Larry Walker Sr. is one proud dad.
On Tuesday at 3 p.m., the son who bears his name was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Leading up to the announcement however, there was plenty of doubt as to whether Maple RidgeB次元官网网址檚 Larry Walker Jr. was going to receive the 75 per cent of the Baseball Writers of America Association votes he would need to slide into home in his tenth and final year of eligibility.
That morning, in a classic exercise of reverse psychology, Walker Jr. and Sr. both said they were not expecting the former to get quite enough votes.
B次元官网网址淎lthough I believe IB次元官网网址檓 going to come up a little short today, I still wanna thank all you that have been pulling for me and showing your support,B次元官网网址� the Major League Baseball veteran tweeted, B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 grateful for all of you! ItB次元官网网址檚 been fun leading up to today reading everyoneB次元官网网址檚 thoughts. Cheers.B次元官网网址�
His father was also skeptical.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 thinking heB次元官网网址檚 not going to make it because I read a few reports out of ESPN that say heB次元官网网址檚 probably going to be short.B次元官网网址�
It turns out the pair were mistaken about Jr.B次元官网网址檚 chances.
When looking at the ball playerB次元官网网址檚 accomplishments, it is clear the voters made a good choice.
Walker Jr., who played for the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals over a 17-year MLB career, earned five all-star appearances, and won seven Golden Gloves, three batting titles, as well as a National League MVP award in 1997.
Despite the accolades, a history of injuries and his home field in Denver were held against him in past voting years.
Coors Field, with its high elevation and roomy outfield, is lauded as a hittersB次元官网网址� paradise. Without question, it has helped many a Rockies batter pad their statistics. According to ESPNB次元官网网址檚 MLB Park Factors, 1,266 home runs were hit at Denver stadium in 2019. That is over 200 more than the next highest park.
But a telling stat that aided Walker Jr.B次元官网网址檚 stock is his WAR, or wins-over-replacement. The stat is used to determine the additional amount of wins a playerB次元官网网址檚 team has accumulated above the expected number of victories if they were substituted with a replacement-level player.
For Walker Jr., his career WAR of 68.7 on Fangraphs ranks him as 86th of all time.
Shortly after learning of his induction, Walker Jr. discussed his mindset leading up to telephone call from the hall.
B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 think it was happening and I truly meant that,B次元官网网址� he said in an interview on MLB Network, B次元官网网址淚 had the numbers in my head and was prepared for no call and then the opposite happens and that call comes and all of a sudden you canB次元官网网址檛 breathe B次元官网网址� when the phone rang and I saw that number, the heart skips a beat.B次元官网网址�
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His father was no less delighted.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 very, very excited,B次元官网网址� Walker Sr. said from his home in Mission. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 speechless and IB次元官网网址檝e got butterflies.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e got tears in my eyes,B次元官网网址� he continued. B次元官网网址淎nd IB次元官网网址檓 very happy. Very happy for him as well as our whole family and the people of Canada.B次元官网网址�
Walker Jr. will join Chatham, OntarioB次元官网网址檚 Fergie Jenkins as only the second Canadian inducted into the hall.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 been on the ballot for 10 years and a lot of people donB次元官网网址檛 even get on it,B次元官网网址� Walker Sr. said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pretty happy with that and this is just a feather in the cap.B次元官网网址�
Taking it back a few decades, the proud father said seeing his son enshrined in the hall was never a consideration when Walker Jr. was growing up.
B次元官网网址淚 never even gave a thought to him playing Major League Baseball,B次元官网网址� Walker Sr. said. B次元官网网址淲e thought about him playing NHL.
His son played both sports well, but Walker Sr. said baseball came naturally to Jr.
B次元官网网址淭he ability was there. That was a comment he got after his first year as a pro.
B次元官网网址淭he Expos wanted to let him go because his batting average was low, but they had a hitting coach who said, B次元官网网址楴o, I see some potential in his swing. I see something in it. HeB次元官网网址檚 got the ability, heB次元官网网址檚 just got to learn the game.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚 thought that was funny because IB次元官网网址檇 taught him everything I knew [about baseball] and he still had to learn the game,B次元官网网址� said Walker Sr.
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In a long-established tradition of ribbing his son, Walker Sr. told an old story of a base-running mix-up when Jr. was playing minor league ball with a team from Utica, N.Y.
B次元官网网址淪o he was on first base and he had the steal sign B次元官网网址� hit and run, actually B次元官网网址� so heB次元官网网址檚 going to second and the batter hits a fly ball deep
B次元官网网址淟arry hits second base, rounds it and heads to third and then picks up where the ball was and he sees itB次元官网网址檚 being caught, so B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� Walker Sr. makes a chopping motion with his hand and a gushing wind noise B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淩ight across the middle of the infield back to first base.
Walker Jr. beat the throw, but was called out because he did not touch second base on the way back to first.
He argued with his third base coach, Gene Glynn, who explained the missed base.
B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址業 already touched second base, why do I have to touch it again?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Walker Sr. recounts.
While the rules of the game had to be learned on the fly, the talent for baseball might have been passed along through the genes.
Walker Sr. signed a minor professional contract with the Vancouver Mounties in the mid-50s and played half a season with Yakima of the Northwest League.
B次元官网网址淧layed there the last half of the season and won the championship,B次元官网网址� he said, B次元官网网址淚 got a ring for it. But the next year, they traded me to Philadelphia, who wanted me to go to North Carolina, [which was a] long way from home when youB次元官网网址檙e 16 or 17.
B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 for me. I got homesick very badly and I said, B次元官网网址楾hatB次元官网网址檚 it.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
That decision might be the reason Canada has its second baseball hall-of-famer.
B次元官网网址淭he upside of that B次元官网网址� which I tell everybody is B次元官网网址� yeah, I quit and I didnB次元官网网址檛 make it.
B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 do it. But on the other hand, if I hadnB次元官网网址檛 have come back, Larry may never have been born.B次元官网网址�
ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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