The Dodgers have scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. PT on Thursday, when they are expected to announce the signing of free-agent Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda.

It was the kind of reception that would have made Elvis all shook up with envy. Dozens of Astros fans packed a midtown restaurant on Wednesday night for a glimpse of Astros right fielder George Springer, who was the guest on the team’s weekly call-in radio show, Astroline.

The phrase “Call to the Hall” becomes quite literal when a player is elected to the Hall of Fame, as Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were this year — Griffey breaking the record for highest percentage of votes at 99.3. He gets a call — an actual phone call — which, over time, has become part of the viewer experience.

The Hot Stove ignited Wednesday when Alex Gordon returned to the Royals in a move that could have an impact moving forward on the markets for fellow outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton.

As a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champ, Ken Griffey Sr. certainly has had his own moments in the Major League spotlight. But it didn’t take the former Reds standout long to learn that his world would soon be overshadowed by his son, who capped his own career on Wednesday by being elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the highest voting percentage in history.

The Mariners made Ken Griffey Jr. the first overall pick in the 1987 Draft. The following year, the Dodgers selected Mike Piazza with the 1,390th pick, in the 62nd round. From those vastly different starting points, the two have arrived at the same place: Cooperstown.

The nation’s No.1 pick and the kid with no solid college offers are both Hall-of-Famers now.

Despite taking different paths to Cooperstown, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza each made history in his own right Wednesday night as they became the latest players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Trevor Hoffman knew that the odds of him getting into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday weren’t with him, which is precisely why he didn’t stick around the house waiting for a call that never came.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza have claimed their immortal place in the National Baseball Hall of Fame after overwhelming voting totals on the 2016 ballot.

While Ken Griffey Jr. understandably received much of the attention with his election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, former longtime teammate Edgar Martinez fared better at the ballot box as well in his seventh year of eligibility.

For Mark McGwire, Alan Trammell and another 13 former Major League standouts, there will be no more waiting until next year when it comes to the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.

Most of the time, when you meet a Major League Baseball player, you know you’ve just met a Major League Baseball player; it reverberates off of them, an invisible glow you can’t miss. Mike Piazza never had that.

Ken Griffey Jr., whose backward cap and joyous smile captured the baseball world’s hearts during his 22-year career, now will take those traits to Cooperstown, N.Y., as the sweet-swinging center fielder became the 51st first-ballot Hall of Famer on Wednesday in a near-unanimous election by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Alex Gordon, the face of the Royals franchise, is back with the team after all. After reports surfaced in recent weeks that the two sides were drifting apart, the Royals and Gordon agreed to a four-year deal worth $72 million on Wednesday.

They were denied entry but, perhaps, offered optimism. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens saw an uptick in support on the Hall of Fame ballot results unveiled Wednesday night. Needing to appear on 75 percent of ballots in order to qualify for Cooperstown, Bonds went from 36.8 percent in 2015 to 44.3 percent this year. Clemens went from 37.5 percent to 45.2.

The most accomplished offensive catcher in Major League history has long been content to wait, quietly referencing other baseball giants who took the winding road to Cooperstown. Wednesday, Mike Piazza’s adjournment came to an end. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. into the Hall of Fame, where they will be inducted in July.