Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran iyo Jeff Kent ayaa loo aqoonsaday Hall of Fame ee kubbadda koleyga Axadii. Xafladda aqoonsi ku dhacday dhulka bannaanka ah ee Clark Sports Center ee Cooperstown, N.Y.
Carlos Beltran: Safarkiisa iyo Matalaadda Mets
Carlos Beltran waa cayaaryahankii lixaad ee ku soo barbaaray Puerto Rico ee hela booska Hall of Fame, wuxuuna doortay inuu matalo Mets. Beltran wuxuu aasaasay akadeemiyad kubbadda koleyga oo ku taal Puerto Rico si loo horumariyo ciyaarta.
Beltran wuxuu noqday mid ka mid ah afarta cayaaryahan ee gaadha 400 homers, 300 steals iyo seddex Gold Gloves, isagoo ku biiray Willie Mays, Barry Bonds iyo Andre Dawson. Wuxuu ka bilaabay Royals 1999-kii wuxuuna kaalmo ka helay George Brett.
Andruw Jones: Curacao iyo Dhalashada Halyey
Andruw Jones wuxuu noqday cayaaryahankii ugu horreeyay ee ka yimid Curacao ee hela Hall of Fame, wuxuuna sharaf galiyay Hensley Meulens, oo ahaa big leaguer-kii kali ah ee jasiiradda ka hor imaanshihiisa. Jones wuxuu ku guuleystay 10 Gold Gloves oo isku xiga.
Ciyaaryahanka uu ugu jeclaa wuxuu ahaa Ken Griffey Jr. Jones wuxuu yiri: "I never got to see Willie Mays play, so Ken Griffey [Jr.] was my guy. I wanted to be like him."
Jeff Kent: RBI-yada iyo Guusha Labaad
Jeff Kent wuxuu ahaa NL MVP 2000, wuxuuna 351 ka mid ah 377 homers-kiisa ku garaacay isagoo ah second baseman, rikoodh u ah booska. Wuxuu lahaa 1,518 RBIs oo xirfadiisa ah, wuxuuna u ciyaaray lix kooxood.
Kent wuxuu ka bilaabay Blue Jays wuxuuna u guuray Mets, isagoo deris la ahaa Eddie Murray. Wuxuu ka bartay Tommy Lasorda: "The money lies in the RBIs." Kent wuxuu yiri: "Baseball has never been better. Baseball has never been more popular."
Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. The ceremony was held on the grounds outside the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York. Each honoree delivered a speech of gratitude.
Beltran honors Puerto Rico and Mets
Carlos Beltran became the sixth player raised in Puerto Rico to reach the Hall of Fame. He chose to enter representing the Mets, one of seven teams he played for. Beltran founded a baseball academy on Puerto Rico to grow the game and serve as an educational resource.
Beltran broke in with the Kansas City Royals and won the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year award. He received guidance from Hall of Famer George Brett. He is one of four players with at least 400 homers, 300 steals and three Gold Gloves, joining Mays, Bonds and Dawson.
Jones first from Curacao
Andruw Jones became the first player from Curacao in the Hall of Fame. He paid homage to former Yankee Hensley Meulens, the only big leaguer from the island before Jones arrived in the mid-1990s. Jones won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves in center field.
Jones said his favorite player was Ken Griffey Jr. He stated: "All the players from Curacao owe the tip of the cap to Hensley Meulens, the first player to reach the major leagues from for our island." Jones called the honor truly for the people of Curacao.
Kent sets records at second base
Jeff Kent was the 2000 National League MVP and hit 351 of his 377 career homers as a second baseman, a position record. He totaled 1,518 RBIs and played for six clubs. A rookie trade sent him from Toronto to the Mets, where Eddie Murray was his locker neighbor.
Kent learned from Tommy Lasorda that "The money lies in the RBIs." In closing he said: "Baseball has never been better. Baseball has never been more popular." He expressed hope the game keeps bringing people together at the ballpark.
