Hall of Fame: Ortiz elected, Bonds and Clemens fall short in final year

Jan. 26—David Ortiz enjoyed a memorable 20-year career in which he played a central role in three World Series championships and became one of the faces of baseball.

Now, the longtime Red Sox great is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Ortiz was the lone player elected from this year's ballot by the Baseball Writers Association of America, earning 77.9% of the vote out of 394 total ballots cast. He will be honored alongside era-committee selections Bud Fowler, Buck O'Neil, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso and Tony Oliva during the Hall's induction ceremony on July 24.

"I am truly honored and blessed by my selection to the Hall of Fame — the highest honor that any baseball player can reach in their lifetime. I am grateful to the baseball writers who considered my career in its totality, not just on the statistics, but also on my contributions to the Red Sox, the City of Boston, and all of Red Sox Nation," Ortiz said in a statement.

"I am also grateful to my teammates, my managers and coaches and Red Sox ownership for their faith in me and allowing me to be part of three World Championships."

Faces of Steroid Era shut out

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, two of the sport's most accomplished players who have seen their legacies tarnished by performance-enhancing drug accusations, both failed to top the 75% threshold needed for induction in their 10th and final year of eligibility, finishing with 66% and 65.2% of the vote respectively.

Other prominent players with connections to PED use fared even worse.

Sammy Sosa, one of baseball's biggest stars in the 1990s, earned only 18.5% of the vote in his final year of eligibility. Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, both of whom tested positive and were suspended for steroid use during their careers, drew just 34.3% and 28.9% respectively. Gary Sheffield, who has admitted to past steroid use, polled comparatively well at 40.6% but still has a long way to go for induction.

Though he does not have any connections to PEDs, former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has also become a lightning rod in recent years after making numerous controversial statements. He fell short in his final year of eligibility with 58.6% of the vote after falling just 16 votes short a year ago.

Rolen, Helton among biggest risers

With numerous players set to leave the ballot in 2023, this year marked an encouraging step forward for players like Scott Rolen, Todd Helton and Billy Wagner.

Rolen earned 63.2% after finishing with 52.9% a year ago. The former Cardinals third baseman will be the top returning vote-getter on next year's ballot and should be among the favorites to earn induction.

Helton, the longtime Rockies great, improved to 52% from 44.9%, and ex-Astros closer Wagner jumped to 51% from 46.4%. Former Braves outfielder Andruw Jones has further to go but also made a big jump, reaching 41.4% after polling at 33.9% a year ago.

Omar Vizquel, who is facing a domestic violence accusation, saw his support collapse. The ex-Cleveland shortstop was all the way down to 23.9% after earning 49.1% in 2021.

Buerhle, Hunter buy themselves time

Among the candidates on the fringe, Mark Buerhle and Torii Hunter bought themselves a little more time by just cracking the 5% threshold needed to remain in Hall of Fame consideration.

Buerhle (5.8%) and Hunter (5.3%) narrowly avoided falling off the ballot, while Joe Nathan (4.3%), Tim Hudson (3%) and Tim Lincecum (2.3%) were among those who came up a little bit short.

The full voting results were as follows:

David Ortiz 307 (77.9%), Barry Bonds 260 (66.0), Roger Clemens 257(65.2), Scott Rolen 249 (63.2), Curt Schilling 231 (58.6), Todd Helton 205 (52.0), Billy Wagner 201 (51.0), Andruw Jones 163 (41.4), Gary Sheffield 160 (40.6), Álex Rodríguez 135 (34.3), Jeff Kent 129 (32.7), Manny Ramírez 114 (28.9), Omar Vizquel 94 (23.9), Sammy Sosa 73 (18.5), Andy Pettitte 42 (10.7), Jimmy Rollins 37 (9.4), Bobby Abreu 34 (8.6), Mark Buerhle 23 (5.8), Torii Hunter 21 (5.3), Joe Nathan 17 (4.3), Tim Hudson 12 (3.0), Tim Lincecum 9 (2.3), Ryan Howard 8 (2.0), Mark Teixeira 6 (1.5), Justin Morneau 5 (1.3), Jonathan Papelbon 5 (1.3), Prince Fielder 2 (0.5), A.J. Pierzynski 2 (0.5), Carl Crawford 0, Jake Peavy 0.

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.