Three Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, Bonds and Clemens Passed Over Again

Three new members were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, as well as former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, made the cut and are headed to Cooperstown. Of the two former Braves pitchers, Maddux was the clearest choice of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters chalking up 555 of 571 possible votes, giving him the eighth highest vote tally ever. This is the first time that three players have been selected for the hall since 1999, according to ESPN. Last year, in what was considered a rebuke of a generation of players linked to the game’s steroid era, according to the Los Angeles Times, no living player was elected to Cooperstown, despite the fact that 7-time MVP Barry Bonds and 7-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens were both on the ballot. Both Bonds and Clemens were left out again in this year’s voting. The year’s nearest miss was Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros, who narrowly missed election falling short by two votes. The players’ induction into the Hall of Fame is set for July 27.