Pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz along with second baseman Craig Biggio were elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, reports confirmed.
Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz earned the right to be inducted on the first ballot, while Biggio finally nailed it after failing to make it twice before.
The Baseball Writers' Association of America selected four players for the first time since 1955, when baseball legends Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Among the newly-elected Hall of Famers, Johnson got the highest number of votes as he was selected by 534 of 549 members of the BWAA - a whopping 97.3 percent vote, which was the eighth-highest percentage in history.
Johnson, who racked up 303 wins and 4,875 strikeouts in his 22 seasons in the major league, said that he never thought about becoming a Hall of Famer, but he is very glad the BWAA recognized his achievements.
"The Hall of Fame was never something that I surely ever thought about," Johnson said via ESPN. "I don't think people quite understand how difficult it is to be 6-foot-10 and be throwing a ball 60 feet, 6 inches away. In order to do that, you have to be consistent with your release point and where you're landing and your arm slot and all that."
Martinez, who went 219-100 with 3,154 strikeouts in 18 seasons, appeared on 500 ballots. The three-time Cy Young winner had the highest ERA in a season for five times and also led the Boston Red Sox to World Series triumph in 2004 - the team's first World Series title in 86 seasons.
Martinez became the second Dominican Republic native to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after Juan Marichal made it into the prestigious list in 1983.
Smoltz, who got 455 votes from BWAA members, also made it into the Hall of Fame on his first try. The 21-year veteran tallied 213 wins with 3,084 in his illustrious career in the major league. Smoltz, who is the only pitcher in MLB history with at least 200 wins and 150 saves, helped the Atlanta Braves win the World Series title in 1995.
On the other hand, Biggio finally got the needed votes in his third attempt this year. The second baseman, who got 454 votes that is equal to 82.7 percent, fell two votes short in last year's balloting.
All four electees will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26 in Cooperstown, New York.
