On Tuesday night, longtime Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton earned election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Helton will go in to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in a July ceremony alongside Adrian Beltre, Joe Mauer and manager Jim Leyland.
After learning of his election, Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning made sure to wish his longtime friend a congratulations. The two were teammates at the University of Tennessee on the football team, with Helton mostly serving as Manning's backup. Helton did briefly get to start for the Volunteers before getting injured.
Manning said "Was an honor to be your backup, an honor to be your fan, and it's an honor to be your friend. Congrats on the HOF Todd, so well deserved."
Helton played 17 seasons for the Rockies, helping Colorado get to the World Series in 2007. A lifetime .316 hitter, Helton popped 369 home runs and drove in 1,406 runs. He was a five-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, a three-time Gold Glover and a batting champion.
He hit .372 in the year 2000 to win that batting title. He also received MVP votes in six different seasons.
Helton spoke with MLB Network after the election announcement and said that he recently spoke to Manning and he said that the two-time Super Bowl champion would absolutely be invited to the ceremony.
As far as the current Rockies go, they finished last in the National League West last season and are slated for more of the same in 2024.
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