A pair of former Indians stars is among the three men celebrated on this date at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ex-Indians infielder Roberto Alomar and pitcher Bert Blyleven are joined by longtime Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle, and Philadelphia general manager Pat Gillick in the annual inductions in Cooperstown, New York.

In his second year of eligibility, Alomar reached the Hall by being included on 90% of the ballots after falling just 1.3% short in his first year. He played in 17 Major League seasons and made 12 straight All-Star games in his prime. He signed as a free agent with the Indians and played three seasons in Cleveland from 1999 to 2001, hitting a combined .323 with 63 home runs and 309 RBI during that span while stealing 106 of 122 bases. In addition to a third place finish in the MVP vote in 1999 and a fourth place spot in 2001, he was a ten-time Gold Glove winner.

Blyleven’s path to the Hall was far more grueling than Alomar’s. On his 14th try, he received 79.7% of the vote to finally gain induction. He started his career with the Minnesota Twins and, after bouncing around to the Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates, was traded to Cleveland in a six-player trade following the 1980 season. He spent parts of five seasons on the shores of Lake Erie, battling through injuries for a stretch of his time in an Indians uniform. In 1984, he finally was healthy for a full season and went 19-7 with a 2.87 ERA and finished third in the Cy Young voting. After starting 9-11 in 1985 while making his second career All-Star trip, he was dealt back to Minnesota for four players. He would spend his final seasons in California with the Angels, wrapping up a 22-year career.

Gillick was honored for his efforts in the front office with his selection by the Veterans Committee in their review of the expansion era candidates.

Photo: AP File