SAN DIEGO _ Thirty-four votes shrunk to five, but a margin, however slim, remains. Trevor Hoffman, the Padres icon who holds the National League saves record, will have to wait at least another year to gain entrance into baseball's Hall of Fame.
In his second year of eligibility, Hoffman appeared on 327 of 442 Baseball Writers' Association of America ballots. His 74 percentage represented a significant hike from last year's mark of 67.3, but the necessary number for election is 75 (or 332 votes).
Jeff Bagwell (86.2 percent), Tim Raines (86 percent) and Ivan Rodriguez (76 percent) comprise the 2017 class, announced Wednesday. They were in their seventh, 10th and first years on the ballot, respectively.
"I first want to send a very heartfelt congratulations to Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez," Hoffman said in a statement. "All three men exemplify what it means to be a Hall of Famer in our game. For me, falling short of this class is disappointing, but I don't take being on the ballot lightly.
"I'm grateful for every vote and I am truly humbled to have come so close. I hope to one day soon share a Hall of Fame celebration with my family, friends, teammates and all of San Diego."
Hoffman's narrow miss is reminiscent of 2014, when Craig Biggio appeared on 74.8 percent of ballots, two votes shy of election. Biggio jumped to 82.7 percent in 2015, more than enough to send him to Cooperstown.
The case for Hoffman's enshrinement, though supported by the majority of voters, has been widely debated. For some, the rise of advanced metrics has diminished the value of specialists who worked one-inning stints. Meantime, current rules limiting voters to 10 selections per year have worked against newer candidates.
Still, Hoffman performed his given role longer and arguably better than anyone outside of Mariano Rivera. He is bidding to join Bruce Sutter as the only Hall of Famers who relieved from start to finish. No closer has been elected since Goose Gossage in 2008.
Over 18 seasons, including 16 with the Padres, Hoffman saved at least 40 games nine times, earned seven All-Star berths and twice finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young award. The right-hander compiled 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a 1.058 WHIP. His 2.87 ERA is fifth all-time along relievers, behind Rivera (2.21), Billy Wagner (2.31), Ron Perranoski (2.79) and Sutter (2.83).
"We would like to congratulate the Hall of Fame class of 2017 on being elected to the greatest honor in our game," the Padres said in a statement. "We believe Trevor Hoffman's name should have been called today, and we share in the disappointment felt by Padres fans everywhere.
"Few players have ever performed the task set in front of them as successfully and as consistently as Trevor did. On top of that, Trevor has the unanimous respect and love of former teammates, coaches and fans. He is a true Hall of Famer, and we look forward to the day very soon when we will see him enshrined in Cooperstown."
A converted shortstop who arrived in San Diego during the fire sale of 1993, Hoffman long ago became one of this city's most beloved figures. His entrance song, AC/DC's "Hells Bells," was synonymous with the ninth inning at Qualcomm Stadium and Petco Park. In 2006, at age 38, he established a new all-time saves record by converting No. 479. He would be the first reliever to reach 500 and, later, 600 saves.
Hoffman concluded his career with 601, surpassed only by Rivera's 652. In 2014, he was inducted as the ninth member of the Padres Hall of Fame. History already indicated Hoffman is headed to Cooperstown _ every player who received 50 percent of the vote on his first try was eventually enshrined _ but his trip will wait at least another year.
