The Baseball Hall of Fame will not welcome any new members in 2013. Craig Biggio received the highest percentage of votes but his 68% was well short of the 75% required to earn enshrinement in Cooperstown.
This year’s ballot featured many players who have been linked to steroids.
It was the first time since 1996 that no one was inducted into the hall of fame. Also falling short of the required mark were sluggers Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza as well as pitcher Roger Clemens.
Aside from the new additions holdovers such as Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell and Tim Raines also failed to generate enough of the vote to earn election. Dale Murphy was unsuccessful in his fifteenth and final try.
There will still be an induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 28. Longtime Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert, umpire Hank O’Day and 19th-century catcher Deacon White were elected to the Hall last month by the Pre-Integration Committee. All three players are deceased.
Tom Cheek will posthumously be awarded the Ford C. Frick Award and Paul Hagen of MLB.com will be presented with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.
Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas, Mike Mussina and Jeff Kent will be among the first-timers on next year’s ballot.
