Wednesday, January 12, 2000

Perez makes Hall of Fame

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Mr. Clutch wins election in the 9th

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Tony Perez and wife Pituka receive congratulations from friends and family. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Tony Perez, who said he dedicated his career to winning, received his ultimate personal triumph Tuesday.

        The Cincinnati legend was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, joining Big Red Machine stars Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan.

        “Making the Hall of Fame is because of the years I had with the Reds,” said Mr. Perez, who played first and third base with Cincinnati from 1964-76 and 1984-86. “The fans and my teammates made me what I am today.”

        Perez, 57, will officially enter the Cooperstown, N.Y., shrine July 23. Though he also played for Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia during his 23 years in the major leagues, his likeness on his Hall of Fame plaque will bear a Reds cap.

Perez homers off Bill Lee in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series. The catcher is Carlton Fisk. | ZOOM |

SET AS WALLPAPER: Click here for bigger image, then right click to Set As Wallpaper

        “This is a win for everybody,” said Perez, who fell short of receiving enough votes required for induction in eight previous appearances on the ballot. “I share this with the fans in Cincinnati. They showed me the appreciation for what I did with Cincinnati over the years.”

        Perez ranks among history's top 50 players in home runs, hits, RBI, doubles, games and at-bats. He also was regarded as the Reds' true leader, capable of pointing the team's considerable egos in a common direction while carrying himself with dignity.

        “I can't tell you how wonderful this is,” Bench said. “This is one of the better days I've known. He meant so much to us. You can start with the player, but you really have to start with the person. He was like a brother. He was a man's man. Everybody should have to play with Tony Perez a couple of games and find out how the game was meant to be played.”

        “I call him "Papito' (little father),” said Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, the native Cincinnatian who rooted for Perez, played with him briefly in 1986 and played for him when Perez was a hitting coach and manager. “He has been a tremendous influence on my baseball career, as well as my life.”

Perez is greeted by Pete Rose after a 1975 home run. | ZOOM |

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        Reds General Manager Jim Bowden fired Perez 44 games into his managerial career in 1993. When Bowden called Perez again on Tuesday, the mood was extremely different.

        “This should have happened years ago,” Bowden said. “But the important thing is to get it right and to get him in where he belongs with the rest of the Big Red Machine. This allows history to be passed down.”

        As he did in the batter's box, when he responded to numerous opportunities to drive in a crucial run, Perez seized what was regarded as his best chance to join the Hall.

        He received votes on 385 of the 499 ballots cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, 10 more votes than he needed for induction. Perez garnered 77.2 percent of the vote, barely exceeding the 75 percent threshold. Former Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk also was elected, receiving 397 votes (79.6 percent).

        “Those eight years are behind me now,” Perez said, referring to the times he wasn't elected. “They don't matter.”

Perez and Johnny Bench embrace during Perez' retirement ceremonies in 1986. | ZOOM |

        Voters found no first-time candidates compelling enough to lure voters from Perez. He fell 71 votes short of induction last year, when he received 60.7 percent of the votes cast. That was viewed as staunch support, because Perez had to share the ballot with George Brett, Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount, who were elected. Also, last year's induction of Orlando Cepeda by the veterans committee, whose statistics were virtually identical to Perez's, was seen as encouraging.

        Perez was aware of fresh candidates on upcoming ballots: Don Mattingly, Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield in 2001; Andre Dawson and Ozzie Smith in 2002; Eddie Murray and Ryne Sandberg in 2003.

        “If I didn't make it this year, I thought I'd never be elected,” said Perez, who would have stayed on the ballot for six more years before becoming eligible for consideration by the Hall's veterans committee.

        Perez became the first Cuban-born player to be elected to the Hall by the writers. Martin Dihigo, the Hall's only other Cuban, was installed by a special Negro League committee in 1977.

        “That means a lot,” said Perez, who leads all Latin American players with 1,652 RBI and 379 home runs (tied with Mr. Cepeda). “They (fellow Cubans) have been waiting. They're going to be proud of me and they're going to be celebrating.”

        Asked what he enjoyed most about playing baseball, Perez distilled his sentiment into one word: winning.

THE VOTING

(499 votes cast; 375 needed for election; x-elected):   x-Carlton Fisk, 397   x-Tony Perez, 385   Jim Rice, 257  Gary Carter, 248  Bruce Sutter, 192  Goose Gossage, 166  Steve Garvey, 160  Tommy John, 135  Jim Kaat, 125  Dale Murphy, 116  Jack Morris, 111  Dave Parker, 104  Bert Blyleven, 87  Luis Tiant, 86  Dave Concepcion, 67  Keith Hernandez, 52  Ron Guidry, 44.   Dropped from future consideration (Failed to receive at least 5 percent or 25 votes)   Jeff Reardon, 24  Bob Boone, 21  Willie Wilson, 10  Rick Sutcliffe, 9  Kent Hrbek, 5  Charlie Hough, 4  Dave Henderson, 2  Steve Sax, 2  Bill Gullickson, 1  Bruce Hurst, 1  Lonnie Smith, 1  Bob Welch, 1  Hubie Brooks, 0.

        “I always thought of winning as the only fun you could have,” said Perez, who appeared in five World Series and six League Championship Series. “If you didn't, it would make you miserable. That's why I always tried to win.”

        Perez, now a special assistant to the general manager of the Florida Marlins, began his series of triumphs as a teen-ager who overcame his 145-pound build. He related that even his own relatives discounted his prospects for becoming a ballplayer. “I always told them I could hit,” Perez said.

        In 1967, his third full season with the Reds, he ended history's longest All-Star Game by blasting a 15th-inning homer off Catfish Hunter to give the National League a 2-1 triumph. “That's where everything started coming around for me,” Perez said.

        Though Bench, Morgan, Pete Rose and even manager Sparky Anderson received most of the attention as the Reds won the World Series in 1975 and '76, the team knew that its success revolved around “Doggie,” as Perez was affectionately known.

        “He never wanted to lose. I guess that's why he was so clutch,” Bench said. “If the game was on the line, (settling it) is what he was there for. I honestly believe he thought, "That's my job.' And he was going to do his job, every possible chance he had. I think that's what he lived for. That's neat. I think it set the tone for everybody in the lineup.”

        With Cincinnati, Perez began his remarkable stretch of collecting 90 or more RBI in 11 consecutive seasons (1967-77). If his presence contributed mightily to winning, his absence accented his impact: Once Perez was traded to Montreal after the 1976 season, the Reds' dynasty crumbled.

        “That's the only time I ever second-guessed myself on a trade,” said Bob Howsam, the former general manager who assembled the Big Red Machine's personnel.

        Now, all the guessing about Mr. Perez can end. He's a genuine baseball immortal.

        “It's sweet now,” he said.

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