Ken Griffey Jr. sets Hall of Fame record with 99 percent of votes

Aside from being one the of best players of his era, Ken Griffey Jr. was also one of the most loved. There wasn't a kid in the '90s who didn't wear their hat backwards in honor of Griffey, or try to imitate his swing during a home run derby at the local park. Griffey was, for many, the epitome of baseball in the 1990s.

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The sportswriters who covered Griffey, or were fortunate enough to have seen him play, must have agreed with most of that sentiment. On Wednesday, Griffey was not just elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, but broke Tom Seaver's record for the highest percentage of votes received.

Seaver held the record for highest vote percentage. In 1992, Seaver received 98.8 percent of the votes. He was left off just five ballots.

Now, that honor belongs to Griffey. Griffey received 99.3 percent of the votes, narrowly beating Seaver. He was left off just three ballots.

The moment Griffey became eligible for the ballot, there was no question he would be elected on the first ballot. His .284/.370/.538 career slash line over 22 seasons, and his 630 career home runs all but ensured his enshrinement. On top of that, Griffey was never suspected of using PEDs during baseball's steroid era. His numbers, combined with his reputation, made him a sure-fire Hall of Famer.

In the history of the Baseball Hall of Fame, no player has ever been inducted unanimously. That includes legends such as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. Both players came close to that honor, but were ultimately left off a few ballots.

At this point, it's unclear why Griffey was left off three ballots. In the past, players have been left off due to protests and stubbornness by voters. There's also the possibility that, with the current voting restrictions, someone left Griffey off their ballot in order to support a borderline candidate.

[Related: Ken Griffey Jr. will be elected to the Hall of Fame, but not unanimously]

Griffey may not have been unanimous, but this is still a huge honor. No one defined the '90s more than Griffey, and no one inspired a young generation like he did. Baseball may never see a unanimous inductee, but Ken Griffey Jr. is a more than deserving candidate to hold the record.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik