 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2019) |
| New inductees | 8 |
|---|---|
| via Veterans Committee | 7 |
| via Negro Leagues Committee | 1 |
| Total inductees | 126 |
| Induction date | August 9, 1971 |
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 1971 featured a new committee on the Negro leagues that met in February and selected Satchel Paige,[1] who spent most of his career in Negro league baseball before joining the Cleveland Indians in 1948, when he was over 40 years old. Controversy arose both over the selection of a pitcher with only 28 major-league victories[2] (Negro league baseball statistics were not considered major-league statistics until 2020)[3] and about the original plan not to include Negro league players in the main Hall of Fame.[1] In July, officials announced that Paige and future Negro league selections would be included in the main Hall of Fame.[4] Paige was honored alongside other Hall of Fame inductees in August.[5]
Otherwise, the elections continued a system of annual elections in place since 1968. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) voted by mail to select from recent major league players and elected no one. The Veterans Committee met in closed-door sessions to select from executives, managers, umpires, and earlier major league players. It elected seven, the most in its 1953 to 2001 history: Dave Bancroft, Jake Beckley, Chick Hafey, Harry Hooper, Joe Kelley, Rube Marquard, and George Weiss. A formal induction ceremony was held in Cooperstown, New York, on August 9, 1971, with Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn presiding.[5]
- ^ a b "Ageless Paige elected to 'Hall'". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. AP. February 10, 1971. p. 30. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Berkow, Ira (April 14, 1971). "Early Wynn calls it 'Hall of Shame'". Mattoon Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. p. 7. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League'". MLB.com (Press release). Major League Baseball. December 16, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Negro Stars Will Be Full Hall Members". The Journal Standard. Freeport, Illinois. AP. July 8, 1971. p. 15. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "'Satch' Puts in Bid To Become Manager". The Decatur Herald. Decatur, Illinois. AP. August 10, 1971. p. 20. Retrieved October 11, 2019 – via newspapers.com.