One of the original Fab Fives for this week’s #FanTeaser. Who comprises this quintet and what’s significant about them?
Nearly 90 years ago, the Baseball Writers Association of America conducted its first vote to select an innaugural class for the nascent National Baseball Hall of Fame. The structure in Cooperstown, NY, was still three years away from being open for business, but on February 2, 1936, the first Hall of Fame Class was announced. It included five players who really – even then – needed no introduction:
- Ty Cobb – Upon his retirement, Cobb had amassed a then-record 4,191 hits and a career batting average of .366. See his HoF bio here and his career stats here.
- Walter Johnson – The hard-throwing righthanded pitcher still owns the career record with 110 shutouts among his 417 career wins. See his HoF bio here and his career stats here.
- Christy Mathewson – The rightie won 20 or more games in 13 of his 17 big league seasons. He won 33 during the 1904 season and finished third! (Jack Chesbro collected 41 and Joe McGinnity 35) See his HoF bio here and his career stats here.
- Babe Ruth – One of the original dual threat players, not only did Ruth club a then-record 714 career home runs, but he also won 94 games as a pitcher, and still holds the career Slugging Percentage record with a .690 mark. See his HoF bio here and his career stats here.
- Honus Wagner – A native Pennsylvanian, Wagner spent the majority of his career with his homestate Pirates. Known these days more for his ultra-rare T206 baseball card than his statistics, it’s worth noting that Wagner played every position but catcher during his 21 seasons and finished with 643 career doubles, still 10th best in the game’s history. See his HoF bio here and his career stats here.
The plaques from the original National Baseball Hall of Fame class.
It would not be until June 12, 1939, that the first induction ceremony in the quaint upstate New York village.
This Sunday the Class of 2025 will receive their bronze plaques in Cooperstown. The class is comprised of Dick Allen, Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, and Billy Wagner (no relation to Honus;-).