NEW YORK -- A quarter-century ago, the lives of Carlton Fisk and Tony Perez intersected on an October night at Fenway Park.

Now they meet again, entering the Hall of Fame together.

	Carlton Fisk's signature moment, watching his 12th-inning homer win Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.

The pair, linked by home runs in perhaps the greatest World Series ever, were elected to the Hall on Tuesday, wiping away the times they fell just short.

"There was a certain alignment of the stars that evening," Fisk said Wednesday at a news conference, "and there's an alignment of at least two stars this afternoon."

Fisk is best remembered for waving his 12th-inning homer fair in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Perez's two-run shot off Bill Lee the following night, which helped rally Cincinnati from a three-run deficit to the title, is largely overlooked.

"It's sweet now, when I'm in. It doesn't matter how long I had to wait," said Perez, who made it on his ninth try. "The first thing I thought of was calling my mother in Cuba. The family was there, too. They started jumping around. My mother was crying."

Because of travel delays from Puerto Rico, Perez didn't arrive in New York until 4 a.m.

"I didn't want to sleep anyway," he said. "I didn't want to wake up and see this is just a dream."

Fisk, who caught the most games in major league history (2,226) and hit a record 351 of 376 career home runs while playing the position, received 397 votes among the record 499 ballots cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Perez received 385 votes.

HALL OF FAME VOTING

The 2000 Baseball Hall of Fame voting (499 votes cast; 375 needed for election; x-elected): x-Carlton Fisk, 397; x-Tony Perez, 385; Jim Rice, 257; Gary Carter, 248; Bruce Sutter, 192; Goose Gossage, 166; Steve Garvey, 160; Tommy John, 135; Jim Kaat, 125; Dale Murphy, 116; Jack Morris, 111; Dave Parker, 104; Bert Blyleven, 87; Luis Tiant, 86; Dave Concepcion, 67; Keith Hernandez, 52; Ron Guidry, 44. Dropped from future consideration: Jeff Reardon, 24; Bob Boone, 21; Willie Wilson, 10; Rick Sutcliffe, 9; Kent Hrbek, 5; Charlie Hough, 4; Dave Henderson, 2; Steve Sax, 2; Bill Gullickson, 1; Bruce Hurst, 1; Lonnie Smith, 1; Bob Welch, 1; Hubie Brooks, 0. Note: Players are dropped for failing to receive at least 5 percent or 25 votes.

To be elected, a player had to be listed on 375 ballots (75 percent). Fisk, who fell 43 votes short last year in his first time on the ballot, received 79.6 percent and made it with 22 votes to spare.

Perez, 71 votes shy last year when Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount were chosen, got 77.2 percent and was elected with 10 votes to spare, becoming the first Cuban chosen by the BBWAA.

And it could be an even bigger '75 reunion when induction ceremonies are held.

Fisk, who played from 1969-93, and Perez, active from 1964-86, will be inducted into the Hall at Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 23. Sparky Anderson, who managed the Reds to Series titles in 1975 and '76, is a leading contender for election by the veterans' committee, which meets Feb. 29 at Tampa, Fla.

"That would be something special, if I went in with Sparky at the same time," Perez said.

Fisk, who spent 11 seasons with the Boston Red Sox and 13 with the Chicago White Sox, acknowledged his Game 6 homer off Pat Darcy was his defining moment, especially for director Harry Coyle's reaction shot of his using every bit of body English to wave the ball fair as it traveled down the left-field line. When it finally hit the foul pole for a home run, he jumped with his arms thrust in the air.

"A lot of people who viewed that game realized we're all people and we run the full gamut of emotions, maybe even more intensely than the fans," Fisk said.

ESPN.com analysis

In all honesty, Carlton Fisk wasn't a great hitter or a great glove man. But he was a good hitter and a good fielder for a long time, and for a Hall of Fame catcher, that's plenty. If you believe the numbers, Tony Perez was an excellent hitter for about five years, a good one for six or eight more, and a mediocre one for the other decade of his career. Perez never won an MVP Award, and his career on-base and slugging percentages are nowhere near the all-time leaders. In fact, in 23 seasons Perez didn't lead his league in a single statistical category. Perez does rank 18th on the all-time RBI list, thanks in part to fellows named Joe Morgan and Pete Rose. If you place a high value on career longevity, then he's a worthy Hall of Famer. If you think that career quality is at least as important as quantity, then he's probably not. -- Rob Neyer

Cincinnati trailed 3-0 in the sixth inning the following night when Perez hit a two-run homer on Lee's blooper pitch.

"It's something you never forget," Perez said. "I still feel it. I can close my eyes and I still see it."

Perez, now a special assistant to Florida general manager Dave Dombrowski, hit 379 homers and finished with 1,652 RBI.

He joins Big Red Machine teammates Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan in the Hall. Missing is career hits leader Pete Rose, ineligible because of the lifetime ban from baseball he agreed to following an investigation of his gambling. Rose received 17 write-in votes -- which don't count.

"He's a great player and should be in it," Perez said, "but right now I don't want to get into it."

Fisk, a New Englander from New Hampshire, left both the Red Sox and White Sox on bad terms, but Boston has reached out in recent years, making him a special assistant to GM Dan Duquette.

"My relationship with the Red Sox has improved," Fisk said. "They've made concerted efforts to open the door of communication."

Yet, he still hasn't decided if he wants a Red Sox or White Sox hat on his Hall plaque.

"I have to think about it a little more," he said. "I'm going to reserve judgment on that for a little while."

He still sounds angry at the White Sox.

"Some of that is water under the bridge, but some of the issues still haven't been addressed," he said. "There are some very definite scars from our relationship."

Jim Rice, Fisk's former Boston Red Sox teammate, was third with 257 votes (51.5 percent), followed by Gary Carter (248), Bruce Sutter (192), Rich Gossage (166) and Steve Garvey (160).