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Smith makes final HOF bid on BBWAA ballot
- Updated: November 21, 2016
CHICAGO — It’s closing time for Lee Smith. This year is the last in which the dominant right-handed pitcher will be eligible for the Hall of Fame through the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
Smith, who turns 59 on Dec. 4, finished his 18-year-old career with 478 saves, and he held the Major League record for career saves from 1993-2006. Trevor Hoffman then passed Smith’s save total in ’06, and finished his career with 601 saves, second only to Mariano Rivera’s 652.
Only Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Goose Gossage and Bruce Sutter have been inducted into the Hall of Fame based primarily on their relief pitching, and only Sutter was inducted with fewer innings or starting appearances than Smith.
But Smith hasn’t gotten much support from the BBWAA. In the 14 previous years that he has been on the ballot, he has not received more than 50 percent of the vote, and last year, he garnered 34.1 percent.
A player’s name must appear on at least 75 percent of the ballots to be elected, and voters can list up to 10 names. The announcement of the Class of 2017 is slated for Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. ET, and it will be simulcast on MLB Network and MLB.com The induction ceremony will be held on July 30 behind the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“The …
