The Veterans Committee Elects Cepeda and Smokey Joe Williams to the Hall of Fame

On March 2, 1999, the Veterans Committee elected four men to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Orlando Cepeda, Smokey Joe Williams, Frank Selee, and umpire Nestor Chylak joined a 1999 class that already included Baseball Writers' selections Nolan Ryan, George Brett, and Robin Yount.

Cepeda's election ended a long wait. Known as "The Baby Bull," he won National League Rookie of the Year in 1958 with the San Francisco Giants and the NL MVP award in 1967 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Over 17 seasons with six franchises, he hit .297 with 379 home runs. A 1975 arrest for marijuana possession had kept him off the regular ballot for years, and the Veterans Committee's recognition finally placed him where his playing career had earned him a spot.

Williams had been dead for 53 years by the time Cooperstown came calling. The fireballing right-hander dominated Negro Leagues competition for three decades, throwing 12 no-hitters. In August 1930, at age 44, he struck out 27 hitters in a 12-inning victory. Williams barnstormed against major leaguers and held his own, but the color line kept him from ever testing himself in the big leagues full-time.

Selee managed the Boston Beaneaters to five pennants in the 1890s and later assembled the core of the Chicago Cubs dynasty that won 116 games in 1906. Chylak umpired in the American League for 25 years and was widely regarded as one of the finest arbiters of his generation. The committee honored four different corners of the game in a single afternoon.