Minnesota Twins hometown hero Joe Mauer is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Ahead of the official announcement on Tuesday, it already looked like things were going that way, with Mauer, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, and Billy Wagner seemingly the closest to glory based on publicly revealed votes. Only Mauer, Beltré, and Helton eventually got in, the former two joining a club made up of only 58 other players who were elected into Cooperstown on their first ballot.
Mauer is undeniably the Twins hero of the 21st century. Many great players have passed through the Twin cities, but none have so recently captured the collective adoration of Twins fans as much as Mauer did over his 15-year tenure with the club. A St. Paul native, first-round draft pick, No. 1 prospect, All-Star, MVP, and now a Hall of Famer to be, this is the only way that the vote could have shaken out in order to make any sense.
7 best moments from Joe Mauer’s Hall of Fame career
Mauer's long career is filled with highlights, but there are some that stand out among all the others. Hours of video footage can be compiled to exemplify Mauer's greatness, but these five moments should also do the trick.
No. 7: The famous Around-The-Net catch, June 10, 2010
Almost every single game there's at least one batter who pops a ball up and over the backstop net. It's almost as routine as a ground ball but it almost never results in an out. Rather, fans are usually left muttering under their breath that it should have been an out if not for that pesky net.
Joe Mauer made that dream come true back in 2010.
Royals outfielder Mitch Maier stepped to the player in the ninth inning and popped a ball up behind the home plate net. Mauer did what all catchers do: flipped his mask and tracked the ball, expect rather than letting it drift into the crowd he reached around the net to snag it as an out.
It's a play we've seen a million times but one of the only times we'll likely ever see that sort of outcome.
- Hill