Ashburn, Day thrilled with Hall of Fame election

Ashburn joined Leon Day, William Hulbert and Vic Willis as Veterans Committee elections, completing the Class of 1995 that was begun with the election of Mike Schmidt in January by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

“I was a little surprised,” Ashburn told the Associated Press upon hearing the news. “I thought maybe it would happen someday. But you don’t sit back and say: ‘This is going to be the year.’”

Ashburn debuted with the Phillies in 1948, Ashburn finishing third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .333 with a big league-leading 32 stolen bases in 117 games. Regarded as one of the fastest players in the game, Ashburn also cultivated one of baseball’s best batting eyes – leading the NL in walks four times and on-base percentage four times while winning two batting titles.

Defensively, Ashburn was nearly without peer – leading all NL center fielders in putouts nine times while posting six of the Top 10 outfielder putout seasons in history, including second (538 putouts in 1951) and third (514 in 1949) all-time. Remarkably, Ashburn never won a Gold Glove Award – partly attributable to the award being introduced late in his career in 1957 but also due to the presence of Mays.

A beloved Phillies broadcaster after his playing career, Ashburn and Schmidt helped set a new record with an estimated crowd of 40,000 attending the 1995 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

“Richie is very deserving of this honor,” Schmidt told the AP. “He played in an era when there were some great center fielders who went on to become Hall of Famers. Now, he’s one of them: Willie, Mickey, Duke and Richie.”

Day was a Negro Leagues legend who starred mostly for the Newark Eagles. A six-time participant in the East-West All-Star Game, Day played in the field during games in which he was not pitching. He was the first Negro Leaguer elected to the Hall of Fame since Ray Dandridge in 1987.

Day passed away on March 13, 1995, less than a week after learning of his Hall of Fame election.

“I’m a little sick, but I’m feeling a little better now,” the 78-year-old Day, who was battling heart issues, told the AP from his hospital bed in Baltimore. “Oh, I cried when I heard the news. I am so happy.”