Six of Major League Baseball’s brightest stars and most recognizable figures of the 1980s, ‘90s and beyond will be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. The induction ceremonies begin at 1:30 p.m. ET and will be aired on MLB Network. It will be simulcast online at mlb.com.
Baseball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony: Inductees, schedule, TV info and more
A big weekend for the Braves, White Sox and Yankees in particular will be capped off with the induction of six legends into the Hall of Fame.
Ethan Miller
A pair of teammates from one of the most dominant pitching staffs in history will join one of the generation’s premier sluggers and three of the best leaders baseball has ever seen in the roughly three-hour-long event. Here are the inductees:
Maddux was as close to a no-brainer of a selection as there has been since Cal Ripken in 2007 thanks to a 23-year career during which he posted 355 wins and a 3.16 ERA. Maddux was particularly dominant during a decade-long stretch from 1992 through 2002 -- mostly with the Braves -- in which he won four Cy Young Awards, was selected to seven All-Star squads and posted a 2.47 ERA. His 104.6 rWAR as a pitcher ranks eighth among all hurlers in the history of the game.
Glavine, who pitched alongside Maddux in Atlanta for 10 years, was the second-most recent pitcher to eclipse the 300-win plateau and finished with 305. He was the definition of a crafty lefty, striking out only 5.3 batters per nine innings during his 22-year career. However, Glavine had a run of success just as long -- and almost as impressive -- as that of his longtime teammate, winning 209 games while posting a 3.15 ERA from 1991 through 2002. Glavine won two Cy Young Awards and appeared on 10 All-Star teams.
Thomas was exceptional at hitting for power and getting on base during his 19-year stint in the majors. He hit 521 home runs, posted a .419 on-base percentage and, perhaps more importantly to the voters, was never attached to any performance-enhancing drug suspicion (something that plagued similar players who honed their craft during his era). Thomas was especially dominant early in his career, before offense really started taking off throughout the league. From 1991 through 1993, Thomas hit .319/.439/.565 while averaging 32 home runs and 124 walks per season. He was named the American League MVP in 1993 and 1994 and was selected to five consecutive All-Star teams.
Bobby Cox
Cox won more than 2,500 games as the skipper of the Braves and Blue Jays. He managed Atlanta to 14 consecutive playoff appearances from 1991 through 2005 and owns a record 16 total postseason appearances. He was ejected from 158 games during his managerial career, which is also a major league record. In 1995, his Braves won the World Series, the lone championship of his 29-year stint as a manager.
Tony La Russa
La Russa, who is currently serving as an executive in the Diamondbacks' front office, managed the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals for 34 seasons and compiled 2,728 wins, ranking third all-time. La Russa was the skipper for three World Series champions and his teams appeared in the playoffs on 14 occasions.
Joe Torre
Torre won four championships and appeared in the postseason 15 times, ranking second behind only Cox. The former Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees and Dodgers manager won 2,326 games in 29 seasons. He currently works in the MLB commissioner's office and will have his No. 6 retired by the Yankees on Aug. 23.
The ceremonies will be held at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., and admission is free. The six inductees will have their plaques installed in the museum’s plaque gallery shortly after the completion of the ceremonies.
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