NEW YORK — Bert Blyleven, Roberto Alomar, Jack Morris and Barry Larkin should feel confident about their Hall of Fame chances. Even though they fell short this year, the quartet should examine Andre Dawson's nine years on the ballot.

Dawson received 214 of 472 votes (45.3 percent) when he first appeared in 2002, falling 140 short of the necessary 75 percent. He moved up to 50 percent the following year, broke 60 percent in 2006 and fell just 44 votes shy last year before gaining baseball's highest honor Wednesday. "The Hawk" received 420 of 539 votes (77.9 percent) in results announced by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, 15 more than necessary.

"If you're a Hall of Famer, eventually you're going to get in no matter how long it takes," Dawson said. "As I sit here, the only thing I can think of is that it was well worth the wait."

Blyleven fell five votes short and Alomar finished eight shy in his first season of eligibility, putting them in line to be elected in 2011, when top newcomers include Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, Larry Walker, Jeff Bagwell, John Franco and Kevin Brown.

With two years of eligibility remaining — players can appear on the BBWAA ballot up to 15 times — Blyleven already has more than quadrupled his support since receiving 83 votes (17.5 percent) as a first-timer in 1999.

"The writers are finally getting it," Blyleven said. "Hopefully, this will lead to getting over that hurdle next year."

The highest percentage for a player who didn't enter the Hall in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot.

Morris had 282 votes (52.3 percent), up from 237 (44.0 percent) last year and 111 (22.2 percent) in his initial appearance in 2000. Larkin received 278 votes (51.6 percent) on his first ballot.

Dawson got up at 6 a.m. Wednesday and went to the gym. Before going back home, he took a detour from his usual routine on the day voting is announced.

"I went by a cemetery to visit my mom and also my grandmother," he said. "It's the first time I had done that. I just felt a little bit more optimistic about this year, and I just wanted to share a few things at that grave site. It meant a lot to me to get out there."

Dawson's faith was rewarded a few hours later.

An eight-time All-Star outfielder, he credited mom Mattie Brown and grandmother Eunice Taylor for teaching him to work hard. He cried as he arrived at the cemetery, and thanked his mother for raising eight children without a father in the house. He hoped he made them proud.

"I told her, 'I love you. I miss you. I wish you were alive so I could tell you that,"' he remembered saying.