It was never a question of whether Ken Griffey Jr. would be a first-ballot selection into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That was never in doubt.
The question was whether Griffey would become the first unanimous pick ever when the results were released Wednesday.
Griffey fell just short, earning 437 of 440 votes (99.3 percent), to beat former Mets ace Tom Seaver's record. Griffey and former Mets catcher Mike Piazza will be part of the 2016 Hall of Fame class when the official induction ceremony is held July 24 in Cooperstown, New York.
"He was the best player in baseball," former Mariners manager Lou Piniella said.