Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Speech Highlights and Twitter Reaction

Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen are officially Hall of Famers.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum honored McGriff and Rolen during a Sunday induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York.

Known as "Crime Dog," McGriff was the first player in MLB history to hit 30 homers for five different teams. His cleanup batting helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a World Series title in 1995.

McGriff was unanimously elected to the Hall of Fame by a committee selecting candidates from 1980 to the present.

The former first baseman did not have a team logo on his Hall of Fame plaque. After beginning his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, McGriff spent 19 seasons in the MLB with six teams.

During his speech, McGriff thanked the New York Yankees for drafting him in 1981, leading some fans to wonder what might have been if he had played in New York City.

McGriff discussed overcoming obstacles, including getting cut from his high school baseball team, in order to achieve his "dream" of playing professionally.

The Hall of Fame's decision received general support from MLB fans watching the ceremony, many of whom believed McGriff's induction should have happened long ago.

Rolen, an eight-time Gold Glove winner, played for the Philadelphia Phillies for the first six and a half seasons of his 17-year MLB career. His Hall of Fame plaque features the St. Louis Cardinals, where he finished fourth in NL MVP voting in 2004. He helped the Cards to a championship with a game-tying home run in Game 1 of the 2006 World Series.

He was inducted following a 76.3% vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

During his acceptance speech, Rolen provided emotional testimony regarding support from his family, both the one that raised him in Jasper, Indiana and the one he started while playing for the Cardinals.

Rolen's induction received mixed reactions from Phillies supporters remembering his contentious departure from the team in 2002, but earned love from Cardinals fans celebrating his contribution to the team's 2006 championship.

McGriff and Rolen, who combined for over 800 career home runs and 2,800 RBI, will now join 269 other players elected to the Hall of Fame.