Former Toronto Blue Jays second baseman and 2011 Baseball Hall Of Fame inductee Roberto Alomar smiles during a news conference after the Blue Jays announced that his jersey number will be retired in Toronto July 19, 2011. Alomar is the first player in Blue Jay history to have his jersey number retired and to be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. REUTERS/Mike CasseseMike Cassese/Reuters
ROBERTO ALOMAR
Age: 43
Born: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Induction: Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET, Cooperstown, N.Y. First player to enter the Hall of Fame as a Toronto Blue Jay (broadcast on Sportsnet).
Career: San Diego Padres (1988-90), Toronto Blue Jays (1991-95), Baltimore Orioles (1996-98), Cleveland Indians (1999-2001), New York Mets (2002-03), Chicago White Sox (2004), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2004).
Highlights: Switch-hitting second baseman had 2,724 hits, 210 home runs, 1,134 RBIs, a .300 batting average and .984 fielding percentage. ... Played in 12 successive All-Star Games and won 10 Gold Gloves. ... Combined .354 in four postseason series in Toronto's two championship seasons. ... The 20th second baseman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he became the 26th player overall to be named on at least 90 per cent of Hall of Fame ballots, for a total of 523 ballots, the third-highest in history. ... He's the third Puerto Rican elected (Roberto Clemente, Orlando Cepeda).
Quote: "Roberto was a natural, a champion, a superstar. He worked at it by being disciplined and respecting the game." Sports historian Jossie Alvarado