Griffey, Piazza elected to Hall of Fame

Ken Griffey Jr. and his iconic swing are heading to Cooperstown in unprecedented fashion.

Griffey, a 13-time All-Star who ranks sixth in MLB history with 630 homers, was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try Wednesday, setting an all-time record for support after appearing on 437 of the 440 (99.3 percent) ballots submitted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America electorate. He'll be inducted into the Hall on July 24 alongside former New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, who was the only other player to receive more than the required 75 percent of the vote.

The next top vote-getters were Jeff Bagwell (71.6 percent), Tim Raines (69.8 percent), and Trevor Hoffman (67.3 percent). Roger Clemens (45.2 percent) and Barry Bonds (44.3 percent) improved on last year's results, but did not meet the required 75 percent for election into Cooperstown.

2016 TOP VOTE-GETTERS

Nicknamed "The Kid" and affectionately known for his backwards hat-wearing ways, Griffey is set to become the first player to wear a Seattle Mariners cap into the Hall of Fame when he's inducted on July 24. He's also the first No. 1 pick (1987) ever elected to Cooperstown.

Griffey's resume includes 10 straight Gold Glove awards and the 1997 AL MVP, which he won by unanimous vote, after leading the AL in homers (56), RBIs (147), and slugging (.646).

The sweet-swinging center fielder would hit another 56 homers in 1998, one of seven seasons in which Griffey went deep at least 40 times. Griffey compiled 83.6 wins above replacement and a 136 OPS+ over parts of 22 seasons with the Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox.

Related: 5 greatest moments of Ken Griffey Jr.'s career

Piazza, whose 427 home runs and .922 slugging percentage are the highest totals of all time by a catcher, garnered 83 percent percent support in his fourth year on the ballot. He spent 16 seasons in the majors, eight in New York, seven with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and brief stops in Oakland, San Diego, and Florida.

Selected by the Dodgers in the 62nd round in 1998, Piazza's the lowest-drafted player ever elected to the Hall.

The 12-time All-Star previously said he intends to represent the Mets in Cooperstown, joining 1992 inductee Tom Seaver as the only players to wear a Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Seaver had held the record for highest vote percentage when he appeared on 98.8 percent of the ballots.