Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 13, 1994 TAG: 9401130190
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
There was no question Steve Carlton was going to the Hall of Fame on his first try. The big question was whether Orlando Cepeda would join him on his last chance.
Carlton, the only pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, was overwhelmingly elected Wednesday, receiving 436 of 455 votes (95.8 percent).
But Cepeda, boosted by a big letter-writing campaign by the San Carlton Francisco Giants and members of Congress, fell seven votes short in his 15th and final attempt.
"It is heartbreaking because if only seven votes could've gone the other way, it would've been enough," Cepeda said from Candlestick Park in San Francisco. "It's like losing a ball game 1-0 when you had so many opportunities to win."
Cepeda received 73.6 percent of the votes. It takes 75 percent to be elected, which meant 342 votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Along with Cepeda (335 votes), others who missed this time were 300-game winners Phil Niekro (273 votes) and Don Sutton (259), and Tony Perez (263). Cepeda and Perez each hit 379 home runs.
Carlton was 329-244 with a 3.22 ERA in a career from 1965-88, most of it with the Philadelphia Phillies. He is ninth on baseball's win list - second among left-handers to Warren Spahn's 363 victories - and second in strikeouts with 4,136. "Lefty" shares the NL record of 19 strikeouts in a game.
"While I've never been one to place a great emphasis on individual awards, I'm touched to be elected to the Hall of Fame," Carlton said. "To be included among the game's greatest players is truly a great honor."
One of the top players Carlton played with was Cepeda. Together, they helped the St. Louis Cardinals reach the World Series in 1967-68.
Cepeda, however, became the third player in the last decade to just miss election. Nellie Fox fell two votes shy in 1985 and Jim Bunning was seven votes short in 1988. In three years, Cepeda can become a candidate for selection to the Hall by the Veterans Committee; Bunning and Fox are under consideration.
"I knew it was going to be close right from the beginning," said Cepeda, who received 59.6 percent last January. "I was disappointed."
This is the second straight year that only one player was selected. Last year, Reggie Jackson was the lone choice.
Carlton will be inducted into the shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 31. He is the 25th person to be selected in his first year of eligibility since the first election in 1936, and he is scheduled to be the 217th member of the Hall.
Carlton's vote percentage was the fifth-higest in history. Tom Seaver set the record of 98.84 in 1992.
As well as his hard-breaking slider, Carlton was known for years for not talking to the media. But Carlton, now living on a 400-acre ranch in Durango, Colo., planned to speak at a news conference today in New York.
Carlton won the Cy Young Award with the Phillies in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982. He helped pitch Philadelphia to its only World Series title in 1980, going 1-0 against Houston in the playoffs and 2-0 against Kansas City in the Series.
He went 20-9 for the Cardinals in 1971, his first of six 20-win seasons, then was traded to Philadelphia for Rick Wise after the season. Carlton's first season with the Phillies was remarkable - a 27-10 record and 1.98 ERA for a team that won just 59 games.
Cepeda, an 11-time All-Star, batted .297 with 1,365 RBI and 2,351 hits, along with 379 home runs.
Cepeda batted over .300 nine times and had 100 RBI in five years. He was the NL MVP in 1967 for the World Series champion Cardinals.
by CNB