Former Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today, receiving 79.9% of the vote in his third year on the ballot. The announcement was made this evening by Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson on the MLB Network. The induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, July 29, in Cooperstown, New York.
Hoffman, who is second on the all-time Major League list with 601 saves, spent two of his 18 seasons with the Brewers (2009-10), producing 47 saves. He was a National League All-Star during his first season with Milwaukee as he went 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA and 37 saves in 55 games. He notched his 600th career save during his second season as a Brewer on September 7, 2010 vs. St. Louis.
“My time in Milwaukee is looked upon as two of the most rewarding years of my career,” said Hoffman. “The passionate baseball fans of ‘The Crew’ took me in and gave me great support.”
Hoffman, who retired following the 2010 season as the all-time Major League leader in saves (later passed by Mariano Rivera), joins Hank Aaron (1982), Rollie Fingers (1992), Don Sutton (1998), Robin Yount (1999) and Paul Molitor (2004) as the only players to play for the Brewers and be elected to the Hall of Fame.
“In just two years, Trevor made a big impact on this franchise,” said former teammate and current Brewers manager Craig Counsell. “He made us all better people and players through laughter and preparation. We were all fortunate to witness his 600th career save on a magical night at Miller Park. On behalf of the Milwaukee Brewers, congratulations to Trevor Hoffman on his election to the Hall of Fame.”
Note: Craig Counsell fielded the final out of Hoffman’s 600th save (Aaron Miles ground ball to shortstop).
In addition to Trevor Hoffman, players in the 2018 Hall of Fame class include outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, third baseman Chipper Jones and first baseman Jim Thome. Also, pitcher Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell were elected by the 16-person Modern Baseball Era committee back on December 10.
Photo: Getty Images
via Brewers press release