The Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame has announced seven nominees for the 2024 induction class, including MLB veteran Lefty O'Doul and World Series winners Mike Shannon and Wade Boggs.
Veteran baseball journalist Jack Curry, award-winning TV analyst Brian Kenny, manager Danny Murtaugh, and former MLB commissioner Fay Vincent have also been nominated.
Shaun Clancy, founder of the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame, said the 2024 nominees "left an indelible mark" on the sport whilst also boasting strong ties to Ireland.
"This year’s nominees are an impressive group of individuals who have left an indelible mark on the game of baseball," Clancy said in a statement.
"In addition to their baseball accomplishments, each nominee has a strong connection to the Irish American experience."
O'Doul, who enjoyed success with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox during a glittering career, boasts strong ties to Ireland through his Limerick-born grandmother. O'Doul, who died in 1969, enjoyed a .349 batting average and won two National League batting titles during his career before becoming a pivotal figure in the development of professional baseball in Japan.
Boggs, a World Series winner with the New York Yankees in 1996, is a 12-time All-Star and five-time American League batting champion who traces his Irish heritage to 18th-century Dublin.
Shannon was a two-time World Series winner with the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1960s before his playing career was cut short by kidney disease. He went on to become a legend in the broadcast booth for more than 50 years before his death last year. His Irish roots trace back to Derry, Meath, and Wexford.
Curry, who traces his roots back to Donegal, is a veteran New York Times writer who now works as an analyst on the YES Network. He has won eight Emmy awards and written four books.
Kenny is an award-winning ESPN analyst with roots going back to Fermanagh and Roscommon, while Murtaugh, who boasts a Mayo-born grandfather, led the Pittsburgh Pirates to World Series wins in 1960 and 1971.
Finally, Fay Vincent served as the eighth Commissioner of Major League Baseball, leading baseball through the 1989 World Series and a lockout during the spring of 1990 that went on for 32 days.
With roots in County Kerry, Vincent has been an outspoken critic of gambling and performance-enhancing drugs.
Voting for the 2024 awards is now open to former inductees and members of the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame. Winners will be announced in March.
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