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| From left, general manager Pat Gillick, second baseman Roberto Alomar and pitcher Bert Blyleven, after the induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday |
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Roberto Alomar first looked up to Bert Blyleven as a 9-year-old in 1977, when Blyleven teamed with his father, Sandy, as members of the Texas Rangers.
Fifteen years later, Alomar and Blyleven met in a game as opposing players for the first and only time in their long and productive major league careers. Alomar, then a rising star with the Toronto Blue Jays, had a flyout, a triple and a walk in three at-bats against Blyleven, then a wily veteran with a wicked curveball who was finishing a 22-year career with the California Angels.
On Sunday, the baseball paths of Alomar and Blyleven crossed again, this time at the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
“From the time Robbie was a little boy, you could see the athleticism and baseball skills were all there,” Blyleven said before breaking into a wide grin. “But that game I played against him, I don’t know about that triple, I thought I struck him out three times.”
Alomar, considered by many to be the greatest second baseman in baseball history, was inducted Sunday to the Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot, Blyleven in his 14th.
“I played the game of baseball because it was my passion,” Alomar told a crowd of 17,500 fans, many of them waving flags from his native Puerto Rico. Many others, who made the trip from Toronto, waved Canadian flags as a tribute to Alomar’s time with the Blue Jays, whom he helped lead to World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.
“It wasn’t all about the hits,” said Alomar, who had 2,724 of them, “I wanted to be the best, and I played the game the only way I knew how — to win.
“My time in Toronto was the best of my career,” he added, bringing the Canadian fans to their feet to cheer wildly. “You guys embraced me from Day 1, and I am so proud to represent you as the first Toronto Blue Jay elected to the Hall of Fame.”
Alomar, who began his speech in Spanish, did not make mention of the blemish on his baseball résumé, an ugly incident in September 1996 when Alomar spit in the face of home plate umpire John Hirschbeck after a called third strike. (Alomar and Hirschbeck have since patched up their differences.)
Alomar did, however, address a handful of teams, including the Mets, whom he joined after the magic that made him one of the game’s most dynamic players had all but disappeared.
“To the New York Mets, White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays, I wore your uniform with pride and dignity, and I want you to know that I gave you my best each and every time I hit that field to represent you; thank you,” he said.
Alomar, who had a .300 lifetime average, won 10 Gold Gloves and made 12 All-Star teams in a row from 1990 to 2001, received 523 of 581 votes, for 90 percent, while Blyleven finished with 463, for 79.7 percent. Candidates needed 436 votes, or 75 percent, to be enshrined.
Pat Gillick, the former Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies general manager who won two World Series titles with Alomar and the Blue Jays and another with the Phillies in 2008 was also enshrined. Gillick’s teams produced winning records in 20 of his 27 seasons.
Blyleven, who was the first player born in the Netherlands to be inducted, was a two-time All-Star who is fifth in major league history with 3,701 strikeouts and ninth with 60 shutouts. He completed 242 games and struck out at least 200 batters in eight seasons.
Blyleven, a likable prankster who enjoys the spotlight, opted to enter the Hall beneath the bill of a Minnesota Twins cap. He spent half his career with the Twins and helped them win the 1987 World Series. He was also a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates team that won the 1979 World Series. He thanked Harmon Killebrew, Willie Stargell, Bob Feller, Chuck Tanner and Kirby Puckett, all deceased, for helping to guide his career.
“These guys are all looking down on me today,” Blyleven said. “They had a huge impact on my career. They helped mentor me.”
Though Blyleven finished short of 300 victories, a milestone that would have surely expedited his enshrinement — his overall record is 287-250 — his Hall of Fame credentials and candidacy were bolstered by bloggers and statisticians, some of whom pointed out that every other pitcher in the top 20 in shutouts was in the Hall of Fame, as well as every other eligible pitcher in the top 17 in strikeouts. With better run support during his almost 5,000 innings pitched, supporters argued, Blyleven would have easily exceeded 300 victories.
Blyleven was asked if that campaign was responsible for punching his ticket to Cooperstown.
“I have no idea,” he said, “but I appreciate the guys who do this Internet stuff and maybe woke up some of the writers.”
Alomar ended his speech with a tip of his Blue Jays cap to his family, including his father and brother, Sandy Alomar Jr., with whom he teamed with on the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, as well as his many fans from Puerto Rico and Canada.
“You are and will always be my life and my love,” he said. “Thank you and God bless you.
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Nytimes
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