COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — When Jim Kaat spoke to the thousands of fans at his Baseball Hall of Fame induction, it finally sunk in: The pride of Zeeland now has a home in Cooperstown as a Hall of Famer.
After 25 years pitching in the majors …
After 283 wins on the mound …
After 16 Gold Glove awards …
After eight decades in baseball …
After 32 years coming up short for the Hall of Fame (including twice by two votes or fewer) …
After finally getting the call at age 83 …
After the thrill of finding out teammate Tony Oliva also got the call …
After months of practicing his speech …
The wait was finally over on Sunday; Kaat was inducted into the Hall of Fame.