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Ozzie Smith elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

By Ben Walker
The Associated Press

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NEW YORK — Ozzie Smith, regarded as the finest-fielding shortstop ever, was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try by an overwhelming margin today.
Smith was the only player picked, with Gary Carter falling just short.

A 13-time Gold Glove winner while with the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres, Smith was chosen on 91.7 percent of the ballots.

The Wizard of Oz became the 37th player picked in his first year of eligibility.

"To be the only one going in I think speaks to the impact I had at my position,'' Smith said.

"The guys who get into the Hall of Fame are the guys who hit the ball out of the ballpark,'' he said. "I hope my going in will open the door for the other guys who have the ability to help their teams with defense.''

Smith was selected on 433 of 472 ballots. To be elected, players had to be listed on at least 75 percent of the ballots of 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Carter got 343 votes (72.7 percent) and fell 11 shy of election. The former catcher's totals have dramatically improved over the years, going from 34 percent in 1999 to nearly 49.7 percent in 2000 to 65 percent last year.

Jim Rice (55 percent) was third in the voting, followed by Bruce Sutter (50 percent), first-time candidate Andre Dawson (45 percent) and Goose Gossage (43 percent).

Luis Tiant (18 percent) fell of the ballot in his 15th and final year of eligibility. Ron Guidry, Dave Stewart and Frank Viola were among the players who failed to receive the required 5 percent to remain on the ballot.

Smith, 47, was a 15-time All-Star in his career. He will become the 254th person inducted into the Hall in ceremonies at Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 28.

Smith celebrated with a sip of champagne at his home in St. Louis after getting the good news. He was the 22nd shortstop overall elected to the Hall.

"There will always be room for the prototypical shortstop,'' he said.

Smith won Gold Gloves from 1980-92, set shortstop records for most assists (8,375) and double plays (1,590) and entertained fans with a backflip when he ran out to shortstop at the start of games. The Cardinals retired No. 1 in his honor.

"I don't think anybody ever played the position any better than he played it,'' former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog said yesterday.

"Was he the best?'' Herzog said. "He made more diving plays than I've ever seen. I don't see how it was possible to play it any better than Ozzie played it.''

Smith spent 19 seasons in the major leagues, breaking in with San Diego in 1978. Smith played four years with the Padres, then finished with 15 years in St. Louis.

Smith was not known for his offense. He batted just .262 in his career with 2,460 hits, 28 homers and 793 RBIs.

But Smith could deliver in the clutch. A switch-hitter, the first left-handed homer of his career came in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 1985 NL championship series, lifting the Cardinals over Los Angeles.

The Cardinals went on to win the series in six games, and Smith was voted as MVP of the NLCS.

"It's been a lot of fun,'' Smith said during his final season. "People have been nice to me. I've been shown a lot of respect and a lot of admiration for what I've tried to bring to the game, and that's all you can ask.''


Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company


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