Larry Walker always played baseball with a wink and a flair.

Just conjure up one of his laser-beam throws from right field, his 230 stolen bases, or the simple joy he displayed playing a kid’s game.

Little wonder, then, that the Rockies’ ultra-talented right fielder would take the stage at Cooperstown, N.Y., Wednesday wearing a SpongeBob SquarePants pin on the lapel of his suit jacket. In January 2020, when Walker received the phone call informing him that he’d been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he wore a gaudy yellow SpongeBob SquarePants shirt. The shirt also had a message that read: “Ain’t no ordinary sponge.”

“The shirt that I made on the phone call obviously got a lot of attention and that shirt is hanging in the Hall of Fame right now,” Walker said minutes after delivering his induction speech. “I had a lot of people telling me I should have done something more.

“But I think I can now retire the little SpongeBob episode I had. It’s not like I sit and watch SpongeBob all the time.”

Moments after his plaque was unveiled, Walker, the first Rockies player and first Canadian position player enshrined in Cooperstown, pulled out his smartphone and took a video of the crowd.

“If you don’t mind, I don’t want to forget this moment,” Walker told the crowd.

It was a long time coming.

Walker was elected by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on his 10th and final year on the ballot. Then, because of the pandemic, Walker had to wait 409 days after his election to be officially enshrined.

In recent days, Walker admitted that he was more nervous about writing and delivering his speech than he was when playing in any of his 1,988 big-league games. But his words Wednesday were strong, heartfelt and self-deprecating.

“I honestly see myself as an average guy, and I’m good with average,” Walker said.

Walker, obviously, was anything but average on the baseball field. He was a three-time National League batting champion and the 1997 NL MVP. He hit 383 career home runs, won seven Gold Gloves and was a five-time all-star.

He spent 17 seasons in the big leagues, from 1989-1993 with the Montreal Expos, 1995-04 with the Rockies, and 2004-05 with the St. Louis Cardinals. During his career, he slashed .313/.400/.565. Walker and Barry Bonds are the only two players in major league history with at least 300 home runs, 200 stolen bases and an OPS of at least .950.

While most of the estimated crowd of 20,000 on the lawn at Cooperstown — including NBA legend Michael Jordan — were there to see New York Yankees superstar Derek Jeter inducted, there were plenty of Rockies jerseys worn and Canadian flags flown.

Rockies majority owners Dick and Charlie Monfort, longtime team trainer Keith Dugger, director of community operations Jim Kellogg, and Cory Little, director of media relations, were in attendance Wednesday.

Current Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, a Denver native, tweeted: “Growing up in Denver, the Blake Street Bombers were all that any of us wanted to be when we played ball in the backyard. Congrats to one of my childhood baseball heroes, Larry Walker, on his induction into the Hall of Fame.”

Walker’s plaque in Cooperstown has him wearing a Rockies baseball cap.

“I feel privileged that I’m here, right now, in Cooperstown, representing the Rockies franchise and their fans,” Walker said. “I thank the Monforts and (original owner Jerry) McMorris for bringing me to Denver. And the GM at the time, Bob Gebhard, for ironing out all of the details.”

Walker tipped his cap to the fans.

“I thank the Rockies fans for always showing their support and I hope real soon that that ticker-tape parade comes rolling down Blake Street,” he said.

Walker has a maple leaf tattoo on his arm with the words, “I’m a Canadian and I’m damn proud of it.” He made that clear Wednesday.

“Thank you, Canada,” said Walker, a native of Maple Ridge, British Columbia. “I share this honor with every Canadian, and I hope that all you Canadian kids out there that have dreams of playing in the big leagues seeing me here today gives you another reason to go after those dreams.”

Walker also made a point to acknowledge Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, the Canadian-born right-hander who was inducted into Cooperstown in 1991 and was seated on the stage behind Walker.

“Today, I finally get to join Fergie in the Hall of Fame as the first Canadian position player,” Walker said, then turned and added, “Fergie, it’s an honor.”

Of course, the newly-minted Hall of Famer thanked his managers and teammates, making special mention of Expos teammate Tim Wallach, who remains one of his closest friends.

Walker said that when he was practicing his speech in front of his children, he shed a few tears, but on Wednesday he stayed composed.

“I was changing some things in my speech four hours before,” Walker said. “But it went good. I went better than I thought. I thought I was going to cry some. I wanted to hold it together as best I could and fortunately I was able to do it.”