The voting results are in and the Baseball Hall of Fame has two new members: 2B Roberto Alomar and P Bert Blyeven.
Roberto Alomar (90 percent) is a 12-time All-Star second baseman who hit .300/.371/.443 over a 17 year career that spanned 1988-2004. The son of Sandy Alomar, Sr., Roberto began his career as a Padre but gained notoriety with the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles. He was a 12-time All-Star who finished in the top-six of AL MVP voting five times. He also won 10 Gold Gloves at second base, a major league record.. He is also noted for a spitting incident in a September 26, 1996 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Arguing with umpire John Hirschbeck over a third strike call, Alomar spit in his face supposedly over a racial slur. Alomar made the Hall of Fame in his second year on the ballot
Bert Blyleven (79.7 percent) won 287 career games over a 22-year career, playing for five team between 1970 and 1992. Those 287 wins puts him 27th all-time on the career win list, and his 3,701 strikeouts are fifth best all-time. Blyleven also had 60 career shutouts, ninth best all-time. What weighed against him early on was his 250 career losses, 10th most all-time, but he had a 3.31 career ERA. Blyleven was a pitcher who, while never the most dominant pitcher during his playing years, still put up good number across the board. Blyleven also needed that longevity to make it into Cooperstown (as a Minnesota Twin). Blyleven was voted in on his 14th ballot.
581 ballots were cast, a record vote.
They will be inducted, along with Pat Gillick, July 24, 2011 in Cooperstown, NY.