Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz, Biggio elected to Hall of Fame

A quartet of legends received baseball's highest honor Tuesday afternoon, as Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio were elected to the Hall of Fame by the voting members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

The 2015 induction class represents the largest in six decades - the BBWAA hasn't voted four players into Cooperstown in a single year since 1955.

Johnson, a five-time Cy Young award winner throughout his illustrious 22-year career, fell just 15 votes shy of a unanimous selection, appearing on 534 of the 549 submitted ballots. Across stints with six teams, the 6-foot-10 left-hander accrued more wins above replacement than all but four pitchers in history while posting a sterling 28.5 percent strikeout rate, the best mark ever among starters (min. 1000 IP).

"I got goosebumps and I felt like I've never felt before in my life," Johnson said. "I never joined a fraternity in college and now I'm a part of one of the coolest ones in the world."

Martinez, meanwhile, will join the pantheon of baseball immortals after receiving 91.1 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Over 18 seasons in the majors, Martinez enjoyed a level of dominance that was virtually unparalleled, compiling a 2.93 ERA (154 ERA+) with a 4.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in an era that was terribly hostile towards pitchers.

Related: Pedro Martinez elected to Cooperstown: 'I did it clean'

The voters also looked favorably upon Smoltz's volatile career that saw the tall right-hander dominate as both a starter and reliever. Tommy John surgery forced Smoltz into the bullpen for four years in his mid-30s, but the eight-time All-Star still finished his career with a 125 ERA+ over 3,473 innings while notching 213 wins and 154 saves.

"I'm about the most competitive person that I know," Smoltz said. "I prided myself on giving everything I had."

Biggio, who fell just two votes shy of induction last winter, will head into Cooperstown after receiving from 82.9 percent of the voters in his third year on the ballot. Known for his well-rounded skill set, Biggio logged 3,060 hits over two decades in the majors - all of them with the Houston Astros - while notching 291 home runs and 414 stolen bases.

Though Cooperstown gained four new members Tuesday, the voters once again proved unwilling to bestow the game's most prestigious honor upon those connected to or suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs. Notable omissions from this year's induction class include Barry Bonds, the all-time home run leader and perhaps history's greatest position player, and Rogers Clemens, who earned a record seven Cy Young awards throughout a 24-year career.

Several accomplished players, meanwhile, will not appear on next year's ballot after failing to appear on five percent of the submitted ballots. Carlos Delgado, Troy Percival and Tom Gordon highlight the twelve players eligible for election this year who won't be on the 2016 ballot.