Two former Orioles have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
On Sunday it was announced from Las Vegas, that the Today's Game Era Committee selected designated hitter Harold Baines and closer Lee Smith to join the Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
The committee considered six other former players, three former managers and one former executive before ultimately choosing Baines and Smith.
To be elected, each player needed to earn 75-percent of votes from the 16-member committee. Smith was voted in unanimously while Baines received the minimum 12 votes required.
Baines, a St. Michael's, Maryland native had two separate stints with the Orioles. The first came from 1993 through 1995. He returned in 1997, staying until midway through the 1999 season. In 22 total MLB seasons, he made six all All-Star teams and amassed 384 home runs, 2,866 hits and 1,628 RBI's.
Smith spent the 1994 season in Baltimore, where he saved 33 games. Throughout his career, Smith compiled 478 saves which until 2006 was baseballs all time record. He now sits third on the list.
The Orioles sent out a congratulatory tweet;
Congratulations to former #Orioles Harold Baines and Lee Smith, elected to the @baseballhall by the Today’s Game Era Committee. #Birdland pic.twitter.com/jx5LNOscwr
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) December 10, 2018
On January 22, the Baseball Writers' Association of America will decide on who joins Baines and Smith in next year's class.
