Larry Walker, the former Colorado Rockies and Montreal Expos star star, was praised at the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. He was one of baseball’s top hitters at the time, and the 54-year-old set fire to the Internet (again) during the exaltation ceremony thanks to the man who lives in a pineapple under the sea.
When Walker received the call to Cooperstown in January 2020, he was wearing a SpongeBob SquarePants character t-shirt. The t-shirt also sent a subtle message, as it said, “it’s not an ordinary sponge.”
Larry gets the call in the Hall. # HOF2020 pic.twitter.com/qDNSipAQsF
– MLB (@MLB) January 21, 2020
During the exaltation ceremony, Walker reminded everyone that he is never too old to be a SpongeBob fan.
The gray and black dress Walker wore during the event had a slight touch of yellow. The three-time batting champion took to the stage with a SpongeBob lapel brooch.
His love for the Nickelodeon character is real and truly eternal.
Larry Walker brings a SpongeBob pin for his induction into the Hall of Fame … he’s ready. pic.twitter.com/IG3QfVb3lQ
– Cut4 (@ Cut4) September 8, 2021
The now iconic t-shirt he wore during the call where he was notified of his choice will also be immortalized in Cooperstown.
The shirt is on display in the hallway, right next to Joe West’s referee mask. Did you know that using this piece would be part of baseball history when you used it? Probably not, but having SpongeBob in Cooperstown makes his adoration for the cartoon character and his trip to the Hall of Fame complete the circle.
Larry Walker makes his love for SpongeBob one of the highlights of induction into the Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/Ft26QbDoNq
– Joon Lee Jun-yeop (@joonlee) September 8, 2021
Walker played in MLB for 17 seasons and was an All-Star five times and won the National League MVP award in 1997. He finished his career with 383 homers, 1,311 RBIs and a batting average of 313.