Two-time World Series champion Cooperstown-bound
TORONTO -- For almost two decades, Roberto Alomar has been considered the greatest position player to put on a Blue Jays uniform.
On Wednesday afternoon, that claim was further validated when Alomar was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where he likely will make history by becoming the first player to be enshrined as a Blue Jay.
The 12-time All-Star second baseman was named on 90 percent of the ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to receive entry into Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2011. It was Alomar's second time on the ballot after falling short by just eight votes in 2010.
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During his 17-year career, Alomar recorded 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, 1,134 RBIs and 474 stolen bases. He finished in the top six of the American League MVP Award voting five times and won a Major League-record 10 Gold Gloves at second base. Alomar joins Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda as the only Puerto Rican-born players elected to the Hall of Fame.
Alomar will always be remembered for being one of the best all-around second basemen in history. In the field, Alomar's range went unmatched by any infielder in the game, and he wowed fans with his uncanny ability to make acrobatic plays look easy. There was a time when it seemed any ground ball hit to the right side would be smothered by the webbing of Alomar's glove.
At the plate, Alomar was a career .300 hitter and scored 100 runs six times. He drove in 100 runs twice and is a four-time recipient of the Silver Slugger Award, which is tied for second all-time among second basemen, behind only Ryne Sandberg.
Alomar's career began in 1988, when he made his Major League debut with the Padres. He spent three seasons in San Diego before being dealt to Toronto prior to the 1991 season.
It was with the Blue Jays that Alomar established himself as one of the elite players in the game. He helped lead the club to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992-93, and during his five-year tenure with the team, he received an AL Gold Glove Award and was named to the AL All-Star team each season.
The greatest moment of Alomar's career arguably occurred during the 1992 AL Championship Series. In Game 4, he came to bat against Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley. Oakland was three outs away from knotting up the series at 2-2, and that prospect struck fear into the hearts of Blue Jays fans who had witnessed the club lose in the ALCS three times in the previous seven seasons.
But one swing of the bat turned the Blue Jays from perennial underachievers to future champions. Alomar drove a pitch from Eckersley deep into the seats in right field to even the score at 6-6. Alomar raised both of his arms in triumph the second the ball left his bat, and Toronto would never look back.
The club went on to win in the 11th inning and eventually advanced to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Alomar received ALCS MVP honors for his work after batting .423, with two home runs, four RBIs and five stolen bases.
Even though he played just five seasons for the Blue Jays, Alomar ranks first in franchise history for second basemen in batting average (.308), runs (447), triples (35) and stolen bases (206). He fondly remembers his time in Toronto and has publicly stated on multiple occasions his desire to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay.
Following the 1995 season, Alomar signed with the Orioles, where he would play alongside Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Alomar hit .312 with 50 home runs and 210 RBIs over three years in Baltimore, but it was his unfortunate run-in with an umpire that fans will remember the most about his tenure in Baltimore.
On Sept. 27, 1996, Alomar made headlines when he spit in the face of home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck while the two were involved in a heated argument over a called third strike.
Alomar received a five-game suspension, although he claimed at the time that Hirschbeck uttered a racial slur that caused his momentary lapse in judgment. The damage had been done, though, and the incident is generally considered to be one of the main reasons Alomar didn't receive entry into the Hall of Fame last year.
Hirschbeck and Alomar moved past the dispute and eventually became good friends as years went by. When Alomar received word in 2010 that he wasn't being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the first person he called was Hirschbeck to tell him not to worry.
In 1999, Alomar signed a four-year contract with the Indians to play with his brother, Sandy Jr. Despite all the accolades Roberto Alomar received with the Blue Jays, he arguably enjoyed his greatest statistical season while in Cleveland.
That year, Alomar hit .323 with 24 home runs and 120 RBIs while stealing 37 bases. He finished third in AL MVP Award voting and led the Indians to the playoffs before bowing out to the Red Sox in the AL Division Series.
During his three-year career with Cleveland, Alomar hit .323 with 63 home runs, 309 RBIs and 106 stolen bases. He scored at least 111 runs each season and twice recorded an on-base percentage above .400.
Following the 2001 campaign, Alomar was traded to the Mets and his career was never the same. His once eye-popping range at second base became greatly diminished and he couldn't rediscover his stroke at the plate.
He went on to play for the White Sox and Diamondbacks over the next two seasons before officially retiring prior to the 2005 season at the age of 37 as a member of the Rays.
TORONTO -- For almost two decades, Roberto Alomar has been considered the greatest position player to put on a Blue Jays uniform.
