Roberto Clemente Assured Election To Hall of Fame

The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce Tuesday the result of its unprecedented Hall of Fame vote for the late Roberto Clemente.

The 38-year-old Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder, generally acclaimed as one of the best baseball players of all time, died last New Year's Eve in a plane crash off the shore of his native Puerto Rico.

A total of 430 members cast ballots in the Clemente poll, meaning that 323 would be necessary for induction. Indications are that he will be an overwhelming choice.

Under Association rules, a player is not eligible to appear on the Hall of Fame ballot until five years after he has completed his baseball career. The only player ever to reach the Hall of Fame before the five-year waiting period was Lou Gehrig, the late first baseman of the New York Yankees, who died of a terminal disease.