Dodgers great Gil Hodges elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Buck O’Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade vocation connected and disconnected the field, joined Gil Hodges, Minnie Miñoso and 3 others successful being elected to the shot Hall of Fame connected Sunday.

Former Minnesota Twins teammates Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat besides were chosen on with Bud Fowler by a brace of veterans committees.

Oliva and Kaat, some 83 years old, are the lone surviving caller members. Longtime slugger Dick Allen, who died past December, fell 1 ballot shy of election.

The six newcomers volition beryllium enshrined successful Cooperstown, New York, connected July 24, 2022, on with immoderate caller members elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. First-time candidates David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez articulation Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling connected the ballot, with voting results connected Jan. 25.

Passed implicit successful erstwhile Hall elections, the caller members bespeak a diverseness of accomplishments.

This was the archetypal clip O’Neil, Miñoso and Fowler had a accidental to marque the Hall nether caller rules honoring Negro League contributions. Last December, the statistic of immoderate 3,400 players were added to Major League Baseball’s grounds books erstwhile MLB said it was “correcting a longtime oversight successful the game’s history” and reclassifying the Negro Leagues arsenic a large league.

“Jubilation,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum successful Kansas City, Missouri, that O’Neil helped create, aft the voting results were announced.

O’Neil was a two-time All-Star archetypal baseman successful the Negro Leagues and the archetypal Black manager successful the National oregon American leagues. He became a singular ambassador for the athletics until his decease successful 2006 astatine 94 and already is honored with a life-sized statue wrong the Hall of Fame successful Cooperstown.

For each O’Neil did for the crippled his full life, galore casual fans weren’t wholly acquainted with him until they watched the nine-part Ken Burns documentary “Baseball,” which archetypal aired connected PBS successful 1994.

There, O’Neil’s grace, wit and vivid storytelling brought backmost to beingness the times of Negro Leagues stars Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell, positive the days of galore much Black ballplayers whose names were agelong forgotten.

Kendrick said it was excessively atrocious O’Neil won’t beryllium successful Cooperstown for the induction ceremonies adjacent July 22, “but you cognize his tone is going to capable the valley,” helium said connected MLB Network.

Miñoso was a two-time All-Star successful the Negro Leagues earlier becoming the archetypal Black subordinate for the Chicago White Sox successful 1951. Born successful Havana, “The Cuban Comet” was seven-time All-Star portion with the White Sox and Indians.

There was thing mini astir Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso connected the field. He deed implicit .300 8 times with Cleveland and Chicago, led the AL successful stolen bases 3 times, reached treble digits successful location runs astir each play and won 3 Gold Gloves successful near field.

Miñoso finished up, oregon truthful it seemed, successful 1964. He came backmost astatine property 50 for the White Sox successful 1976 — going 1 for 8 — and batted doubly successful 1980, giving him 5 decades of playing pro ball.

The White Sox retired his No. 9 successful 1983 and helium remained adjacent to the enactment and its players earlier his decease successful 2015.

Fowler, calved successful 1858, is often regarded arsenic the archetypal Black nonrecreational shot player. The pitcher and 2nd baseman helped make the fashionable Page Fence Giants barnstorming team.

Hodges became the latest Brooklyn Dodgers prima from “The Boys of Summer” to scope the Hall, joining Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Roy Campanella and Pee Wee Reese.

An eight-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover astatine archetypal base, Hodges enhanced his bequest erstwhile helium managed the 1969 “Miracle Mets” to the World Series championship, a startling five-game triumph implicit heavy favored Baltimore.

Hodges was inactive the Mets’ manager erstwhile helium suffered a bosom onslaught during outpouring grooming successful 1972 and died astatine 47.

Oliva was a three-time AL batting champion with the Twins whose vocation was chopped abbreviated by genu problems. Kaat was 283-237 successful 25 seasons and a 16-time Gold Glove winner.

O’Neil and Fowler were selected by the Early Days committee. Hodges, Miñoso, Oliva and Kaat were chosen the by the Golden Days committees.

The 16-member panels met separately successful Orlando, Florida. The predetermination announcement was primitively scheduled to coincide with the large league wintertime meetings, which were nixed due to the fact that of the MLB lockout.

It took 12 votes (75%) for selection: Miñoso drew 14, O’Neil got 13 and Hodges, Oliva, Kaat and Fowler each had 12. Allen had 11.

O’Neil played 10 years successful the Negro Leagues and helped the Kansas City Monarchs triumph championships arsenic a subordinate and manager. His numbers were hardly gaudy — a .258 vocation batting average, 9 location runs.

But what John Jordan O’Neil Jr. meant to shot tin ne'er beryllium measured by numbers alone.

O’Neil became the archetypal Black manager successful American League oregon National League past with the Chicago Cubs and enjoyed a prolific vocation arsenic a scout.

His interaction is disposable to this day.

Along with his statue successful Cooperstown, the Hall’s committee of directors periodically contiguous the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award to a idiosyncratic whose “whose bonzer efforts enhanced baseball’s affirmative interaction connected nine … and whose character, integrity and dignity” reflector those shown by O’Neil.

In 2006, it appeared O’Neil would get to soak successful the praise earned for his enactment erstwhile the Special Committee connected Negro Leagues convened to survey candidates for the Hall of Fame. The sheet so elected 17 caller members but O’Neil was not among them, narrowly missing out.

O’Neil was chosen to talk connected behalf of those 17 newcomers, each deceased, connected induction time astatine Cooperstown. True to his nature, helium didn’t emit a azygous connection of remorse and regret astir his ain destiny of being near out.

Two months later, O’Neil died successful Kansas City.