Holliday, Javier and Comiskey to join Cards HOF
John Denton
@JohnDenton555ST. LOUIS -- Two generations of Cardinals world champions, Matt Holliday and Julian Javier, and former St. Louis Browns player-manager and champion, Charles Comiskey, will be inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Fame on Aug. 27.
The club made the announcement Friday prior to the Cardinals hosting the Brewers at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals Hall of Fame opened in 2014. This year¡¯s class will join 47 others in the team¡¯s Hall of Fame, and the induction ceremony will be held at Ballpark Village during Hall of Fame weekend presented by Edward Jones.
¡°We take great pride in the selection process we use for electing new members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame,¡± Cardinals chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank our fans as well as the Red Ribbon Committee who cast their votes for this year¡¯s induction class. Congratulations to Matt Holliday, Julian Javier and the late Charles Comiskey on this tremendous honor. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these players during our induction ceremony in August.¡±
Holliday, a Cardinal from 2009-16 and a member of the 2011 World Series champion squad, was the leading vote-getter by fans on the ballot of Steve Carlton, George Hendrick, Matt Morris and Edgar Renteria. More than 30,000 fan votes were cast online over a six-week period and Holliday -- a four-time All-Star with St. Louis and the 2010 Silver Slugger award winner with St. Louis -- emerged as the next Cardinal Hall of Famer.
The Red Ribbon Committee, a 14-person panel of St. Louis baseball experts, selected Javier as the veteran player for Hall of Fame induction. Javier, the first Dominican player in franchise history, was with the Cardinals when they won World Series championships in 1964 and ¡¯67. In addition to hitting a three-run home run in Game 7 of the 1967 World Series, Javier batted .346 in 15 games in the Fall Classic -- good for third in franchise history.
Comiskey, an organizational selection to honor important figures in St. Louis baseball history, was the starting first baseman on the inaugural St. Louis Browns team in 1882. In 1884, Comiskey became a player-manager who led the Browns to four straight pennants from 1885-88, including a championship in 1886. In 1887, Comiskey hit .335, drove in 103 runs, scored 139 runs and stole 117 bases in 125 games.
Later, Comiskey was a driving force in the foundation of the American League in 1901. He was the sole owner of the Chicago White Sox from 1900 until his death in 1931. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame posthumously in 1939.