Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 8, 1992 TAG: 9201080222
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Long
SEAVER, FINGERS GET THEIR DAY
Tom Seaver, who turned the New York Mets from a lovable loser into a formidable force, was elected to the Hall Fame on Tuesday night in a record votealong with Rollie Fingers, while the banned Pete Rose received 41 write-in ballots that didn't count.Seaver, 311-205 lifetime, was picked on 425 of the 430 ballots for a record 98.8 percent of the vote. The previous high was set in 1936 by Ty Cobb with 98.23 percent in the first year of balloting.
Fingers, the career saves leader with 341, was chosen on 349 ballots for 81.1 percent. A total of 323 votes were required for the 75 percent needed for election in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
"You never know what's going to happen," said Fingers, the first pitcher to make the Hall of Fame with a losing record at 114-118. "Last year people kept saying, `I was in. I was in. I was in.' And then I wasn't. I'm glad it's over with, to tell you the truth."
Orlando Cepeda finished third with 246 votes, followed by Tony Perez (215), Bill Mazeroski (182), Tony Oliva (175) and Ron Santo (136). It was Mazeroski's last time on the ballot.
Three voters, Bob Hertzel of The Pittsburgh Press, Bob Hunter of the Los Angeles Daily News and Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, returned blank ballots. Two writers, Deane McGowen and Bud Tucker did not vote for Seaver.
"I just ordinarily don't vote for guys on the first year of eligibility," said McGowen, who retired from The New York Times 10 years ago. "I know Seaver's going to get in, and he deserves it."
Seaver's vote total is the second highest in history. Johnny Bench was picked on 431 of 447 ballots (96.4 percent) in 1989. Seaver is the 23rd player elected in the first year of eligibility, not including the inaugural class of 1936.
When Seaver and Rose retired after the 1986 season, fans looked ahead to what promised to be one of the biggest days ever at Cooperstown, with the two superstars walking in together. They even talked about the prospect as teammates with the Cincinnati Reds.
But all that was dashed when Rose was banned from baseball for gambling by then-commissioner Bart Giamatti on Aug. 23, 1989. The board of directors of the Hall of Fame then decided to erase Rose's name from their ballot even though his uniform and bats still hang in their hall.
The Hall of Fame voting is conducted by 10-year members of the BBWAA, and several writers were upset that the board of directors of the Hall voted last year to bar Rose's name from the ballot because he is on the permanent ineligible list. The writers wanted the choice of whether he deserved to be in Cooperstown or not.
Still, 41 BBWAA members made him a write-in vote, even though they don't count. Last year, Rose asked the voters not to attempt any kind of protest because he didn't want to hurt the chances of the other candidates. Rose's plan is to eventually ask commissioner Fay Vincent to be reinstated. If he is, he would be eligible to be placed on the Hall of Fame ballot.
"It certainly wasn't meant as a slam to Tom Seaver, Tony Perez or anyone else," Hagen said. "And I'm not saying Pete Rose should be in it. I'm just saying I don't like the fact they took it away from the baseball writers."
At one time, Rose was considered to be the first player who could get 100 percent of the vote. He is the career leader in hits (4,256), singles (3,215), at-bats (14,053) and games played (3,562).
George Thomas Seaver won three Cy Young Awards for the Mets, pitched 61 shutouts and struck out 3,640, third on the career list behind Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. From 1967 to 1977, Seaver won 25 percent of the Mets' games.
He is the career Mets leader in games (401), starts (395), complete games (171), wins (198), innings pitched (3,045.1), ERA (2.57), strikeouts (2,541) and shutouts (44).
Seaver's greatest single-game feat came April 22, 1970, when the right-hander set a major-league record with 10 consecutive strikeouts against the San Diego Padres and finished with 19 in the game. Some of his greatest moments, however, didn't come in a Mets uniform.
He pitched his only no-hitter on June 16, 1978, against St. Louis while pitching for Cincinnati. On April 18, 1981, he became the fifth pitcher in major-league history to strike out 3,000 batters, again while pitching for the Reds, and on Aug. 4, 1985, while pitching for the Chicago White Sox, he won his 300th game at Yankee Stadium.
But Seaver's best night on the mound might have been July 9, 1969, when he came close to perfection against the Chicago Cubs.
"If I had to pick one game where everything came together as perfectly as I could have wanted, it was the near-perfect game against the Cubs that Jimmy Qualls broke up with one out in the ninth inning," Seaver said.
Seaver made pitching an art form. He used the plate as an easel, painting the corners with sliders and fastballs. Seaver has been called "The Franchise" and "Tom Terrific." Now he can be called a Hall of Famer, too.
There are others - such as Willie Mays and Warren Spahn - who have worn Mets uniforms and are in the Hall of Fame, but Seaver is the first home-grown Met to make it.
After a contract disagreement with club chairman M. Donald Grant in 1977, Seaver requested a trade and was dealt to the Reds on July 15. The Reds sent Seaver back to the Mets on Dec. 16, 1982, and he went 9-14 with a 3.55 ERA in 1983.
The Mets did not protect Seaver in the free-agent compensation draft after the 1983 season, and the White Sox selected him.
"My biggest disappointment? Leaving the Mets the first time and the difficulties I had with the same people that led up to it. But even that I look back at in a positive way now. It gave me the opportunity to work in different areas of the country," Seaver said.
Roland Glen Fingers was known not only for twisting pitches, but also for his twisting handlebar mustache. He was a sub-.500 pitcher as a starter before he found his niche.
Fingers finished in 1985 with a career record of 114-118 and a 2.90 ERA, pitching nine seasons for Oakland, four for San Diego and four for Milwaukee. He has 14 saves more than his closest bullpen rival, Jeff Reardon.
Fingers joins Hoyt Wilhelm as the only relief pitchers in the Hall of Fame.