Four years after falling short on the baseball writers' Hall of Fame ballot for the 15th and final time, St. Paul native Jack Morris is among 10 finalists on the Modern Era ballot for induction into Cooperstown.
Fellow former Twins pitcher Luis Tiant, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Marvin Miller, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons and Alan Trammell are the other candidates to be considered for election for the Class of 2018. All were players except Miller, the former head of the players union.
Candidates must receive at least 75 percent of the votes from the 16-member selection committee. Inductees will be announced Dec. 10 and inducted in Cooperstown, N.Y., July 29.
Modern Era candidates made their most significant impact on baseball from 1970 to '87. Players must have played in at least 10 seasons and are past qualifying for Baseball Writers' Association of America voting.
Morris, a five-time All-Star, pitched 18 seasons for the Tigers, Twins, Blue Jays and Indians. He had 254 career victories, three 20-win seasons and won four World Series — including 1991, when he was World Series MVP for the Twins after his 10-inning shutout in Game 7.
Morris was last eligible for the writers' ballot for the 2014 Hall of Fame induction class, receiving 61.5 percent of the vote. Candidates need 75 percent for induction. The year before, he received 67.7 percent.
Tiant finished with 229 victories and a 3.30 ERA. A four-time 20-game winner who won two AL ERA titles, he was 7-3 in 1970 for the Twins.
The Modern Era is one of four Era Committees that give Hall of Fame consideration to managers, umpires and executives, as well as players retired for more than 15 seasons.
