PHOTO: SI's iconic cover foreshadows 2016 HOF class

So much for the so-called Sports Illustrated jinx.

The magazine famous for cursing players who appear on its front cover helped change the narrative Wednesday by sharing this picture from 1994 shortly after Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The cover came on the heels of Griffey's 45-homer season and Piazza's Rookie of the Year-winning campaign, but the two players couldn't have followed more different paths en route to Cooperstown

Selected No. 1 overall in the 1987 draft, Griffey's the first top pick to gain entrance into the Hall of Fame.

Piazza, meanwhile, is the lowest-drafted player ever (62nd round in 1988) to be elected. The pair were drafted 2,651 players apart.

If elected, Ken Griffey Jr. and @mikepiazza31 would become the highest and lowest @MLBDraft picks in the #HOF. pic.twitter.com/BC2L7FsN5c
— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) January 6, 2016

The votes are in and the tickets are punched: Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are headed for Cooperstown.

Griffey's record-setting election - he appeared on an unprecedented 437 of the 440 ballots submitted by the BBWAA - puts a bow on the career of one of the greatest players in baseball history.

Wednesday's announcement also marks the first time a No. 1 pick has gained entrance into Cooperstown, a stark contrast to the distinction held by Piazza as the lowest-drafted player voted to the Hall.

That and other storylines dominating the 2016 Hall of Fame discussion:

NEXT STOP: COOPERSTOWN