ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals have announced their 2023 Hall of Fame Class and it includes some St. Louis legends.
David Freese, Max Lanier and José Oquendo will be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2023. This is the ninth class since the inaugural class on Opening Day in 2014.
Freese was the top vote-getter in the Cardinals Hall of Fame online ballot. He received nearly 40,000 votes over the eight-week period. The ballot included other Cardinals legends including Joaquín Andújar, Steve Carlton, Matt Morris and Edgar Renteria.
The third baseman began his Major League Baseball career with the Cardinals and was a key player in the 2011 postseason.
In Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, Free hit a two-run triple to tie the game 7-7 and send it into extra innings. In the 11th inning, Freese hit a game-winning, walk-off solo homerun to send the Cardinals and Texas Rangers to Game 7.
The Cardinals would go on to defeat the Texas Rangers and Freese would be named the World Series MVP.
Freese spent five total seasons with the Cardinals and retired from MLB in 2019.
Lanier was elected by The Red Ribbon Committee, a group of 14 St. Louis baseball experts. He is a six-time 10-game winner, made 187 starts for the Cardinals over 12 seasons and helped the team win two World Series championships.
The team also elected to make an organizational selection for someone who has been an important figure in St. Louis baseball history, the press release said.
Former Cardinals player, coach and current minor league instructor José Oquendo was selected for the 2023 class. He has spent nearly 40 years with the organization.
"We take great pride in the selection process we use for electing new members of the Cardinals Hall of Fame," said Bill DeWitt Jr., Cardinals Chairman and CEO. "I'd like to thank our fans as well as the Red Ribbon Committee who cast their votes for this year's induction class. Congratulations to David Freese, José Oquendo, and the late Max Lanier on this tremendous honor. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of these players during our induction ceremony in August."
A ceremony will be held on Sunday, Aug. 20 at Ballpark Village during the Hall of Fame Weekend.
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