BASEBALL: Mets’ Bruce going into Museum of Gulf Coast sports hall
Published 3:37 pm Friday, January 26, 2018
- Jay Bruce
At age 30, Jay Bruce is already a baseball Hall of Famer.
While his major-league career is taking him back to New York before Cooperstown can call on him, the Beaumont native has found a permanent place in Port Arthur. The board behind the Museum of the Gulf Coast on Thursday unanimously voted Bruce into its Sports Hall of Fame.
“There are so many talented people in the area that we haven’t made room for them all,” museum director Tom Neal said. “We made room for him.”
Bruce, who earlier this month rejoined the New York Mets on a reported three-year, $39 million deal after a short playoff push with the Cleveland Indians, is the second active athlete in a year’s time to be elected for induction into the Sports Hall of Fame. New England Patriots linebacker Elandon Roberts, originally of Port Arthur, was elected just before winning Super Bowl LI (51) as a rookie and inducted last June.
Neal had not immediately reached Bruce at the time of the election and waited until notifying the right fielder before making a public announcement. Position players begin practice in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on Feb. 17.
All 18 members of the Port Arthur Historical Society, which owns and operates the Museum of the Gulf Coast, voted for Bruce. A longtime Cincinnati Red who was drafted 12th overall out of West Brook High School in 2005, Bruce was traded to the Mets on Aug. 1, 2016, and then went to the Indians on Aug. 9, 2017.
Bruce made a big impact in the final two months of the regular season. He hammered seven home runs and had 37 hits in 43 games for the Indians, who won the American League Central Division before losing to the New York Yankees in a five-game division series.
Bruce finished the season with 36 home runs and has 277 through 10 major-league seasons. He has 1,294 total hits and a career .319 batting average.
Neal said he hopes to hold an induction ceremony for Bruce at a date between now and the date Bruce reports for spring drills. The impending induction, Neal added, helps to spread what he calls the museum’s message.
“We’re not focused on Port Arthur,” Neal said. “We have people who cover the Gulf Coast crescent.”
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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews