McGwire not voted in last year on ballot

Former A's slugger Mark McGwire's last chance to get elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame passed quietly Wednesday.
McGwire, in his 10th and last attempt to gain entry into the Cooperstown shrine, finished with 12.3 percent of the vote.
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McGwire has never been named on more than 23.7 percent of the ballots since he became eligible in 2007.
Last month, McGwire was hired as bench coach for the Padres. During a call with reporters, he sounded pragmatic when he was asked about his last chance to get into the Hall.

"I don't think the tide is going to turn," he said.
Mike Piazza, who spent the final season of his 16-year Major League career with the A's, was elected on Wednesday when he was named on 83 percent of the ballots.
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Piazza hit .275 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs in 83 games with the A's after signing a one-year deal with the team as a free agent in December 2006.
Other players with A's ties who were on the ballot included another catcher -- Jason Kendall, was named on two ballots. Kendall hit .271 in part of three seasons (2005-07) with the A's.
First baseman Mike Sweeney, on his first ballot, was named on three ballots. Sweeney spent 13 of his 16 years in the big leagues with the Royals but played for the A's in 2008 after signing a free-agent deal in February of that year.
As for McGwire, he spent 12 of his 16 big league seasons with the A's, hitting 363 of his 583 career home runs for Oakland.
McGwire broke into the big leagues in a big way in 1987, leading the American League with 49 home runs. For that, he was named the AL Rookie of the Year.