Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was elected to the HOF in his first turn on the ballot, but the steroid-tainted Bonds and Clemens were snubbed.
David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first turn on the ballot, while steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied entry to Cooperstown in their final year under consideration by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. .
Ortiz, a clutch slugger and 10-time All-Star in 20 seasons mostly with the Boston Red Sox, was nominated on 77.9% of the ballots unveiled Tuesday night, clearing the 75% threshold required by the establishment. He was the fourth primary designated hitter voted in the hall.
Big Puppy was among baseball's most recognizable faces during 2000 and 2010. His heavy grin endeared him to fans, but the Dominican's hulking frame put the pitcher in danger, especially late in the innings. He had 23 game-ending hits, including three during the 2004 postseason, while Boston ended an 86-year World Series drought.
Ortiz batted .286 with 541 home runs with Boston and Minnesota, while making 88% of his plate attendance as a designated hitter, the most by anyone in the hall. He passes to Edgar Martinez, who was the DH for 71.7% of his plate performance. Frank Thomas and Harold Baines are the only other Hall members of DH in more than half the time.
He is also the fourth player born in the Dominican Republic to join Juan Marichal, Pedro Martínez and Vladimir Guerrero.
Ortiz also has PED baggage, but enough voters chose to ignore a positive test that came up during a 2003 survey test that was assumed to be anonymous. Ortiz has denied using steroids, and commissioner Rob Manfred said in 2016 that "I think it would be wrong" to kick him out of the Hall of Fame based on that test alone.
The three-time World Series winner remains in public view in retirement as a studio analyst for Fox Sports' post-season coverage. He was briefly sidelined in 2019 after being ambushed and shot in the Dominican Republic. His recovery required three surgeries, and doctors removed parts of his intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder. He returned to the air during the post season, four months after shooting.
Ortiz will be set on July 24 in Cooperstown, New York, along with era committee selections Buck O'Neill, Minnie Minoso, Gil Hodges, Tony Oliva, Jim Catt and Bud Fowler.
Bond, Clemens and Kurt Schilling were all rejected on the BBWAA ballot in their 10th and final year. Bonds is the sport's career home run leader and Clemens won a record seven Cy Young Awards, but voters denied him the sport's highest honor, on suspicion that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. Bond got 66% of the vote and Clemens got 65.2% of the vote.
Schilling's support fell sharply in 2021 after shying 16 votes. Many voters chose not to support the right hand because of the hateful remarks made in retirement towards Muslims, transgender people, journalists and others.
Schilling asked Hall to remove him from this year's vote, but he remains an option. His name was on 58.6% of ballots, down from 71.1% last year.
Bonds, Clemens and Schilling are carried on the BBWAA ballot, but will be reconsidered next year by the Today's Game Era committee. A 16-person committee of Hall members, officials and experienced media members will convene next December to consider players who played between 1988-2016 who are no longer eligible for BBWAA selection.
Alex Rodriguez and Jimmy Rollins received the most support, among others who first appeared on the ballot.
Rodriguez won three MVPs and hit 696 homers, but PED used clouding in his case. He was banned by Major League Baseball for the entire 2014 season after violating the league's drug policy.
Next year's ballot will present a new wrinkle of controversy if Carlos Beltrán joins the ballot. The nine-time All-Star was penalized by MLB ahead of the 2020 season and fired as manager of the New York Mets for his leading role in the Houston Astros' sign-theft scandal.
Beltran is likely to be joined on the ballot by John Lackey, Jared Weaver, Jacobi Ellsbury and Jason Worth.