Crawford, McCarthy honored as Class of 1957

In an era where the Baseball Writers’ Association of America held Hall of Fame elections every other year, the Veterans Committee elections became the bi-annual focus of the offseason.

On Feb. 3, 1957, the Class of 1957 gained its two members when Sam Crawford and Joe McCarthy earned election.

“Little did I think when I was in the minor leagues I would ever make the Hall of Fame,” McCarthy, the seven-time World Series-winning manager, told the Associated Press from his home in Tonawanda, N.Y. “I’m very, very happy.”

At the time, the Veterans Committee elected candidates only in odd-numbered years and was limited to two selections per cycle. Players had to be retired for at least 30 years to be eligible for the Veterans Committee, with eligible managers and umpires needing to have retired five years prior to the election. The election of Crawford and McCarthy increased the total number of Hall of Famers to 83.

Hank Greenberg and Joe Cronin had been elected by the BBWAA in 1956. But the BBWAA did not elect any candidates in 1958 or 1960, meaning only Veterans Committee electees were enshrined from 1957-61 before the BBWAA elected Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson in 1962. By the late 1960s, the BBWAA once again instituted annual Hall of Fame elections.

McCarthy never made it to the majors as a player but began his big league managerial career in 1926 with the Cubs. He led Chicago to the 1929 National League pennant before taking over the Yankees in 1931. By 1932, the Bronx Bombers were World Series champions – and McCarthy skippered the team to six more crowns, including four straight from 1936-39.

He resigned early in the 1946 season but returned to manage the Red Sox in 1948 and 1949 before retiring during the 1950 campaign. Among managers with at least 2,000 games managed, McCarthy’s winning percentage of .615 is the best all-time. His seven World Series titles are tied with Casey Stengel for the most of any manager in history.

“I certainly want to thank everyone who made (his Hall of Fame election) possible,” McCarthy told the AP. “That includes all the players I had the good fortune to manage and, of course, the owners.”
 

Crawford starred as an outfielder with the Reds and Tigers from 1899-1917, totaling 2,961 hits and a record 309 triples – a mark that has never been threatened in modern times. Among players whose careers started after World War II, Roberto Clemente’s 166 triples rank at the top of that list.

At the time of his Hall of Fame election, Crawford was also the only player in history to have led both the National League and American League in home runs.

Following his last year with the Tigers in 1917, Crawford played four years in the Pacific Coast League with the Los Angeles Angels and totaled 781 hits in 631 games. The PCL was widely considered an MLB-caliber league at the time, and Crawford amassed 3,742 hits for his NL, AL and PCL teams.

The 77-year-old Crawford was overwhelmed by emotion at the July 22, 1957, Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown.

“I had a speech to make but I don’t believe I can go through with it,” the Associated Press reported Crawford saying. “I’ve come a long way to this day.”

Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum