SAN DIEGO — Moments after Fred McGriff was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, almost two decades after his final MLB game, he got the question.
Asked if Barry Bonds belonged in Cooperstown, a smiling McGriff responded: “Honestly, right now, I’m going to just enjoy this evening.”
A Hall of Fame committee delivered its answer Sunday, passing over Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling while handing McGriff the biggest honor of his impressive big league career.
The lanky first baseman, nicknamed the “Crime Dog,” hit .284 with 493 home runs and 1,550 RBIs over 19 seasons with six MLB teams. The five-time All-Star helped the Atlanta Braves win the 1995 World Series, the city’s lone MLB title until the 2021 team ended the drought.
McGriff got 169 votes (39.8%) in his final year on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot in 2019. Now he will be inducted on July 23 in Cooperstown, New York, along with anyone chosen in the BBWAA vote, which will be announced Jan. 24.