Randy Johnson, the Cy Young winner who spend two years with the Yankees after a legendary stint with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Pedro Martinez, the fiery power pitcher who played out his final years on the mound at Shea Stadium, were both inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday.
Johnson and Martinez were inducted along with former Atlanta Braves closer John Smoltz and former Houston Astros slugger Craig Biggio. It was the first time since 1955 that four players were selected in one year.
Johnson, who played with the Yankees in 2005 and 2006, and Martinez, who played for the Mets between 2005 and 2008, are both better known for their play outside of New York.
Martinez, a three-time Cy Young winner, appeared on 500 ballots (91.1 percent). Martinez was 219-100, struck out 3,154, led the major leagues in ERA five times and in 2004 helped the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years.
In New York, Martinez will always be remembered as a fierce rival of the Bronx Bombers who once called the Yankees his "daddy" after being pummeled in a late-season start in 2004. Later that year, he and the Red Sox would claw back from the brink of elimination to beat the Yankees in the ALCS en route to a curse-breaking World Series title.
Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner with 303 victories and 4,875 strikeouts, was selected on 534 of 549 ballots by veteran members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. His 97.3 percentage was the eighth-highest in the history of voting. The Yankees traded for The Big Unit after the 2004 season, then traded him back to the Arizona Diamondbacks two seasons later.
Biggio appeared on 454 ballots, 42 more than the 75 percent needed and up from 68.2 percent in his first appearance and 74.8 percent last year. He had 3,060 hits in 20 big league seasons, all with the Houston Astros. Biggio is a Smithtown, New York, native.
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The quartet will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 26. The Baseball Writers' Association of America had not given four players the necessary 75 percent in a single year since selecting Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance 60 years earlier.
Former Met Mike Piazza fell 28 votes short but increased his percentage to 69.9 from 57.8 in 2013 and 62.2 last year.
