pitcher in Blue Jays history to make an appearance when he came on in relief of Guerra with two out in the seventh. The 19-year-old is also the first player born in the 2000s to appear in a Major League game.

"He was really good. He impresses me with that, being that young and in that situation when he came in, he gave us a chance," Montoyo said. "He gave us a chance to tie the game. He's been very good.

"He's got the stuff to compete in the big leagues, 95, 94 with good changeup."

Tigers starter Matt Moore (0-0) went seven innings allowing just two hits while striking out six and walking two.

Toronto responded in the eighth with Joe Jimenez on in relief for the Tigers, Kevin Pillar reached on a single and advanced to third on a ground rule double from Richard Urena. Rowdy Tellez, pinch-hitting for Luke Maile, then took Jimenez 1-1 changeup over the wall in centre field for his first home run of the season tying the game 3-3.

Notes: Urena replaced Freddy Galvis (lower back tightness) at shortstop in the Blue Jays' starting lineup prior to Sunday's series finale with the Tigers.

Blue Jays LHP Clayton Richard (right knee), Monday's scheduled starter, is expected to be placed on the disabled list. RHP Sean Reid-Foley will get the ball as Toronto opens a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles. </s> There are few players in baseball history of whom it can be said unequivocally that they were the best ever at their position, but among them is longtime New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. And Tuesday, Rivera became the first unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame.

Rivera, baseball’s all-time leader in saves and a 13-time all-star, was named on all 425 ballots cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

He heads a four-player contingent elected to Cooperstown. Also gaining election were two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, the late ace of the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies; longtime Seattle Mariners designated hitter Edgar Martinez, one of the most feared hitters of the 1990s; and former Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees ace Mike Mussina.

Rivera and Halladay were on the ballot for the first time, Mussina was on his sixth year on the ballot, and Martinez made it into Cooperstown on his 10th and final try. To gain election, a player must be named on at least 75 percent of ballots. Halladay and Martinez each received 363 votes, or 85.4 percent. Mussina garnered 326 votes (76.8 percent).

Rivera, Halladay, Martinez and Mussina will be inducted — along with former closer Lee Smith and designated hitter Harold Baines, who were elected in December by the 16-person Today’s Game Era — at a ceremony July 21 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Falling just short — again — were Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, arguably the best pitcher and hitter of their time, but also two of the players most associated with the so-called steroid era. Both were on the ballot for the seventh time and will have three more chances before falling off the writers’ ballot. </s> Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martínez, and Mike Mussina have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America as part of the 2019 class. The results were just announced on MLB Network. Rivera received votes from every single writer who submitted a ballot, becoming the first player ever to be unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame. Halladay and Edgar Martínez each received 85.4 percent of the vote and Mussina appeared on 76.7 percent of ballots.

Rivera, 49, spent all 19 of his seasons in the majors with the Yankees. He was initially used as a starter, but quickly moved to the bullpen, becoming the greatest closer of all-time. He racked up 652 saves — the most in baseball history — during the regular season along with a 2.21 ERA anda 1,173 strikeouts across 1,283 2/3 innings. He saved his best work for the postseason. Rivera appeared in 96 postseason games, saving 42 saves in 47 opportunities with a 0.70 ERA and a 110/21 K/BB ratio in 141 innings. Rivera won five championships, five Rolaids Relief Awards, as well as MVP awards in the World Series, ALCS, and All-Star Game. He made the AL All-Star team 13 times.

Halladay, 40, will sadly be inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously. Just a few years following his retirement, Halladay died while flying his plane off the coast of Florida. Halladay spent the first 12 years of his 16-year career with the Blue Jays, winning the 2003 AL Cy Young Award and making the AL All-Star team six times. The Jays traded him to the Phillies after the 2009 season. In 2010, Halladay threw a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29, 2010, which was the 20th in baseball history at the time. Halladay then pitched a no-hitter against the Reds in Game 1 of the NLDS, his first career postseason start. He unanimously won the NL Cy Young Award that year. Halladay had another great year in 2011, making the NL All-Star team and finishing a runner-up in Cy Young balloting. Starting in 2012, however, injuries began to get the best of him and his career was finished not long after.

