In 2010, Alomar's first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, he missed induction by eight votes. His 73.7% of the vote was the highest percentage of votes in any player's first year on the ballot without being elected. Some baseball writers expressed shock that he failed to get in on the first ballot, but many attributed the near-miss to sportswriters holding a grudge over the 1996 spitting incident with John Hirschbeck, including Alomar's brother Sandy Jr. and Hirschbeck himself. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility, with 90% of the vote (523 of 581 ballots cast). On July 24, 2011, Alomar was inducted into the Hall of Fame, becoming the first inductee to be depicted as a Blue Jays player on his plaque.