Nashville, TN – Former New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert was among three men elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the pre- integration era committee.
Ruppert, who owned the Yankees from 1915 until his death in 1939, was joined by umpire Hank O'Day and 19th century catcher Deacon White.
The three were each named on the necessary 75 percent of all ballots cast by the 16-member committee, which considered six former players, three executives and one umpire whose contributions to the game were most significant from baseball origins through 1946.
Those who didn't receive enough votes were Bill Dahlen, Sam Breadon, Wes Ferrell, Marty Marion, Tony Mullane, Alfred Reach and Bucky Walters.
Ruppert helped transform the Yankees, as well as baseball in general, by purchasing Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox before the 1920 season and building Yankee Stadium in 1923. The Yankees won 10 American League pennants and seven World Series titles under his ownership.
O'Day, who passed away on July 2, 1935, umpired in the first modern World Series in 1903, one of 10 times that he worked the Fall Classic. O'Day was a National League umpire for 30 years and made the defining call in the famous 1908 Giants vs. Cubs contest that featured Johnny Evers forcing out Fred Merkle at second base after what appeared to be the game-winning hit. O'Day becomes the 10th umpire elected to the Hall of Fame.
White played 20 seasons for teams in the National Association, the National League and the Players League, compiling 2,067 hits in only 1,560 games. He led his league in batting average twice and RBI three times, and was a standout bare-handed defensive catcher before switching to third base later in his career. White passed away on July 7, 1939.
Ruppert, O'Day and White will be joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2013 by any electees who emerge from the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting, which will be announced on Jan. 9.
Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies are set for Sunday, July 28, 2013.
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