17th January 1977
Hall of Fame voting results were announced today, and two players were inducted in their first year on the ballot:
Willie Mays and
Hank Aaron.
Mays had a 20 year career with the New York/San Francisco Giants. He was the Rookie of the Year in 1951 (.274/.356/.472, 20 HR, 68 RBI). He won the NL MVP award in 1954 (.345/.411/.667, 41 HR, 110 RBI) and 1964 (.360/.456/.769, 45 HR, 84 RBI). He played in 17 All Star games and won 6 Gold Gloves. His career line: .313/.390/.584, 2683 Hits, 555 HR (3rd).
Aaron had an 18 year career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves. He won the NL MVP in 1957 (.322/.378/.600, 44 HR, 132 RBI). He played in 16 All Star games and won 4 Gold Gloves. His career line: .304/.359/.518, 3115 Hits (10th), 520 2B (15th), 502 HR (10th).
l-to-r, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron