Carter To Hall In ‘98?

Gary Carter, Jack Clark and Bert Blyleven are among nine first-time eligibles on 1998 ballots for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Also eligible are Rick Dempsey, Brian Downing, Mike Flanagan, Pedro Guerrero, Carney Lansford and Willie Randolph. The vote will be announced Jan. 5.

Carter, an 11-time All-Star, hit 324 homers during 19 seasons. He had a .262 average and 1,224 RBIs.

Clark hit 340 homers and drove in 1,180 runs during 18 seasons, with a .267 average.

Blyleven was 287-250 with a 3.31 ERA in 22 seasons. He had 3,701 strikeouts, third on the career list.

The 17 holdovers on the ballot include Don Sutton, who was just nine votes short last year.

Bill Giles, owner of the Philadelphia Phillies and a member of baseball’s ruling executive council, won’t approve the Minnesota Twins’ proposed move until funding is approved for a stadium in North Carolina.

Kenichiro Kawabata, 18, a high school outfielder in Tokyo, signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox, becoming the first non-pitching Japanese player to sign with a major league team.