Former Minnesota Twins Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat voted into Baseball Hall of Fame

Tony Oliva on learning he made Baseball HOF: 'I almost died'

Twins legend Tony Oliva is finally on his way to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He says he was overwhelmed on Sunday when he finally got the call.

MINNEAPOLIS - Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat were both legendary players for the Minnesota Twins at their positions for 15 years.

They now have another title they can add to their names: They’re going to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Both Oliva and Kaat received the necessary 12 votes from the Golden Days Era Committee on Sunday. The group is comprised of 16 members and includes players, executives, historians and journalists. The committee exists to reconsider players from 1950-69 who might have been overlooked. The committee won’t meet again until 2026.

Oliva and Kaat will both be introduced as the newest Hall of Fame inductees at a July 2022 ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.

Oliva, 83, played all 15 of his major league seasons with the Twins and was an eight-time All-Star. He hit .305 in 15 seasons, won Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting in 1965 after helping lead the Twins to their first World Series appearance. He finished with 1,917 career hits, including 597 extra base hits.

Former Minnesota Twins Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat voted into Baseball Hall of Fame

Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat were both legendary players for the Minnesota Twins at their positions for 15 years.

Kaat, also 83 spent 15 of his 25 major league seasons with the Twins and is the all-time franchise leader with 190 wins. He finished with a 3.34 earned run average and had 1,851 career strikeouts in more than 3,000 career innings.

Kaat still works with the Twins as a TV analyst during the season with Bally Sports North.