Trevor Hoffman reached a milestone with the Brewers en route to Cooperstown

Trevor Hoffman played for the Milwaukee Brewers for only two seasons but that was his final stop in a Hall of Fame career.

In his third year on the ballot, Hoffman  received the necessary 75% of the votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America when results for the 2017 Hall of Fame class were announced Wednesday. Hoffman joins first-timers Chipper Jones and Jim Thome as well as holdover Vladimir Guerrero in Cooperstown.

Hoffman fell five votes shy of election last year but received 337 this time, 20 more than needed for election. His vote total was 79.9% of the 422 votes cast.

Of the two years he played in Milwaukee to finish his career, Hoffman said, "My time in Milwaukee is looked upon as two of the most rewarding years of my career. The passionate baseball fans of ‘The Crew’ took me in and gave me great support.”

Hoffman, 50, already had pitched 16 seasons for San Diego and recorded 552 saves for the Padres when they opted to go in another direction before the 2009 season. So, the Brewers offered him a free-agent deal to continue his career.

Hoffman had a strong first year with the Brewers, posting a 1.83 ERA over 55 appearances with 37 saves, making the National League all-star team. He returned for a second year in 2010 but got off to a rough start, blowing five of 10 save chances, and was removed from the closer's role in favor of John Axford.

With the Brewers out of the race in September, Macha gave Hoffman a chance to become the first major leaguer with 600 saves. He reached that plateau Sept. 7 at Miller Park when he finished a 4-2 victory over St. Louis and was carried off the field by teammates.

Craig Counsell, now the Brewers' manager, was playing shortstop that night and recorded the final out of the game, throwing to first base to give Hoffman save No. 600.

"We were all fortunate to witness his 600th career save on a magical night Miller Park," Counsell said. 

“In just two years, Trevor made a big impact on this franchise. He made us all better people and players through laughter and preparation. On behalf of the Milwaukee Brewers, congratulations to Trevor Hoffman on his election to the Hall of Fame.”

As yet another example of Hoffman's class and humility, he stopped the post-game celebration in the home clubhouse to address his teammates. He stunned them by apologizing for being ineffective earlier in the season and not contributing to victories, an unexpected mea culpa on such a glorious occasion.

Hoffman retired after that season, closing his career with a record 601 saves. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera would pass him and finish with an incredible 652 saves, and is considered a sure-bet Hall of Famer when he goes on the ballot after the 2018 season. 

"That's great that Trevor got in," said former Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who signed Hoffman when San Diego turned him loose. "I think he deserves it. I'm glad he wore a Brewers uniform at the end of his career that was nice.

"One of the toughest meetings I ever had with a player was in Minnesota in 2010 when we had to tell Trevor that we'd probably have to give the ball to somebody else at the end of games. I felt awful for him but he was struggling. He handled it like the pro he was. He still was short of 600 saves but he handled it with a lot of class. He gave his heart and soul to the team."

Of those two years in Milwaukee, Hoffman said, "Two years went by pretty quick.

"Obviously, a little bit up and down. I had a tremendous first year and a not-so-good second year but that second year gave me an opportunity to really put up or shut up.

"You talk the talk your whole career, now it's time to walk the walk if you're going to truly be a team guy and want to give back. It was a great opportunity to do that, and I had some great teammates around me who allowed me to do that and we're willing to listen. It was a lot of fun to be there."

Hoffman is the sixth player to wear a Brewers uniform and be elected to the Hall of Fame. The others are Hank Aaron, Rollie Fingers, Don Sutton, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. Former Brewers owner and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig also was inducted in 2017.