Starting Pitcher Installed in Hall of Fame
The Baseball Writers Association has put the crowning touch on <Jesús Cruz:player#7465>'s outstanding baseball career. They put the great mound superstar in the American Federation Baseball League Hall of Fame today.

He modestly gave credit to "better than average pitching skills and lots of three-run homers" for making it possible for him to move up into the legendary class of baseball players -- but the sportswriters, his teammates and peers knew differently.

In reality Cruz was a craftsman, an artist. He was a perfectionist. He painted a ballgame stroke by stroke and when he got through pitching a game, it was a masterpiece.

By the time he retired at age 36, <Cruz:player#7465> fashioned an impressive record of 201-133, had an ERA of 3.48, struck out 2864 batters and held opposing teams to a .247 batting average. <Cruz:player#7465> made 456 mound appearances and worked 3088.1 innings in his career.