Story by
Mariners' Felix Hernandez made Baseball Hall of Fame voting history not done since 1967
- Story by
- Mariners' Felix Hernandez made Baseball Hall of Fame voting history not done since 1967
Mariners' Felix Hernandez made Baseball Hall of Fame voting history not done since 1967 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Felix Hernandez is moving on up.
Advertisement
The Seattle Mariners ' right-handed pitcher made the biggest leap from one year to the next on a Baseball Hall of Fame ballot since at least 1967, with results of this year's voting released on Tuesday night.
That data comes courtesy of the Hall of Fame voting's main tracker, Ryan Thibodaux.
Hernandez got 27.9% of the votes last year. This year, it was 46.1%.
It takes 75% to get elected, and Hernandez has taken a big leap in the right direction.
Here's the whole chart, with it important to note that Thibodaux didn't do this by percentage points but by actual percentage:
MORE: Carlos Beltran has contentious hat decision for Hall of Fame
Advertisement
The voters were clearly feeling it this year, with Andy Pettitte and Chase Utley also being huge risers on this year's ballot.
Hernandez is a classic example of a brilliant peak but lacking the longevity.
He won a Cy Young and two ERA titles while making six All-Star Teams.
He also didn't throw an inning past the age of 33.
He finished his career with 169 wins, a 3.42 ERA and 2,524 strikeouts in 2,279.2 innings pitched.
Hernandez, when on the mound, was probably a Hall of Famer. If voters continue to recognize how special his peak was, he'll keep trending in that direction.
