Legion Baseball alums Halladay and Mussina to be enshrined in Hall of Fame

Legion Baseball alums Halladay and Mussina to be enshrined in Hall of Fame

Four of the six members of the Baseball Hall of Fame class for 2019 will be former American Legion Baseball players, as Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina were inducted Tuesday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

In December, two more American Legion Baseball alums, Lee Smith and Harold Baines, were selected for the 2019 class through the Today’s Game Era Committee. Rounding out the 2019 class are Edgar Martínez and Mariano Rivera. Rivera is the first-ever unanimous selection.

American Legion Baseball now has 81 former players in the Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made by Jeff Idelson, current president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, on MLB Network Tuesday night.

Halladay was voted in on his first ballot after a stellar career with the Blue Jays and Phillies, receiving 85.4% of the vote.

The eight-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young Award winner, who played American Legion Baseball in his home state of Colorado, is one of just two pitchers to ever throw a postseason no-hitter.

Mussina had a prolific career, which started in Montoursville (Pa.), where he was a dominant multi-sport athlete and played American Legion Baseball.

The former Oriole and Yankee made five All-Star Game appearances and finished with double digit wins 17 straight years. He was inducted with 76.7% of the vote.

This continues a remarkable run of success for American Legion Baseball players and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Five former Legion players were inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2018, as Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome were voted in by the writers, while Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were approved by the Modern Era Committee. In 2017, all three inductees, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez, played Legion Baseball.

The induction will take place on July 21, 2019, in Cooperstown, N.Y.


American Legion Baseball

American Legion Baseball

American Legion Baseball enjoys a reputation as one of the most successful and tradition-rich amateur athletic leagues. Today, the program registers more than 5,400 teams in all 50 states, including Canada and Puerto Rico.

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