In a television special on FOX Sports Midwest this evening, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that Mark McGwire, Tim McCarver and Pepper Martin will be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame presented by Edward Jones on Saturday, August 26, at FOX Sports Midwest Live! in Ballpark Village. This is the fourth induction class since the team dedicated the Cardinals Hall of Fame with an 
Inaugural Class on Opening Day in St. Louis in 2014. The 2017 Induction Class was selected via a formal voting process which included fans and St. Louis baseball experts.
“Each year, we look forward to seeing who the Red Ribbon Committee and our fans elect into the Cardinals Hall of Fame,” said Bill DeWitt Jr., Cardinals Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The outstanding achievements of these individuals have earned them the honor of being permanently recognized in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, along with some of the greatest names in team history. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these remarkable players in August during Induction Weekend.”
Chosen by the fans, Mark McGwire and Tim McCarver were the top two vote-getters in the online Cardinals Hall of Fame balloting presented by Edward Jones. The ballot, which also included Cardinals legends Steve Carlton, Keith Hernandez, Jason Isringhausen, Edgar Renteria and Scott Rolen, was selected by a Red Ribbon committee of Cardinals baseball experts through a secret ballot process. More than 40,000 votes were cast by Cardinals fans over the six-week voting period.
In addition to nominating modern players for fan balloting, the Red Ribbon Committee also elected legendary outfielder/third baseman Pepper Martin, a veteran player, for induction using a secret ballot process. Martin played for the Cardinals primarily from 1931 through 1940, but also made limited appearances in 1928, 1930 and 1944. A career Cardinal, Martin won World Series Championships with the club in 1931 and 1934.
The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame was established as a way to recognize the exceptional careers and significant achievements of the greatest players in Cardinals history, as well as those who have made exceptional contributions to the organization. To be eligible, players must have played for the Cardinals for at least three seasons and must be retired as a player from Major League Baseball for at least three years. The eligible pool of players is divided into two categories, “modern players” and “veteran players”. If a player retired more than 40 years prior to the induction year, he is classified as a veteran player.
Each member of the Cardinals Hall of Fame is permanently enshrined in the Cardinals Hall of Fame Gallery presented by Edward Jones that is located on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village, just outside the entrance to the Cardinals Museum. The Hall of Fame Gallery is free and open to the public.
The 2017 Cardinals Induction Class will be formally enshrined at a ceremony on Saturday, August 26 during the 2017 Cardinals Hall of Fame Induction Weekend. Fans can visit cardinals.com/HOF for more information. (#CardsHOF)
Following is a description of each Inductee’s career as a Cardinal:
Mark McGwire (Modern Era Player—Fan Selection)
Years: 1997–2001 (545 G) .270/.427/.683, 220 HR, 473 RBI, 1.111 OPS
Mark McGwire finished his playing career in 2001 with St. Louis after joining the club via trade on July 31, 1997. In 1998, McGwire captured the world’s attention with the “Race for the Record,” breaking Major League Baseball’s previous single-season home run total of 61 set by Roger Maris by hitting 70 homers. He blasted 220 career home runs with the Cardinals, ranking sixth in franchise history, and lead the Majors in home runs in both 1998 and 1999 (65), the top two season totals in Cardinals history. He set the Cardinals single season walk mark with 162 in 1998 and had back-to-back seasons of 147 RBI in ’98 and ’99, ranking third in Cardinals history. He was a three-time All-Star while with St. Louis (1998–2000) and won a Silver Slugger award in 1998.
Tim McCarver (Modern Era Player—Fan Selection)
Years: 1959–1961, 1963 – 1969, 1973 – 1974 (1181 G) .272/.329/.388, 1029 H, 66 HR, 453 RBI
Tim McCarver began his major league career in St. Louis and notched three World Series appearances (1964, 1967, 1968) and two All-Star Game selections (1966, 1967) during his 12 years with the Cardinals. An all-around talent behind the plate, he led the National League in triples in 1966 (13), fielding percentage for catchers in 1965 and 1967 and finished second in National League MVP voting in 1967. In Cardinals World Series play, McCarver ranks second in hits (23), third in RBI (11) and walks (10), first in triples (3), fifth in batting average (.311), and is the only catcher in franchise history to have caught two title-winning World Series Game 7’s.
Pepper Martin (Veteran Era Player—Red Ribbon Panel Selection)
Years: 1928, 1930–1940, 1944 (1189 G) .298/.358/.443, 1227 H, 756 R, 501 RBI, 146 SB
Pepper Martin came up through the Cardinals farm system and became known as the heart and soul of the iconic Gashouse Gang. He debuted with the club in 1928 and made a brief return in 1930 before solidifying his role in the lineup a year later. He came up biggest when the stakes were highest, helping the club to World Series Championships in 1931 and 1934. In Cardinals World Series play, Martin ranks first in average (.418) and doubles (7); second in hits (23), runs (14) and stolen bases (7); and fourth in total bases (35). He was named to four National League All-Star teams (1933-1935, 1937), led the league in stolen bases on three occasions (1933, 1934, 1936) and scored the most runs in the National League in 1933.
Cardinals Hall of Fame Members
Jim Bottomley, Ken Boyer, Sam Breadon, Lou Brock, Jack Buck, August A. “Gussie” Busch Jr., Chris Carpenter, Dizzy Dean, Jim Edmonds, Curt Flood, Bob Forsch, Frankie Frisch, Bob Gibson, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines, Whitey Herzog, Rogers Hornsby, George Kissell, Tony La Russa, Marty Marion, Willie McGee, Joe Medwick, Johnny Mize, Terry Moore, Stan Musial, Branch Rickey, Red Schoendienst, Mike Shannon, Ted Simmons, Enos Slaughter, Ozzie Smith, Billy Southworth, Bruce Sutter and Joe Torre.
2017 Cardinals Hall of Fame Red Ribbon Selection Committee
Tom Ackerman, Frank Cusumano, Derrick Goold, Whitey Herzog, Rick Hummel, Randy Karraker, Martin Kilcoyne, Jenifer Langosch, Tony La Russa, Bernie Miklasz, Joe Ostermeier, Rob Rains, Mark Saxon, Red Schoendienst and Brian Walton.
Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum (#CardsMuseum)
The 8,000 square foot St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum on the second floor of Cardinals Nation in Ballpark Village celebrates the rich history of baseball in St. Louis and the legacy of one of baseball’s most storied franchises. The Cardinals’ museum collection is the largest team-held collection in baseball and is second only to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in terms of size with over 22,000 memorabilia items and hundreds of thousands of archival photographs. Fans can learn more about the museum at cardinals.com/museum.
