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Edgar Martinez got in just as his chances were running out Paul Molitor Jersey , meaning baseball’s Hall of Fame will have yet another designated hitter. Three pitchers are in the newly elected class, too, including one whose credentials weren’t good enough in the decade his name came before baseball writers.Harold Baines will also be inducted with Lee Smith this summer, but don’t blame writers for that. A 16-member veterans committee that included Baines’ biggest backer — White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf —decided last month that Baines and Smith should go in because, well, the Hall of Fame apparently needs more players.It now has more, a half dozen more if you’re keeping score at home. The most hallowed of halls is becoming a very welcoming place, thanks to an accommodating committee and members of the Baseball Writers Association of America who are swayed more and more by the advanced metrics that define the game today.In keeping with full disclosure, I’m one of those 425 writers. My ballot went public Tuesday along with others who didn’t disclose their picks in advance, as about half of those voting did.Along with everyone else, of course, I voted for Mariano Rivera. There was no reason not to pick baseball’s greatest closer, and he was rewarded with the first unanimous ballot since Hall of Fame voting began in 1936.Rivera’s the best of the best, with five World Series titles and more saves than anyone who has ever pitched. His advanced metrics are off the charts, but here’s a stat I like best: Rivera retired the side in order in 229 of his 491 three-out saves, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Good cases can also be made for the other inductees, who all have one stat or another that signify greatness. But at the same time baseball purists have to wonder just what defines a Hall of Famer anymore.The case of Baines is exhibit A among those who argue for a less inclusive hall. Baines played 22 years in the bigs http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-robin-yount-jersey , mostly as a designated hitter, but never reached the 3,000-hit mark that so often defines Hall of Fame players.More tellingly, he never finished in the top eight vote getters for MVP consideration any year he played.Baines is as marginal as it gets, and Mike Mussina’s credentials were questioned by some, too, though his 270 career wins are tied for 33rd with Burleigh Grimes on the all-time list.The trend today seems to be to add players in bunches. And that’s not necessarily a good thing for a hall that was once reserved for only the best of the best.Baines’ place in the hall can be debated, as can a plaque for any player not named Ruth, DiMaggio or Koufax. And it will be debated, because baseball’s Hall of Fame remains the gold standard for all sports and baseball fans love to argue about who should be in it.Still, six players this year, six last. In last three years, 15 players have made the Hall of Fame, bringing the total to 234 former major league players, and 331 members overall.It may not be too many, but it’s becoming too much. And it shows no signs of slowing down, even with a lack of star power in upcoming classes (Derek Jeter will almost surely be the only new player elected next year).That’s partly due to the influence of advanced stats that can be used to promote candidacies Matt Garza Jersey , along with an influx of voters from a younger generation of BBWAA members. We saw that with Martinez, who was the beneficiary of an election campaign that got him in on his last year of eligibility.It’s also partly due to voters loading up their ballots. The ballot allows for 10 votes and the average number of players named on early public ballots was 8.7.You can’t tell me there were 10 players deserving of the Hall of Fame this year or any other. I personally voted for six, and thought that was high.Still, I can live with most of the selections, though I wouldn’t have voted for Baines or Smith. They got in because of a veterans committee that offers second chances to players the baseball writers reject for 10 years.But I’m a bit worried about next year. That’s when voters will put their X next to Jeter’s name and then go searching for others to fill out the Hall of Fame class.That likely means more votes for Barry Bonds (59.1 percent) and Roger Clemens (59.5), who will be in their eighth year of eligibility. Thankfully, other known PED users haven’t yet gotten the magical 75 percent, but the trends are moving in their direction.It also means Curt Schilling (60.9 percent) will receive more votes, and I don’t view him as a Hall of Famer for more than one reason.There’s nothing wrong with a good debate over who should be in and who shouldn’t. That’s part of the fun of the best hall in any sport.But there’s no debate that the last thing any baseball fan should want is a bloated Hall of Fame. ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Bartolo Colon reached out and snagged the comeback liner while slipping into a squat on the mound.The portly 45-year-old pitcher managed to stay upright, with a smile on his face and a ball from his milestone victory secured firmly in his glove.Colon became the top winning pitcher born in Latin America, punctuating his 246th career victory with that nifty snag for the last out of his seven innings as the Texas Rangers roughed up Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners 11-4 on Tuesday night.“I thought (first baseman Jurickson) Profar was going to throw the ball away to the public, to the fans,” Colon said through a translator. “But I saw it and then I started laughing because it happened that way.”On his sixth try since earning his 245th win on June 30 to match the mark held by Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez, the Rangers hurler from the Dominican Republic finally had the record to himself.“It was a long journey, but it finally came and it feels good,” said Colon http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-stephen-vogt-jersey , who got his last out against Dee Gordon on his 94th pitch.Colon (6-10) gave up four runs and eight hits in seven innings. The portly and popular right-hander walked none and struck out one. He retired 14 of the last 16 batters he faced after Seattle had two triples in the third, an inning after back-to-back homers by Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager .“True to I think the competitor in him, once we got the lead, you could see just the extra little gear that he put it into to get himself through those innings,” manager Jeff Banister said.“It took a while to get it, but I’m proud of him,” said Adrian Beltre, the active career leader with 3,131 hits. “He’s a great, awesome teammate.”Beltre, Jurickson Profar and Rougned Odor all homered off Hernandez (8-10), who allowed a career-high 11 runs — seven earned — in six innings. Odor also had a two-run double.Colon is 246-186 in 560 games since his big league debut with Cleveland in 1997, was the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner while with the Angels and has won games for each of the 11 teams he has pitched for in his career. His 244th victory earlier this season pushed him past Hall of Famer Juan Marichal for the most by a Dominican pitcher.“I always give thanks to God and to my family, all the support that I have from them,” Colon said.When Beltre struck out in the second against his old friend and former teammate, Hernandez laughed while playfully pointing him back toward the dugout. Beltre grounded into a double play in the third, but his 468th career homer was a solo shot to straightway center in the sixth that made it 11-4.“I lost my command after the first two innings. Just leaving it in the middle of the plate and making a lot of mistakes Christian Yelich Jersey ,” Hernandez said. “That’s it. See the results.”Hernandez, whose 168 career wins are the most by a Venezuelan-born pitcher, struck out two and walked four. He was hurt by two errors by third baseman Seager that led to four unearned runs.“I was just bad tonight, didn’t catch them,” Seager said.The Mariners led 3-0 before Texas had a four-run third. Odor’s double made it 3-all and Elvis Andrus had a tiebreaking RBI single to extend the longest active hitting streak in the majors, and his career best, to 18 games. Profar’s three-run homer made it 8-4 in the fifth right after Seager misplayed Beltre’s two-out grounder. Odor’s two-run shot in the sixth was his 14th homer. Center fielder Cameron Maybin then made a running, leaping catch with his glove extended near the top of the wall to take a hit away from Andrus before Beltre put a shot over the wall.TRAINER’S ROOMMariners: Maybin was struck on the upper leg while waiting in the on-deck circle in the ninth inning when Chris Herrmann sliced a foul ball. Maybe appeared to be OK, even smiling briefly. Maybin then grounded out.UP NEXTYovani Gallardo, 6-1 since rejoining Texas in mid-June for the first time since 2015, starts the series finale against Seattle and lefty Marco Gonzales (12-6). While Gallardo has a 4.76 ERA in his past seven starts, the Rangers have averaged an MLB-best 11.57 runs per nine innings with the right-hander on the mound. No AL pitcher has more than his six wins in that span. Gonzales had won five starts in a row with a 1.57 ERA before losing Friday against Toronto.