48-year-old baseball player Carlos Beltrán was chosen on Tuesday to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the sixth Puerto Rican to receive this honor. His 20-season career is marked as one of the most prominent switch-hitters in baseball history. However, he will not be the only one honored with this distinction, as Curaçaoan Andruw Jones also received the award, becoming the first baseball player from his country to be worthy of such an honor. "Wow! I think of all the nights of training and the times I doubted myself," Beltrán celebrated on social media. Beltrán received 84.2% of the votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) and thus joins other Puerto Ricans in the Hall of Fame: Roberto Clemente (1973), Orlando 'Peruchín' Cepeda (1999), Roberto Alomar (2011), Iván Rodríguez (2017), and Edgar Martínez (2019). "This achievement means a lot to me, but also to everyone who has supported me: my family, my friends, and of course, the fans. Beltrán represents the best of our people. Puerto Rico has its 6th HALL OF FAME," the baseball player concluded. In turn, the president of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation (FBPR), José Daniel Quiles, congratulated Beltrán after being selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame of the Major Leagues. "Carlos Beltrán has built a career of excellence. This election fills all of Puerto Rico with joy and marks the beginning of a historic year for our baseball," Quiles indicated in a statement. The governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González, and the Secretary of State, Rosachely Rivera, celebrated this milestone in the history of Puerto Rican sports. "A manatieño who has elevated the name of Puerto Rico before the world. I can't believe I am now part of the Hall of Fame. We proudly celebrate that his greatness is recognized with immortality in Cooperstown. It's a madness. We recognize a career that has inspired and serves as an example for generations on and off the field. That is why today we celebrate with his own and congratulate him on achieving this highest award," expressed González. JONES: CURAÇAOAN POWER In turn, Andruw Jones, born on April 23, 1977, in Willemstad, who received 78.4% of the votes, showed his talent in the MLB for 17 seasons, in which he hit 434 home runs, drove in 1,289 runs, and scored 1,204 times, batting .254. The powerful center fielder, who participated in five All-Star games, was distinguished by his great defensive ability, winning 10 Gold Gloves for his work as a center fielder, and won a Silver Slugger. During his time in the MLB, Jones played for the Atlanta Braves, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, the Texas Rangers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Among Latin players who were also on the ballot were Félix Hernández (46.1%), Alex Rodríguez (40%), Manny Ramírez (38.8%), Bobby Abreu (30.8%), Omar Vizquel (18.4%), Francisco Rodríguez (11.8%), and Edwin Encarnación (1.4%), who did not reach the minimum 75% required to be inducted into the immortals' temple of the Major Leagues. Beltrán and Jones will be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with American Jeff Kent. The official induction ceremony will take place next July 26 in Cooperstown, New York.
