By Grayson Skweres

(@squaresy9)

In case you haven’t heard — which if you’re a Houston sports fan and you haven’t heard, something’s wrong — Craig Biggio‘s face will be gracing a plaque in Cooperstown come July. He was in his third year on the ballot, missing out on being part of the 2014 class by just two votes. Biggio is part of the largest Hall of Fame class since 1955, as he will be inducted alongside Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz.

We caught up with two of Biggio’s closest friends and former teammates, Lance Berkman and Andy Pettitte.

“It took him too long to get into the Hall of Fame,” Berkman said. “In my opinion he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. For an organization that’s had so many great players over the years, it’s a little surprising that Craig is the first [Astro] in the Hall of Fame. His career is definitely Hall of Fame worthy.”

Andy Pettitte also weighed in with his thoughts on Biggio’s induction into the Hall of Fame. He said it was an honor to get to play with a guy like Biggio, and that he’s proud of him.

Neither Pettitte nor Berkman have gotten to talk to Biggio since the news broke, but both have sent him text messages congratulating him and said they look forward to talking with him in the upcoming days.

Biggio’s resiliency stands out when you look at his career. If you throw out his rookie season, he played at least 100 games in each season, in more than 145 games in 15 of the 19 seasons, and in all 162 games three times in his career.

“Being a starting pitcher, I played once every fifth day,” Pettitte said. “I got to settle into a routine and prepare each day for one of my starts. I couldn’t imagine being a position player and having to play 162 games. It’s such a grind every day, fouling balls off of their legs and getting hit by pitches, and obviously Craig holds the record for hit by pitches in a career. I could see them swelling and you would know they just needed an off day, but Craig went out there and played everyday.”

Berkman also commented on Biggio’s willingness to play every day. “You play in 162 games, and Craig wanted to play in every one of them,” Berkman said. “That’s what stands out to me about his career. I would know he was hurting, but he wanted to play every day and I respect that about him a lot.”

Biggio wasn’t the only longtime Astro this year up for induction, as Jeff Bagwell was one of the more notable names on the ballot. Bagwell came up short this year, earning 55.7% of the 75% needed for induction.

“I really think [Bagwell] gets in one day,” Pettitte said “In the coming years there won’t be as many guys on the ballot, and I think he’ll have a great opportunity then. He has the numbers of a Hall of Famer, and he’s a good friend of mine, and I hope he gets in. I got to play with him towards the end of his career. He had shoulder issues, and he could barely lift his arm, and just to see the determination to play every day kind of like Craig had was amazing.”

Next year’s Hall of Fame ballot is considerably less crowded. Ken Griffey Jr. is the only newcomer that is considered a lock. Former Padres reliever, Trevor Hoffman, could get in as well.

“I’d love to see Jeff get in there, he’s one of my favorite teammates I ever had, and I hope he gets in, because he’s also deserving of being in the Hall of Fame,” Berkman said.

While both Pettitte and Berkman were optimistic about their teammates chance of making it into the Hall, neither were too optimistic about their own chances in the coming years.

“I don’t think I have a chance, because I don’t have the big numbers,” Berkman said. “If I have a candidacy, a lot of my metrics like on-base-plus-slugging (OPS), and all that are really good compared to guys that are in the Hall of Fame currently. Maybe, because baseball is becoming a more sabermetrically-driven game, I might have a chance,” he said with a laugh.

“I hate to say this, but I’m not going to make a case,” said Pettitte. “This game was hard for me. I get excited and tickled whenever people even mention my name as a possibility. The Hall of Famers that I played with made the game look easy, and I didn’t do that. I never really feel like I went out and dominated. I needed lots of help, and God blessed me with the opportunity to play with the amazing teams that I played with. I had Mariano to come in after me and back me up, and I had Derek Jeter behind me on defense. Those guys are the Hall of Famers.”

Both guys said that discussion is for a later date, as they are proud of Biggio’s induction this year, and are in full support of Bagwell in the coming years.

“The one thing about Craig and Jeff is that they were very much what I would consider true professionals,” said Berkman. “The way they went about playing baseball was a great example for a lot of young players, and they were huge to me as a young player. The clubhouse atmosphere and the reason the Astros were so good for such a long time was, to me at least, a direct result of what those two guys brought to the table.”

“Astros fans should be proud,” Berkman said.