Morris and Trammell into the Hall while Tiant falls short

By César Augusto Márquez

A big week in baseball ended with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum welcoming two new members on Sunday: pitcher Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell, teammates on the Detroit club that won the 1984 World Series. The duo was considered with eight others on the Modern Baseball Era ballot, which included Cuban right-hander Luis Tiant and union head Marvin Miller.

How crazy was this week? After the baseball equivalent of The Bachelor, Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani picked the Angels to be his first major league love, uhh, team; the Yankees named their new manager; and the Marlins traded the NL MVP to the Bronx Bombers.

No cigar for El Tiante

The Modern Baseball Era committee is composed of 16 men, including just one Latino (Rod Carew) and one African-American (Dave Winfield). A candidate needs a nod from 75 percent of the committee (12 votes) to gain entrance to the Hall of Fame. Morris received 14 votes; Trammel 13. Ted Simmons, a switch-hitting catcher for the Cardinals, missed by one vote, while Miller fell short once again, getting only seven votes.

Morris was an old-school pitcher who finished games and shined in big moments. He retired with 254 victories and a 3.90 ERA after 18 seasons. While he won 20 games three times, his legend was cemented with a 10-inning shutout for the Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series against the Braves and John Smoltz. Trammell, meanwhile, was a two-way shortstop, a six-time All-Star who won four Gold Gloves  and hit .285/.352/.415 over 20 seasons.

Luis Tiant, who recorded 229 wins and a 3.30 ERA from 1964 to 1982, received less than seven votes. Though he fell short in the committee’s eyes, the Red Sox, Tiant’s team for eight seasons, made sure to reaffirm their love for one of the best pitchers of his generation and the winningest Cuban hurler in history.

The return of the Evil Empire

The Yankees began the week by announcing Aaron Boone as their 35th manager in team history. Boone, a former infielder who played 12 seasons in the big leagues before becoming a broadcaster, is baseball royalty, the grandson and son of former major leaguers. His grandfather Ray was an infielder for 13 seasons and his father Bob a catcher for 19 seasons and manager for six.

Boone played one season in the Bronx, and it was unforgettable, thanks to one of the biggest blasts in postseason history. Boone sent the Bombers to the 2003 World Series with a walk-off home run off Tim Wakefield’s first pitch in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS — against the hated Red Sox.

The Yankees outdid themselves on Saturday, announcing a deal with the Marlins to acquire slugger Giancarlo Stanton in exchange for Dominican infielder Starlin Castro and a couple of prospects. Stanton was voted the 2017 NL MVP and the NL Hank Aaron Award winner, leading the majors with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs. Adding Stanton to a team that features AL rookie of the year Aaron Judge (52 home runs), Gary Sánchez (33), Didi Gregorius (25) and Brett Gardner (21), the Yankees may now be boasting the 21st-century version of Murderers’ Row.

The trade opens up second base for one of baseball’s top prospects, Venezuelan Gleyber Torres, who wished farewell to Castro, one of his mentors on the team.

The new Bambino

Ohtani, considered the Babe Ruth of Japan because he throws 100 mph as a righty and hits home runs as a lefty, decided to join the Angels after meeting face-to-face with seven teams. Only 23, Ohtani has a chance to become a transformational player, the first to pitch and play in the field on a regular basis. In 2016, his last full season in Japan, Ohtani hit .322/.416/.588 with 22 home runs and 67 RBIs in 104 games. His pitching line was a sizzler, as well: he went 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 140 innings. Said Angels manager Mike Sciosia, “We definitely plan on him being a two-way player, there’s no doubt about that.”

Manager and philanthropist

Yadier Molina can lead from the dugout and off the field as well as he can from behind the plate. The Cardinals catcher managed Puerto Rico in the Pan American U-23 Championship, leading the team to the bronze medal game in Panama last week to qualify for the 2018 U-23 Baseball World Cup. He then left for Puerto Rico for the second annual Yadier Molina Home Run Derby & Celebrity Softball Game at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on Saturday. Joined by Francisco Lindor, Javy Báez, Roberto Pérez, Eddie Rosario, Edwin Díaz and others, Molina raised money to benefit relief efforts on the island in the aftermath of Hurricane María.

Venezuelan summit

We don’t think José Altuve has slept much since the Astros won the World Series. The batting champ and AL MVP has traveled around the United States and the Caribbean attending weddings and receiving award after award, including the 2017 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year along with J.J. Watt, the star defensive end for the Houston Texans. In between all that traveling, Altuve paused to share a moment with two fellow Venezuelans, Royals catcher Salvador Pérez and Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar, or los míos (my guys), as he affectionately called them on Instagram. May the party continue all winter for Altuve. He certainly earned it.

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