1966-1975
The most common writers’ election result is one. Two dozen Hall elections have resulted in a single enshrined player. The interesting thing is how often that single honoree is widely recognized as one of the all-time greats.
"Named player of the decade from 1951-1960."Ted Williams' Hall of Fame plaque
That occurred in 1942 with the election of Rogers Hornsby, again in 1973 (Warren Spahn), 1977 (Ernie Banks), 1978 (Eddie Mathews), 1979 (Willie Mays), 1981 (Bob Gibson), 1988 (Willie Stargell), and 1995 (Mike Schmidt). But the pinnacle single-winner choice came in 1966, when Ted Williams won election with 93.4 percent of the vote.
Today, Williams is frequently mentioned among the two or three greatest hitters of all time, with good reason: he had a career .344 average, 521 home runs, a staggering .482 lifetime on base average, and a .634 slugging average.
1956-65 personal favorite: What really made Williams’ selection stand out was his induction address. In it, he pushed for the inclusion of great players of the segregation-era Negro Leagues within the Hall’s ranks.
That push bore fruit: By 1972, the first class of Negro League stars were inducted (making up another all-time great class), with Williams on the podium to watch approvingly.