Almost a year to the day after his death, Cubs legend Ron Santo was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame by a 16-member Golden Era Committee.
“I am sure he is smiling down on this day. I am a believer in what’s meant to be,” Santo’s widow Vicki Santo said on the Hall of Fame Website. “I believe he was meant to be in the Hall, unfortunately it couldn’t be during his lifetime.”
Santo, who played 14 seasons with the Cubs (1960–1973), received 15 of 16 votes to be elected as the 12th third baseman in the Hall. He ended his career with 342 home runs, 1,331 RBIs, 2,254 hits, a .277 career batting average, and five Gold Gloves.
“Everybody saw the numbers, the home runs, the Gold Gloves, and I think they look at it with a different view, saying this guy should be in the Hall of Fame,” Hall of Famer Billy Williams said according to a press release. “When you get 15 out of 16 votes, a lot of people saw him in a different light.”
He will be formally inducted into Cooperstown on July 22, 2012.
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