Hall hopeful Baines ‘grateful’ for consideration

One of the signature moments in White Sox history speaks volumes about what made Harold Baines so great. So exceptional, in fact, that he is currently being considered for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Today’s Game Era ballot, the results of which will be announced at Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings on Monday, Dec. 5.

On Sept. 17, 1983, a damp night on the South Side of Chicago, the Sox were on the verge of clinching the American League West title, putting them in the postseason for the first time in 24 years. A crowd of more than 45,000 people rocked old Comiskey Park, with the Sox and Seattle tied at 3 in the bottom of the ninth.

Baines stepped to the plate with one out and Julio Cruz on third. With Chicago owning a big lead in the division, it wasn’t a question of whether it would clinch the title, but when. The fans, though, were hungry to see history made on this night.

Maybe a flashier player would have sought to seize on the theatrics by swinging from the heels to try to hit a dramatic homer. But that never was Baines’ style.

Only 24 years old, Baines relied on the same approach that resonated with him during his entire career.

“I loved driving in runs,” said Baines, looking back. “My thought always was, ‘Get the run in any way possible.'”

Sure enough, Baines did what he needed to do. With a measured swing, he lofted a fly ball sufficiently deep to center field. The sacrifice fly sent a joyous Cruz scampering home with the winning and division-clinching run. During the celebration, Sox players swarmed around Baines in appreciation of the consummate professional getting the job done.

“Get the run in” was the hallmark of Baines’ 22 years in the big leagues as he also became one of the most dignified and respected players in the game.

Baines admitted that he was surprised when he learned that he is a candidate for Cooperstown this year, along with players such as Orel Hershiser, Albert Belle, Mark McGwire and Will Clark; executives Bud Selig, John Schuerholz and George Steinbrenner; and managers Davey Johnson and Lou Piniella.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Baines said. “I’m grateful that they included me.”

Don’t expect the humble, soft-spoken Baines to campaign for the Hall. That’s as likely as a 90-degree day in Chicago in February.

However, the six-time All-Star has plenty of supporters more than willing to speak to why he is worthy of being elected to baseball’s shrine. Several are Hall of Famers themselves.

“I think Harold is a Hall of Famer,” said Tony La Russa, Baines’ first manager and 2014 HOF inductee. “I guarantee you all the teams that competed against him had Harold ranked right up there with the very best players in baseball. You didn’t want him to come up in the ninth inning with a chance to win the game.”

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. appreciated Baines’ talents, first as an opponent and even more as a teammate in Baltimore.

“When I played against him, he was always the guy who you didn’t want to have come up at a crucial part of the game,” Ripken said. “[In Oakland] he played with the likes of McGwire, [Jose] Canseco, and those guys were putting up numbers. But for me, I’m thinking, ‘OK, we don’t want to let Harold beat us,’ because he had that sort of presence in the lineup. And [when he played with the Orioles], I really understood that and got it.”

White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf echoed that sentiment. Baines is one of his all-time favorite players.

“I have always said that when the game is on the line, there is no one …

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