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Jack Morris and Alan Trammell finally voted into Hall of Fame

mike oz

For two men, the all-too-long wait for the National Baseball Hall of Fame came to an end Sunday, as Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were elected into Cooperstown as part of the Modern Era committee’s ballot.

The announcement kicked off baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, where the 16-person Modern Era committee met and voted on 10 names who were getting a second chance at the Hall of Fame. If you’re familiar with the Hall of Fame’s Veterans’ Committee, this is a retooled version of the same thing. The Modern Era committee focused on players from 1970-87.

Candidates needed 75 percent of the votes for election, or 12 of the 16 votes. The voters included Hall of Famers such as Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Bobby Cox, George Brett and Dave Winfield, as well as veteran writers/historians and long-time MLB executives such as Sandy Alderson and Bill DeWitt. This election marked the first time the committees elected a living player since Bill Mazeroski in 2001. The vote represents affirmation for Trammell and Morris from their peers after the Baseball Writers Association of America voters didn’t vote them in 15 straight years.

Morris earned 87.5 percent of the vote (14-of-16 ballots) while Trammell got 81.3 (13-of-16) ballots. Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons fell one vote shy of induction. Marvin Miller, the labor exec who fostered free agency and the players’ union, got seven votes.

The ballot was full of familiar names and Hall of Fame cases. People like Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Luis Tiant and Dave Parker, all of whom fell short of election. But this time the votes went to Trammell and Morris, who were teammates on the World Series-winning 1984 Detroit Tigers team.

Jack Morris and Alan Trammell elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Era committee. (AP)
Jack Morris and Alan Trammell elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Era committee. (AP)

Morris, 62, was one of the most argued-about Hall of the Cases of the past two decades. His big-game reputation earned him a lot of supporters, and now he’s finally in. Morris pitched probably the most famous Game 7 in history, his 10-inning complete game in the 1991 World Series. He had the longevity, strikeouts and World Series rings to win over the Modern Era committee.

Trammell, 59, was one of three shortstops who helped to redefine the position, along with now Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Robin Yount. Long seen as defense-first position, each brought the ability to run, hit with power and hit in run-producing positions. Though Trammell’s numbers didn’t measure to Ripken or Yount across the board, he deserved the same recognition.

Now our attention turns to the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot. Results for that will be unveiled on Jan. 17. Hall of Fame inductions will happen July 30. The Today’s Era Committee will be back next year to vote on players from 1988 until the present.

Yahoo Sports’ Mark Townsend contributed to this report.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!