Here's Edgar Martinez after he found out he received 70% of the Hall of Fame vote (22 votes, or 5%, shy) from the Baseball Writers Association of America today, in this, his ninth year on the ballot (it's 10 and done; then it goes to the Veterans committee): 

Thank you to all the fans out there that supported my #HOF candidacy. We are trending up, next year may be the year. Thank you @Mariners and the best fans in baseball

— Edgar Martinez (@11EdgarMartinez) January 24, 2018

 An hour later:

Congratulations to the 2018 #HOF class @VladGuerrero27 @RealCJ10 @THoffman51 and Jim Thome. Well deserved.

— Edgar Martinez (@11EdgarMartinez) January 25, 2018

Could it be otherwise? The man the Seattle Mariners kept in the minors two or three years too long; the man they thought would be a sub at best; the Mariner who was forever overlooked by the nationa media—of course he has to wait until the last year to (fingers crossed, fingers crossed) be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

That said, it's been a remarkable turnaround. In 2015 he was still at 27% of the vote. That's when inductee Randy Johnson said if he had a vote he'd vote for Edgar. Other pitchers piled on—the best pitchers of the era: Both Pedro (whom Edgar couldn't hit) and Mariano (whom he could: .579 career) called Edgar the toughest hitter they ever faced. And the following year, Edgar's numbers leapt to 43%; then, last year, 58%. Now this. 

Next year, I'm guessing it'll be lined down the left field line for a base hit. 

FURTHER READING: No One in the Wings: The Underappreciated Career of Edgar Martinez