Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

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The greatest moment of Scott Rolen’s 17-year career didn’t come during his 2006 World Series run with the St. Louis Cardinals or even during his outstanding first full season in 1997 with the Philadelphia Phillies, which earned him unanimous National League Rookie of the Year honors.

For Rolen, one of two players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, that honor was reserved for an unexpected moment with his parents after he was called up for his first major league game in 1996.

"Seeing Mom and Dad walk to their seats from my position at third base was a feeling never topped again in my 17 years," Rolen said during his 16-minute acceptance speech.

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Hall of Fame inductees Fred McGriff, left, and Scott Rolen, right, pose for a picture during the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Sunday, July 23, 2023, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.  (AP Photo/Bryan Bennett)

It took six tries, but Rolen’s parents, Ed and Linda, finally got to see their son earn his bronze Hall of Fame plaque. He was joined by Fred McGriff, elected unanimously by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee in December after falling off the writers’ ballot in 2020.

Rolen was the only player to receive more than the 75% of the votes needed to qualify for induction. He received 297 votes (76.3%) from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in January. A year earlier, he got 63.2% of the vote.

"I’m grateful for this grand gesture," Rolen said. "At no point in my lifetime did it ever occur to me that I would be standing on this stage."

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