1975 Hall of Fame
There is little more that's nerve wracking for a Hall of Fame hopeful than being on the bubble on your final year of eligibility. It also happens to be your best bet to make the cut. Voters will usually ignore some guys on the ballot to give love to those final year names as their way to show love, and if you get enough of those guys, your usually lackluster turnout in voting might get enough of a boost to get that coveted 75%.
One extreme example is Vic Raschi in 1975, who usually lived at a mere 1 or 2% of voting, ballooning to just over 10% in his final ballot. Far from what was needed but a nice example of the kind of support a man can get when voters only have one more chance to show respect. An example of a successful push is Ralph Kiner who in his later votes had been reliably in the high 50s-low 60s. For his 15th and final opportunity, reluctant voters were finally giving him the votes and he barely hit the threshold at 75.2%, one single vote over the requirement.
As for the rest of the class of 1975, the Veterans and Negro Leagues Committee combined for four additional names to join Kiner.
