The baseball Hall of Fame grew by six members Sunday, when Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection and Edgar Martinez got his long-deserved due. Mike Mussina, Lee Smith and Harold Baines joined them as newly minted Hall of Famers.
But the most emotional part of the day, clearly, was Brandy Halladay’s acceptance speech on behalf of her husband, the late Roy Halladay.
An amazing speech by Brandy Halladay. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/4qGesY5PvE
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2019
A day for a Moose
Mike Mussina started festivities off with a speech that included equal parts humor, gratitude and gravitas. Mussina was said to be quiet and his personality wasn’t always known but he made Orioles and Yankees fans proud for years.
Mussina snuck in an “almost” at the end of his speech, a running joke for those who know him about the near misses of no-hitters, championships, and awards. No more almosts to speak of. Hall of Famer now. Congratulations Mike Mussina.
— Sweeny Murti (@YankeesWFAN) July 21, 2019
The man has an award named after him
How do you know Edgar Martinez should have been in the Hall of Fame a long time ago? Baseball named its award for each year’s best designated hitter The Edgar Martinez Award in September 2004, a few weeks before Edgar retired.
Fifteen years later, he’s finally a Hall of Famer, showing off his famous dedication with a speech he said he practiced 70 times.
Edgar Martinez practiced his #BaseballHallofFame speech nearly 70 times – including 12 times this morning. Great question from @RyanDivish #EdgarHOF #Seattle #Mariners pic.twitter.com/cCelU0i4r7
— Casey McNerthney (@mcnerthney) July 22, 2019
The Sandman
The greatest closer of all time was a shoo-in for the Hall, and his speech showed why he is a well-liked, well-respected player.
Sandman has entered the Hall. #UnaniMOus #HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/xUiDfiBnmt
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 21, 2019
A man of few words?
Harold Baines has a reputation for not saying much, but he opened up in his acceptance speech, thanking teammates, family and his hometown and showing plenty of humor and grace.
The @suntimes_sports cover, featuring former #WhiteSox star Harold Baines, who went deep in his Hall of Fame speech, by @MorrisseyCST – https://t.co/LGuuhPMtKW pic.twitter.com/Gv1zlqbq32
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) July 22, 2019
To close things out…
How about another of the greatest closers of all time in Lee Smith?
It’s Lee Smith’s time. #HOFwknd pic.twitter.com/XhvmsdKQLs
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 20, 2019
