Joe Mauer inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame
Joe Mauer (R) accepts his plaque from Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Clark Sports Center on July 21, 2024 in Cooperstown, New York. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
(FOX 9) - Former Twins catcher and St. Paul native Joe Mauer was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Mauer was elected to the Hall of Fame in January on his first ballot, earning 76 percent of the vote (he needed 75 percent to get in).
"As tough as it is to get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame," said Mauer in front of a crowd that chanted "Joe" in Cooperstown, "it might be just as tough, to sum up what this game, this honor, and this moment truly mean to me."
Mauer spent all 15 years of his MLB career with the Twins after being drafted No. 1 overall by his local team in 2001.
"I wanted to be a Twin from Day 1, and that decision never wavered in 18 years," he said.
Speaking Sunday, he also acknowledged the baseball legacy he became part of for St. Paul.
"For as long as I can remember, baseball has been a central part of my life and the life of my family," said Mauer. "I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota… much of my early childhood was spent watching Twins games and pretending to be a big leaguer in my backyard and at various neighborhood parks with my brothers. Many of those parks were the same fields that fellow Hall of Famers Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, and Jack Morris played on as well."
Mauer spent 11 years at catcher before moving to designated hitter and first base.
In 1,858 career games, he had a .306 batting average with 143 home runs and 923 RBI. He was a six-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and won the American League MVP in 2009. He won the AL batting title three times, all as a catcher.
Mauer is already in the Twins' Hall of Fame and – just this month – he was elected into the National High School Hall of Fame. Mauer was a three-sport star at Cretin-Derham Hall in football, baseball and basketball before graduating in 2001.