THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL January 11: Tony Perez makes Hall of Fame on ninth try

It took Cincinnati Reds RBI machine Tony Perez nine tries to make the Hall of Fame, but the slugging first baseman finally made it on this day in béisbol, January 11, 2000.

Perez joined Big Red Machine teammates Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan in Cooperstown, who were both elected in their first year of eligibility.

The Camaguey, Cuba native was a dangerous middle-of-the-order force who hit 379 homers and 1,652 RBI over a 23-year career mostly spent in Cincinnati, where he won World Series in 1975 and 1976.

Also on this day: In 2010, flame-throwing pitcher Aroldis Chapman of Cuba signs a six-year, $30 million deal with the Reds as an international free agent.

Third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s 211-game suspension for violating MLB’s PED policy is reduced to 162 games in 2014. The season-long ban costs the controversial Yankees slugger $25 million in salary.

Cincinnati Reds, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, LatinoBaseball.com illustration