Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff: New inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame
An emotional ceremony was held in Cooperstown last Sunday highlighting two great baseball figures: Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff.
Scott Rolen’s path to glory
Scott Rolen, one of two players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, has a 17-year career filled with unforgettable moments. However, Rolen’s most defining moment was not during the 2006 season when he reached the World Series with the Cardenales de San Luis, nor during his first full season with the Filis de Filadelfia in 1997, which earned him a unanimous election as Rookie of the Year.
An unforgettable moment
For Rolen, the greatest honor was an unexpected moment with his parents when he was called up for his first major league game in 1996. “Seeing my mom and dad walk to their seats from my position at third base was a thrill I’ve never surpassed in my 17-year career,” Rolen recalled during his acceptance speech.
It took six tries, but Rolen’s parents Ed and Linda finally got to see their son receive his bronze Hall of Fame plaque.
Fred McGriff unanimously acclaimed
Scott Rolen was joined by Fred McGriff, who was unanimously elected by the Contemporary Players Committee in December, after disappearing from the 2020 slate. Rolen was the only player to receive more than 75 percent of the votes needed to qualify for induction, having received 297 votes (76.3 percent) from the Baseball Writers Association of America in January.
An unexpected honor
“I am grateful for this grand gesture,” Rolen said. “Never in my life would I have thought I’d be here, on this stage”.
Rolen spent six of his 17 seasons with the Cardenales, where he earned four of his seven All-Star Game selections and three of his eight Gold Gloves. Rolen had a batting average of .281, with 316 home runs and 1,287 runs batted in in 2,038 games. He led his team with .421 during the 2006 World Series, which San Luis won in five games against Detroit.
Rolen attributed his success to the values his parents taught him. “I wasn’t raised to be a major league player,” he said. “I was raised to be honest, work hard, be responsible for my words and actions, and treat people with kindness and respect.”
The Fred McGriff celebration
Alongside Rolen on stage was McGriff, who managed to shake hands as the nearly 50 Hall of Fame inductees welcomed him.
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2023-07-24 04:16:34
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