Raines will enter HOF as Montreal Expo

It took 10 years, but Tim Raines will enter Cooperstown, and he'll do it as a member of the Montreal Expos.

The 57-year-old announced his decision Friday at a press conference in New York, where he was introduced, along with Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez, as the newest members of baseball's most exclusive club.

Raines is the third player, after Gary Carter and Andre Dawson, to wear an Expos hat into the Hall.

In his last year of eligibility on the Hall of Fame ballot, Raines jokingly told media members in attendance that "the writers finally got it right" before announcing his intent to wear the cap of the Expos, who have since moved to Washington.

Raines played 23 seasons in the big leagues, 13 of them in Montreal.

During his time in Canada, Raines hit .301/.391/.437 with 96 home runs, 82 triples, and 556 RBIs, and stole 635 bases. He stole 70 or more bases in six consecutive seasons from 1981-86, which is an MLB record.

Over the course of his long career, Raines hit .294/.385/.425 and sits fifth all time in stolen bases.

He was a seven-time All-Star, earned the National League batting title in 1986, and won two World Series titles as a player with the New York Yankees in 1996 and '98.

Rodriguez said Thursday he'd enter as a Texas Ranger and confirmed it Friday, while Bagwell will be inducted into Cooperstown as a Houston Astro, the only club he played for during his MLB career.