Listen as Harold Baines gets incredibly emotional about his election to the Hall of Fame
Many have been arguing that Harold Baines -- inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Lee Smith by the Today's Game Committee on Sunday -- doesn't have enough credentials to be in Cooperstown. And that's fine. People love to debate. What is Twitter if not an oozing malaise of smoldering hot takes. Honestly, I would've voted him in for this GIF alone.
But, he is now a Hall of Famer. His plaque will be enshrined forever. And, as you can hear above, Baines was incredibly emotional when he got the call from the selection committee. It's sweet to hear.
Baines had a fantastic 22 seasons in the big leagues. He hit 384 home runs, compiled 2,866 hits and is second all-time behind David Ortiz with 1,688 base knocks as a designated hitter. He was so pivotal to the White Sox franchise that they retired his number while he was still playing. He was also consistently clutch -- slashing .324/.378/.510 with five homers and 16 RBIs in 31 postseason games. And in May 1984, he ended the longest game (by time) in baseball history with a walk-off dinger. Two days, 25 innings and eight hours and six minutes:
There's a good chance that Baines, a trailblazer for the designated hitter role, could be joined in the Hall next summer by the greatest DH of all-time: Edgar Martinez. Pitchers will surely be shuddering everywhere.