Fred McGriff, Scott Rolen officially inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame: 'Never give up'

Fans and returning greats have gathered in Cooperstown, New York, for the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony since 1939. On Sunday, all eyes were on 2023 inductees Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff.

Backed up on stage by a large group of former inductees, including David Ortiz, Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr., the new Hall of Famers were tasked with giving the customary speech after being honored for their decorated careers. They both offered heartfelt, emotional words detailing the most important lessons they learned from the game.

The "Crime Dog," McGriff was first up to the dais. The nickname, born from a word play on cartoon McGruff the Crime Dog and furthered by his being a "bad man on the field," was inscribed on his plaque. Read by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, the plaque also described McGriff as a player who "crushed the ball with consistency for 19 seasons."

Now 59, McGriff became the first player in history to hit 30-plus home runs with five franchises. Because of his time spent between the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, he opted not to add a team logo to his plaque.

On Sunday, McGriff began his address by thanking everyone from his former teams' cities to his hometown of Tampa Bay.

He detailed the moment he learned of his unanimous election by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee in December but hid it from his family until they could see the news on television.

"It was the best phone call of my life," he said.

"My goal was simply to make it to the big leagues," he added, later saying he would've been happy to play just one day. "I exceeded every expectation I could ever have for myself and then some."

He recalled getting cut from his high school baseball team in 10th grade. He redoubled his effort then and once again after being drafted in hopes of being called up. Notching his first major-league hit marked the start of his longest dream coming to life, but it wasn't always smooth sailing.

McGriff crafted a poetic message from the story of his debut for the Braves, which came as a surprise to him because he was nursing an injury. In what he remembers as a blessing of sorts, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium caught fire that day, delaying the start of the game for two hours and giving him some time for extra treatment. He went on to lead the Braves to the 1995 World Series championship, calling the win the "proudest team moment" of his career.

"There will always be fires in life, but those fires may ignite the next season of your life," he said.

McGriff's wife, Veronica, told the Tampa Bay Times that his friends had a bet on whether he would cry on stage. While he didn't crack, it was touch and go when he began to speak about his family. With tears in his eyes, he remembered his late mother, a school teacher who made herself known to stadium workers everywhere when she pointed him out as her son. His late father owned a TV repair shop.

"I know they're both looking down smiling today, so proud of their youngest son," he said.

He also thanked Veronica for caring for their two kids. All three of them were in the audience as he detailed how her sacrifice made his dream possible and how much it meant to have her "with me since we worked together at Burger King."

"More than anyone, this honor is yours, too. Love you," he said.

He closed his message with one more encouraging sentiment: "Whatever your dream is, I encourage you to never give up," he said.

Scott Rolen: 'Well, do that then'

Rolen opted to add a St. Louis Cardinals logo to his plaque after also playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Blue Jays. His plaque describes him as an accomplished third baseman who "paired elite glove work with a formidable bat to become a dominant two-way threat."

Now 47, he won three of his eight Golden Gloves with St. Louis and a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006. He hit .281/.364/.490 with 316 home runs during his 17 MLB seasons.

He thanked the Baseball Writers' Association of America, who made him the only player they elected in January. This was his fifth year on the ballot before reaching the 75% of votes required to make the Hall.

"At no point in my lifetime did it ever occur to me that I would be standing on this stage. But I'm glad it occurred to you," he said.

He started by mentioning that he would attempt not to get emotional, but his voice immediately started quivering when he attempted to thank his wife, Niki Warner. "Well, that didn't work," he joked.

He also thanked each organization, specifically highlighting St. Louis' family values as an organization.

Rolen ended his speech with two messages, the first directed toward his kids. He recalled spending a summer break from high school playing baseball instead of basketball, which was his priority at the time. He vented to his dad after being outperformed by "everyone" at a basketball minicamp, saying he couldn't shoot or dribble because he was out of shape and practice.

"Well, what can you do?" his dad asked, unamused.

Rolen recalled saying that he could rebound and play defense.

"Well, do that then," his father said.

According to Rolen, that's a lesson he never forgot, even when he changed sports. "Effort never takes a day off," he said.

His final message was a callback to a story about his wife and daughter once cheering and waving at him from the stands during the beginning of his career, to which he would respond with a tip of his cap. In honor of that, his family started wearing their own caps to games so they could tip them back at him. To close his remarks, he pulled a cap from behind the podium, put it on his head and tipped it toward all of his family in attendance, tearfully thanking them.