When longtime Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday night, another legendary slugger was among the first to congratulate him.
Now-former Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto took to social media to give Mauer his flowers while also sharing a great story about a special interaction between the two at Target Field in 2018. Here's how Votto told it:
"On first base at Target Field during a game, I turn to Joe. 'Used to watch your batting vids every day after school' I tell him. Joe smiles and responds, 'That's incredibly generous of you, thank you!' At 34 years old, I was starstruck meeting him. Now, he's HOF! Congrats, Joe!"
Mauer is only five months older than Votto. The former was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 MLB Draft, while the latter went in the second round in 2002.
Both Josephs, who are now 40 years old, are former MVPs and six-time All-Stars.
Votto is likely to follow in Mauer's footsteps one day, once he's eligible to be put on the Hall of Fame ballot. The first baseman is entering what could possibly be his final MLB season, although he remains a free agent and the Reds do not appear to be clearing room to welcome him back for an 18th season.
While Mauer retired at the end of 2018, Votto has appeared in an additional 481 games since then. If he does end up retiring in 2024, Votto could join Mauer in Cooperstown as early as 2030.
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