Former San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Wednesday.
"Like I told you in Orlando, sometimes it takes a little longer than it should but you're where you belong right now, my friend," the HOF representative told Hoffman.
"I'm surrounded by a lot of family and friends, and they've been listening to you, and everybody's pretty excited," Hoffman replied.
Hoffman's name appeared on 337 of 422 possible votes, or 79.9 percent, putting him past the 75 percent requirement for Hall entry. It was his third year of eligibility.
As soon as it became official, Petco Park began blasting the song that brought fans to their feet every time Hoffman took the mound, AC/DC's "Hell's Bells".
Hoffman spoke at a news conference shortly after being elected and took time to thank everyone in the San Diego community and beyond that were pulling for him.
"I appreciate everyone in San Diego for their support and we're definitely going to celebrate together," Hoffman said.
"Since 1993, when he first donned the Padres uniform, Trevor represented our organization and the city of San Diego with an incredible sense of class and dignity," a statement from the Padres read in part.
In 2017, Hoffman' second year of eligibility, his 327 votes accounted for just 74 percent of the votes cast leaving him short of the Hall by just five votes.
"You hope the phone call will come but you never put yourself in position to the point where you're assuming it's going to happen," Hoffman said at the conference.
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"The disappointment last year is last year," Hoffman said. "I couldn't be more excited, humbled by the process, thankful for the writers that chose to put me on their ballots and ultimately push me through."
Hoffman racked up 601 saves over 18 seasons with the Padres, Brewers and Marlins, which is second-most in MLB history behind Yankees legend Mariano Rivera (652).
Rivera and Hoffman are the only closers in MLB history to amass more than 500 saves.
Hoffman was a 7-time MLB All-Star, including his six appearances as a Padre.
One of the few times where Hoffman became visibly emotional during the conference came when he was asked about the trade that brought him from Florida to San Diego.
"My brothers kind of talked me off of a ledge in a sense, like 'Hey, man. You're going to get to be at home. You're going to be on the West Coast. You're going to be close to mom and dad, they're going to get a chance to see you play," he said.
Hoffman was born in Bellflower in Los Angeles County and went to Savanna High School in Anaheim.
Trevor Hoffman: Through the Years
He finished second in National League Cy Young voting twice, once in 1998 after racking up 53 saves and again in 2006 when he recorded 46, and finished in the top 10 in NL Most Valuable Player voting in both of those seasons.
His 53 saves in 2006 is tied for the 5th-best single-season mark.
Hoffman also finished in the top 10 in the NL Cy Young race in 1996 (5th) and 1999 (6th).
He sat down 1,133 batters by way of strikeout over his 1,035-game career and retired with a career ERA of 2.87.