On Wednesday afternoon, that claim was further validated when Alomar was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where he likely will make history by becoming the first player to be enshrined as a Blue Jay.
The 12-time All-Star second baseman was named on 90 percent of the ballots cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America to receive entry into Cooperstown as part of the Class of 2011. It was Alomar's second time on the ballot after falling short by just eight votes in 2010.
play video
During his 17-year career, Alomar recorded 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, 1,134 RBIs and 474 stolen bases. He finished in the top six of the American League MVP Award voting five times and won a Major League-record 10 Gold Gloves at second base. Alomar joins Roberto Clemente and Orlando Cepeda as the only Puerto Rican-born players elected to the Hall of Fame.
Alomar will always be remembered for being one of the best all-around second basemen in history. In the field, Alomar's range went unmatched by any infielder in the game, and he wowed fans with his uncanny ability to make acrobatic plays look easy. There was a time when it seemed any ground ball hit to the right side would be smothered by the webbing of Alomar's glove.
At the plate, Alomar was a career .300 hitter and scored 100 runs six times. He drove in 100 runs twice and is a four-time recipient of the Silver Slugger Award, which is tied for second all-time among second basemen, behind only Ryne Sandberg.
Alomar's career began in 1988, when he made his Major League debut with the Padres. He spent three seasons in San Diego before being dealt to Toronto prior to the 1991 season.
It was with the Blue Jays that Alomar established himself as one of the elite players in the game. He helped lead the club to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992-93, and during his five-year tenure with the team, he received an AL Gold Glove Award and was named to the AL All-Star team each season.
The greatest moment of Alomar's career arguably occurred during the 1992 AL Championship Series. In Game 4, he came to bat against Athletics closer Dennis Eckersley. Oakland was three outs away from knotting up the series at 2-2, and that prospect struck fear into the hearts of Blue Jays fans who had witnessed the club lose in the ALCS three times in the previous seven seasons.
But one swing of the bat turned the Blue Jays from perennial underachievers to future champions. Alomar drove a pitch from Eckersley deep into the seats in right field to even the score at 6-6. Alomar raised both of his arms in triumph the second the ball left his bat, and Toronto would never look back.
The club went on to win in the 11th inning and eventually advanced to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Alomar received ALCS MVP honors for his work after batting .423, with two home runs, four RBIs and five stolen bases.
Even though he played just five seasons for the Blue Jays, Alomar ranks first in franchise history for second basemen in batting average (.308), runs (447), triples (35) and stolen bases (206). He fondly remembers his time in Toronto and has publicly stated on multiple occasions his desire to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Blue Jay.
Following the 1995 season, Alomar signed with the Orioles, where he would play alongside Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Alomar hit .312 with 50 home runs and 210 RBIs over three years in Baltimore, but it was his unfortunate run-in with an umpire that fans will remember the most about his tenure in Baltimore.
On Sept. 27, 1996, Alomar made headlines when he spit in the face of home-plate umpire John Hirschbeck while the two were involved in a heated argument over a called third strike.
Alomar received a five-game suspension, although he claimed at the time that Hirschbeck uttered a racial slur that caused his momentary lapse in judgment. The damage had been done, though, and the incident is generally considered to be one of the main reasons Alomar didn't receive entry into the Hall of Fame last year.
Hirschbeck and Alomar moved past the dispute and eventually became good friends as years went by. When Alomar received word in 2010 that he wasn't being inducted into the Hall of Fame, the first person he called was Hirschbeck to tell him not to worry.
In 1999, Alomar signed a four-year contract with the Indians to play with his brother, Sandy Jr. Despite all the accolades Roberto Alomar received with the Blue Jays, he arguably enjoyed his greatest statistical season while in Cleveland.
That year, Alomar hit .323 with 24 home runs and 120 RBIs while stealing 37 bases. He finished third in AL MVP Award voting and led the Indians to the playoffs before bowing out to the Red Sox in the AL Division Series.
During his three-year career with Cleveland, Alomar hit .323 with 63 home runs, 309 RBIs and 106 stolen bases. He scored at least 111 runs each season and twice recorded an on-base percentage above .400.
Following the 2001 campaign, Alomar was traded to the Mets and his career was never the same. His once eye-popping range at second base became greatly diminished and he couldn't rediscover his stroke at the plate.
He went on to play for the White Sox and Diamondbacks over the next two seasons before officially retiring prior to the 2005 season at the age of 37 as a member of the Rays.
but I think there friends now..