Martínez, 56, played in the big leagues between 1987-2004, all with the Mariners. He spent the first eight years of his career before becoming a full-time DH, arguably the best of his era. He retired with a career .312/.418/.515 batting line along with 309 home runs and 1,261 RBI. He won two batting titles, led the league in RBI once (145 in 2000), led the league in doubles twice, and led the league in on-base percentage three times. Martínez made the AL All-Star team seven times and won five Silver Slugger Awards as well. This was Martínez’s 10th and final year on the ballot and he finally received enough support to earn enshrinement. Starting with his first year of eligibility in 2010, Martinez earned 36.2, 32.9, 36.5, 35.9, 25.2, 27.0, 43.4, 58.6, and 70.4 percent of the vote through last year.

Mussina, 50, has been a Sabermetric favorite since he first became eligible. The right-hander played 18 seasons in the majors, 10 with the Orioles and eight with the Yankees. He won 270 games, retiring with a 3.68 ERA and 2,813 strikeouts across 3,562 2/3 innings. Mussina made the AL All-Star team five times and won seven Gold Glove Awards. His traditional stats, beyond wins, don’t stack up quite as well compared to other Hall of Fame starters. However, Baseball Reference credits him with racking up 82.9 Wins Above Replacement, which is only a tick behind Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez’s 86.2.

Congratulations to Rivera, Halladay, Martínez, and Mussina. They will join Harold Baines and Lee Smith in the 2019 Hall of Fame induction class. Baines and Smith were voted in by the Today’s Game Era Committee last month. The group of six will be inducted into Cooperstown in July.

Players that got between five and 75 percent of the vote will reappear on next year’s ballot. Those include: Curt Schilling (60.9%), Roger Clemens (59.5%), Barry Bonds (59.1%), Larry Walker (54.6%), Omar Vizquel (42.8%), Manny Ramirez (22.8%), Jeff Kent (18.1%), Billy Wagner (16.7%), Todd Helton (16.5%), Scott Rolen (17.2%), Gary Sheffield (13.6%), Andy Pettitte (9.9%), Sammy Sosa (8.5%), Andruw Jones and (7.5). Fred McGriff got 39.8% of the vote in his 10th and final year on the ballot, so he is no longer eligible, but he can be considered by the Today’s Game Era Committee.

Dropping off the ballot with less than five percent of the vote: Michael Young (2.1%), Lance Berkman (1.2%), Miguel Tejada (1.2%), Roy Oswalt (0.9%), Placido Polanco (0.5%), Rick Ankiel (0), Jason Bay (0), Freddy Garcia (0), Jon Garland (0), Travis Hafner (0), Ted Lilly (0), Derek Lowe (0), Darren Oliver (0), Juan Pierre (0), Vernon Wells (0), and Kevin Youkilis (0). </s> Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees' closing pitcher who posted a record 652 saves over his 19-year career, is the first player to be unanimously selected for Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame.

Two other pitchers, the late Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina, and slugger Edgar Martinez were also elected.

Rivera received all 425 votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The stars all received at least 75 percent of the ballots cast. Players must be retired for five years to be eligible for the honor.

In 2014, Rivera told NPR that as he grew up in poverty in Panama, he had far different expectations from life.

"I wanted to be a mechanic. So I would have saved all the money that I make to open my own shop," he said.

Roy Halladay, who won two Cy Young Awards and made eight All-Star appearances, played for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Winning 203 games in his 16-year career, he was known as a workhorse, posting 67 complete games — the most in the major leagues — since 2000. He is also the third posthumous Hall of Fame inductee. Halladay died in November 2017 when he crashed the airplane he was flying into the Gulf of Mexico near the Florida coast.

Edgar Martinez was a .312 hitter in his 18 years with the Seattle Mariners. He hit 309 home runs, won two batting titles and was a seven-time All-Star. Martinez is also one of three inductees — the others were Frank Thomas and Harold Baines — who played most of their careers as designated hitters.

Mike Mussina played 18 years for the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, winning 270 games, striking out 2,813 batters and posting a career 3.68 earned run average. He was a five-time All-Star who won at least 11 games every year from 1992 to 2008. He also won seven Gold Gloves — an award for the top fielding position players.

As baseball fans earlier in the day awaited the news of which past stars would make the cut and have his name officially ranked with the game's immortals, ESPN reminded readers that there had never been a unanimous selection to the Hall.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, two stars tainted by the widespread reaction against performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, both fell short of the 75 percent vote threshold. Bonds received 59.1 percent and Clemens 59.5 percent. Both were in their seventh year of eligibility.

Rivera, Halladay, Martinez and Mussina will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer. </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.
Elvis Luciano of the Toronto Blue Jays becomes the first person born in the 2000s to play in a Major League Baseball game.