The Baseball Hall of Fame announced the newest members of their 2019 class on the MLB Network Tuesday night, with Mariano Rivera (100%), Edgar Martinez (85.4%) and Mike Mussina (76.7%) getting the required 75 percent of votes needed for enshrinement. Roy Halladay, who tragically passed away in a plane crash in November 2017, also got elected with 85.4 percent of the vote.
The Class of 2019 will be officially inducted this summer at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Each player had a different road to selection, with Rivera getting in on his first year of eligibility, Martinez waiting until his tenth and final time on the ballot and Mussina holding out hope for six years.
The Baseball Writers Association of America chose these four from a list of 20 newcomers and 15 returning players. Harold Baines and Lee Smith were previously selected to be inducted this year by the Hall's Today's Game Era committee.
Rivera is almost universally regarded as the greatest closer in baseball history and he is the first person to ever be unanimously selected to the Hall. The 13-time All-Star racked up a record 662 saves during a 19-year career all spent with the New York Yankees.
Rivera won five World Series in pinstripes and was dominant in the postseason, posting a 0.70 career ERA in 96 playoff games. He was named World Series MVP in 1999 and American League Championship Series MVP in 2013.
Martinez is one of the top designated hitters of all-time, hitting .312 while belting 309 home runs over 18 seasons. He is another player who spent his entire time in the major leagues, proving to be a staple in a dominant 1990s batting order for the Seattle Mariners.
Martinez was a seven-time All-Star, five Silver Slugger Award winner and two-time American League batting champion. He was already a member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame and his # jersey is retired by the franchise.
Mussina was one of the most consistent pitchers of his generation, winning at least 11 games an AL-record 17 straight times. He racked up a total of 270 wins and 2,813 strikeouts in his 18-year career, split between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees.
Mussina was a five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner. He pitched in two World Series with the Yankees and is a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame.
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