Warren Spahn Elected to the Hall in His First Year

On January 24, 1973, the BBWAA elected Warren Spahn to the Hall of Fame with 82.9 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility. The left-hander had waited longer than expected for his name to appear on the ballot. Brief stints pitching in the Mexican League in 1966 and for Tulsa of the Pacific Coast League in 1967 led the BBWAA to rule that Spahn had not officially retired, pushing his eligibility to 1973.

The delay only underscored what everyone already knew. Spahn won 363 games over 21 seasons, more than any left-hander in baseball history. He won 20 or more games 13 times, a feat no other southpaw has matched. Playing primarily for the Boston and Milwaukee Braves, he led the NL in wins eight times and in complete games nine times.

Spahn was 25 when he made his real major league debut in 1946. He had missed the previous three seasons fighting in World War II, earning a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge and the bridge at Remagen. Decades later, he said the war had put baseball in perspective: "After what I went through overseas, I never feared anything on the baseball diamond."

His signature moment came on the mound in Game 4 of the 1957 World Series, when he beat the Yankees to give Milwaukee a 3-1 series lead. The Braves won the championship in seven games. He also threw two no-hitters, both after the age of 39.

Spahn was inducted in August 1973 alongside Roberto Clemente, who had been given a special election after his death the previous December.