Skip to content

Smith, Baines elected to Hall of Fame by Today's Game committee

Ron Vesely / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Cooperstown is opening its doors to two new members.

Seven-time All-Star Lee Smith and 22-year veteran Harold Baines were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame after each received at least 75 percent of the vote cast by the 16-member Today's Game Era Committee on Sunday night.

Lou Piniella, who managed the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago Cubs between 1986 and 2010, received 11 nods to miss the cut by a single vote.

Player/Manager Votes %
Lee Smith 16 100
Harold Baines 12 75
Lou Piniella 11 68

When Smith retired in 1997, he did so as baseball's all-time saves leader with 478. He's since been surpassed by Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. Smith possessed one of the nastiest sliders ever, and led his league in saves four times over his 18-year career.

He also finished top five in Cy Young voting three times, including a second-place finish to Atlanta Braves southpaw Tom Glavine in 1991. That season, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith recorded a career-high 47 saves and posted a 2.34 ERA across 73 innings.

Baines appeared with five teams over parts of three decades and hit .289/.356/.465 with 384 home runs, 488 doubles, and 1,628 RBIs. He spent the bulk of his time with the Chicago White Sox, making four All-Star appearances with them before being traded to the Texas Rangers in 1989.

Smith said that he will wear a Cubs hat when he is enshrined at Cooperstown while Baines is expected to represent the White Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports.

The rest of the candidates received fewer than five votes apiece, including former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner; sluggers Albert Belle, Joe Carter, and Will Clark; pitcher Orel Hershiser; and managers Davey Johnson, and Charlie Manuel.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox