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A22 SPORTS
Wednesday 22 January 2020
Derek Jeter, Larry Walker elected to baseball Hall of Fame

By RONALD BLUM ings to join the group pur-
AP Baseball Writer chasing the Miami Marlins
NEW YORK (AP) — Derek in September 2017, be-
Jeter came within one vote coming CEO. Jettisoning
of being a unanimous pick veterans and going with
for the Hall of Fame while low-priced youth in a way
Larry Walker also earned the Yankees never did,
baseball's highest honor on Jeter endured a pair of
Tuesday. last-place finishes and the
The longtime New York Yan- lowest home attendance
kees captain appeared on in the major leagues.
396 of 397 ballots cast by Walker hit .313 with .383
the Baseball Writers' Asso- homers, 1,311 RBIs and 230
ciation of America, falling stolen bases for Montreal
just shy of the standard set (1989-94), Colorado (1995-
when longtime Yankees 2004) and St. Louis (2004-
teammate Mariano Rivera 05), a five-time All-Star and
became the first unani- seven-time Gold Glove
mous selection last year. winner. He led the major
Jeter's 99.7% moved above leagues in batting average
Ken Griffey Jr. (99.3%) for in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
the second-highest. Evaluating his offensive
It was not immediately performance gave some
known which voter didn't baseball writers difficulty
choose Jeter, who was list- because he spent 9 1/2
ed on all 219 ballots made In this July 9, 2011, file photo, New York Yankees' Derek Jeter hits a home run for his 3,000th career seasons hitting at home
public before the an- hit during the third inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium in in the thin air of Denver's
nouncement. The BBWAA New York. Coors Field. Walker bat-
will release additional bal- Associated Press ted .381 with an 1.172 OPS
lots on Feb. 4 of writers who and 154 home runs in 597
chose a public listing. A five-time World Series stands after catching a new manager Joe Torre. games at Coors and .282
Walker appeared on 304 champion, Jeter became 12th-inning popup by Bos- Jeter became a 14-time with 229 homers and an
ballots, six above the 75% a face of baseball as he ton's Trot Nixon in 2004; a All-Star and five-time Gold .873 OPS in 1,391 games
needed, in his 10th and fi- starred in the nation's larg- home run into the left-field Glove winner despite de- elsewhere, according to
nal appearance on the est media market from bleachers for his 3,000th fensive metrics that were the Elias Sports Bureau.
BBWAA ballot, up from 1995-2014. He was the AL hit as part of a career-best maligned. He was ap- He received just 20.3% in his
54.6% last year. Rookie of the Year award 5-for-5 game in 2011; a pointed captain by owner first ballot appearance in
Pitcher Curt Schilling was in 1996 as the Yankees won ninth-inning walkoff single George Steinbrenner in 2011 and dropped as low
third with 278 votes (70%) the World Series for the first in his final home game in June 2003, filling a position as 10.2% in 2014. He rose to
in his eighth ballot appear- time since 1978, then led 2014; a single in his last at- that had been open since 21.9% in 2017 before jump-
ance, an increase from New York to three straight bat three days later that Don Mattingly's retirement ing to 34.1% in 2018.
60.9% but still 20 votes shy. titles from 1998-2000, the lifted his career average to after the 1995 season. He Walker became the sec-
The steroids-tainted pair of only team to accomplish .310. finished with 3,465 hits, 260 ond Canadian-born player
Roger Clemens (61%) and the feat since the 1972-74 Drafted sixth overall in 1992 homers, 358 stolen bases elected to the Hall after
Barry Bonds (60.7%) both Oakland Athletics. A rebuilt after he was spotted by and 1,311 RBIs, earning Ferguson Jenkins in 1991.
showed slight increases. Yankees added their 27th Yankees scout Dick Grouch $266 million from the Yan- Ballot holdovers could
Bonds rose from 59.1% last title in 2009. as a high school junior a kees. benefit next year, when
year and Clemens from Jeter defined himself by year earlier, Jeter was by- He was the ninth player the most prominent play-
59.5%. moments more than num- passed by Houston (Phil elected to the Hall after ers eligible for the first time
Jeter and Walker will be bers: his unexpected back- Nevin), Cleveland (Paul playing exclusively for the are Torii Hunter and Mark
inducted on July 26 at the hand flip from foul territory Shuey), (Montreal (B.J. Wal- Yankees, joining Lou Geh- Buehrle. The 2022 ballot
Hall in Cooperstown along to throw out Oakland's Jer- lace), Baltimore (Jeffrey rig (1939), Bill Dickey (1954), will include David Ortiz and
with catcher Ted Simmons emy Giambi in the 2001 AL Hammonds) and Cincin- Joe DiMaggio (1955), Earle Alex Rodriguez, who served
and former players' asso- Division Series; his Mr. No- nati (Chad Mottola). He Combs (1970), Whitey Ford a season-long suspension
ciation head Marvin Miller, vember home run in the debuted for the Yankees and Mickey Mantle (1974), in 2014 for violations of the
who were voted in last 10th inning that won Game on May 29, 1995, and was Phil Rizzuto (1994) and Ri- drug program and base-
month by the Hall's Modern 4 of the 2001 World Series; installed at shortstop the vera. ball's collective bargaining
Era Committee. his face-first leap into the folliowing spring training by Jeter used some of his sav- agreement.q

Pro Bowl to let scoring team keep possession, face 4th down

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The ball after it scores. The scor- and good field position for tweaked rules regarding ond before the snap. A re-
Pro Bowl is adding a new ing team can retain pos- the other conference. pre-snap penalties. It is no ceiver who fits this excep-
twist that could reward session at its own 25-yard The scoring team also longer a a false start if a tion is not considered to be
teams for taking a risk. line and face a fourth- could elect to give the flexed, eligible receiver in in motion. It is a false start
The NFL announced Tues- and-15 play. Pick up a first opponent the ball at the a two-point stance flinches if all 11 offensive players
day that its upcoming all- down, and the offense opponent's 25-yard line, or picks up one foot as long are set for at a full second
star game in Orlando will gets a new set of downs. much like a kickoff that re- as his other foot remains and any flexed, eligible re-
feature a rule change that Fail to gain 15 yards, and sults in a touchback. partially on the ground. He ceiver breaks his stance by
allows a team to keep the it's a turnover on downs The 2020 Pro Bowl also also must reset for a sec- picking up both feet.q