MO State HS Sports

Rivera unanimous; Halladay, Edgar, Mussina voted to HOF

(AP) – Baseball’s all-time saves leader has become the game’s first unanimous Hall of Fame selection.

Former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera received all 425 votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced. He had 652 regular-season saves during his 19-year career spent entirely with the Yanks. He was at his best in October, getting 42 saves with a 0.70 ERA over 16 postseasons, including 11 saves in the World Series.

The Hall’s Class of 2019 also includes Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina and Edgar Martinez.

Halladay was an ace with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, going 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA. The right-hander received 85.4 percent of the vote and will be the first posthumous inductee since Deacon White in 2013 and Ron Santo in 2012.

Mussina was a steady right-hander for the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles who went 270-153 with 2,813 strikeouts over 18 seasons. He received 76.7 percent, getting seven more votes than the 319 required for election.

Martinez was a .312 hitter with 309 home runs and 1,261 over 18 seasons with Seattle. He got 85.4 percent in his 10th and final try on the writers’ ballot.

The quartet will be enshrined in Cooperstown along with Today’s Game Era Committee selections Harold Baines and Lee Smith on July 21.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens made gains but again fell short in their seventh time on the ballot. Bonds got 59.1 percent and Clemens 59.5.

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