David Ortiz Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, Legends Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens Shut Out
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David "Big Papi" Ortiz was the lone player elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday after appearing on his first Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, the organization announced.
"Our final member of the 2022 class is a feared slugger who performed his best on the biggest stage, winning three World Championships," Hall President Josh Rawitch revealed live on the MLB Network.
"Today, David Ortiz becomes the fourth Dominican-born member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame," Rawitch continued, adding, "David, welcome to Cooperstown."
Ortiz is the 58th player to be elected into the Hall of Fame, and also serves as the youngest player to nab the coveted honor at age 46.
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"I feel so thankful and grateful for being able to accomplish what I was able to accomplish and have the career that I had. I always blame it on the fans. The fans got the best out of me. The Red Sox fans, I want to thank all of them very much," Ortiz said in part in a Zoom conference call on Tuesday.
Added Ortiz: "I learned not so long ago how difficult it is to get in on the first ballot. It's a wonderful honor to be able to get in. It's something that is very special to me. I can't imagine how New England is feeling about one of its babies getting into the Hall of Fame today."
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Candidates on the ballot must garner 75 percent or more votes in order to be elected into the Hall of Fame and can remain on the ballot for ten years as long as they receive at least 5 percent of the votes each year; Ortiz received a total of 77.9 percent of votes.
Other players who were up for consideration on this year's ballot included Sammy Sosa (17 percent), Curt Schilling (71.1 percent), Roger Clemens (61.6 percent), and Barry Bonds (61.8 percent) – all of whom were in their tenth and final year of being eligible for the possibility of making it into the Hall of Fame.
getty (2) Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens
"Every year the conversation revolves around who didn't get in. Like all star voting, who got cheated. I say it every year and especially this year, focus on who did get in. @davidortiz deserved a 1st ballot induction! Congratulations my friend you earned it! #bigpapiHoF," Schilling wrote in a celebratory tweet after the Hall of Fame made their announcement.
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Clemens, who pitched primarily for the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees and faced accusations of alleged steroid use throughout his career, also issued a statement on Twitter about the ruling, writing in part, "I didn't play baseball to get into the HOF. I played to make a generational difference in the lives of my family."
Bonds, who had also been accused of allegedly using steroids during his MLB career with the San Francisco Giants, issued a statement of his own regarding the decision, congratulating Ortiz on his history-making election in a heartfelt post on Instagram.
"CONGRATULATIONS Big Papi on your induction into the Hall of Fame!" wrote Bonds. "Well deserved…I love you my brother. ♥️"
