Center fielders Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Former White Sox outfielder Andruw Jones became emotional Tuesday while thinking about the possibility of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jones, who had been on the ballot for nine years, was choked up before he got the official word that he had been elected to the Hall. He was thinking about his dad and was appreciative of the moment he had to himself before receiving the announcement.

‘‘It was just one of [those] moments that I was like, ‘Man, I wish he was here with me [to] enjoy this part,’ ’’ Jones said on Zoom. ‘‘Just having that opportunity to take it in by myself, my emotion came out. Tears are coming out of my eyes.’’

Jones, who played one season for the Sox in 2010, and outfielder Carlos Beltran were elected to the Hall and will be inducted along with Jeff Kent — who was elected by the contemporary baseball committee last month — on July 26 in Cooperstown, New York.

Beltran was named on 84.2% of the ballots and Jones on 78.4%. Candidates have to be on at least 75% of the ballots to be elected to the Hall. This year, that meant 319 of the 425 ballots cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

‘‘To be in a class with all those greats, some of those guys that you idolized, to be on the same podium with them is a great honor,’’ Jones said.

Before Tuesday, only two center fielders since 1981 had been elected to the Hall (Kirby Puckett in 2001 and Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016). That number doubled with the elections of Beltran and Jones.

Jones, a five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, made history in 1996, when he became the youngest player to hit a home run in the World Series. He did it for the Braves against the Yankees.

‘‘To be honest with you, I didn’t expect to be [at the World Series],’’ Jones said. ‘‘I always wanted to win.’’

Jones finished his 17-year career with 434 homers, 1,289 RBI and an .823 OPS. He hit his 400th career homer as a member of the Sox, one of 19 he hit for them that season.

Beltran’s candidacy had been tricky because of his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017. He said he was trying not to pay too much attention to the process, but his wife, Jessica, was monitoring his chances.

On Tuesday, however, he admitted to feeling some anxiety before being elected to the Hall in his fourth year on the ballot.

Beltran acknowledged his role in the scandal played a role in his lack of Hall support the first three years he was eligible. He was fired as the manager of the Mets because of his role in it.

‘‘When I retired from baseball, I thought that everything that I [felt] in the game of baseball — relationships and the good people that I was able to relate myself with — I thought that was going to be lost.

‘‘I still receive love from the players and the teammates that I had inside the clubhouse. They know the type of person that I am. But at the same time, I understand [the sign-stealing scandal is] also a story that I have to deal with.’’