The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the Today’s Game Era ballot, which is comprised of six former players, three managers and one owner, and will be reviewed and voted upon Dec. 9 at the annual Winter Meetings.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are represented on the ballot by 1988 National League Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP Orel Hershiser and former manager Davey Johnson. Also nominated are Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Charlie Manuel, Lou Piniella, Lee Smith and George Steinbrenner.
Over parts of 13 seasons with the Dodgers, Hershiser accumulated a 135-107 record, 3.12 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 2,180.2 innings pitched. Across three postseason series with Los Angeles, the right-hander posted a phenomenal 1.71 ERA in 58 innings of work.
Hershiser earned three All-Star nods with the Dodgers, being selected to the exhibition game in three consecutive years from 1987-89. He appeared on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot in 2006-07.
Hershiser was previously included on the Today’s Game Era ballot in 2017, but fell short of the required 12 votes for induction into the Hall of Fame.
Johnson went 163–161 as Dodgers manager from 1999–2000. He also was skipper of the Baltimore New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. Johnson was a two-time Manager of the Year (1997, 2012).
Any candidate who receives votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Today’s Game Era Committee will earn election to Cooperstown. Electees, including those from the 2019 BBWAA ballot, will be announced in December.
Enshrinement at Cooperstown is set for July 21, 2019. The Today’s Game Era is one of four Era Committees, which each provide an avenue for Hall of Fame consideration to managers, umpires and executives, as well as players retired for more than 15 seasons.
For the 2018 induction class, Steve Garvey and Tommy John were among the former Dodgers players who fell short of being enshrined.
