Jeff Bagwell Thanks Astros Fans At Hall Of Fame Enshrinement

Jeff Bagwell spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Houston Astros, and on Sunday he reached the penultimate — the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Bagwell thanked those who helped shape his career, including his father, and the players and fans of Houston.

Bagwell grew up always wanting to play for his beloved Boston Red Sox. So one can only imagine the feeling when the Sox drafted him. However, a late-season trade by the Red Sox and Astros sent Bags to the Astros organization for a player Bagwell had never heard of — Larry Anderson. Bagwell was an immediate hit in Houston, earning the NL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and the 1994 National League MVP.

He and long-time teammate Craig Biggio helped guide the team to the 2005 World Series. Bagwell was on the Hall of Fame Ballot a seventh time, this time getting in. During his speech on Sunday, he threw praise to Biggio, other former players, managers, front office personnel and, of course, the fans of Houston.

"There's something about a dad for a son that plays baseball. You brought me to love this game of baseball," said Bagwell. "You used to say that you'd give me your right arm throwing me batting practice all the time — and you did. More importantly, you taught me how to be a man."

There was a large contingency of Astros fans clad in orange and blue while waving Houston Astros flags and flashing signs. Here are a few posts on Twitter from Sunday:

.@astros fans showing up in full-force for Jeff Bagwell. #HOFWKND (Photo: @jeanfruth) pic.twitter.com/fDowt7wkrv

Back in Cooperstown: Bagwell, Biggo and Nolan take the stage. Head over to our Facebook page to see Bagwell give his speech live NOW! pic.twitter.com/2WzfmE29Hc

— Houston Astros (@astros) July" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/astros/sta... 30, 2017

Caption: National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Bagwell speaks during an induction ceremony at the Clark Sports Center, Sunday, July 30, 2017, in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Photo by Hans Pennink/Associated Press