It was a forgone conclusion that Mariano Rivera would be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2019. What was left up in the air, however, was if the legendary New York Yankees closer would get in unanimously.
Tuesday night, Rivera got the call that every young baseball player dreams about. With his family by his side, the initial news that Rivera was Cooperstown-bound seemed underwhelming. But the room exploded when Jack O’Connell, the secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, informed them Rivera was the first-ever unanimous selection, receiving all 425 votes on the ballot.
What a moment.
If anybody was going to get a unanimous bid, Mo certainly deserves it. Still, it’s pretty remarkable that legends like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron had writers leave them off the ballot. There is little doubt that Rivera is the greatest closer of all time, but Tuesday puts him in the ranks of the greatest to ever play the game.
