Legendary Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.
He got 77.9% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. A player needs 75% to get in.
He said, quote, “I learned not too long ago how difficult it is to get in on the first ballot. Man, it’s a wonderful honor to be able to get in on my first rodeo. It’s something that is very special to me.”
Four guys whose numbers alone should have made them first-ballot inductees failed to get in on their 10th try, which means they can never get in.
We’re talking Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and Curt Schilling. Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa became poster boys of the steroid era, which is why they never made the cut.
Schilling’s exclusion probably comes from his controversial public statements. Last year he asked to be removed from the ballot because he knew he wasn’t getting in.
For what it’s worth, Big Papi wishes Bonds and Clemens were going in with him. Quote, “Those guys, they did it all.”
Like Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez was also in his first year of eligibility. But he’s another guy under the cloud of performance-enhancing drugs, and things aren’t looking good for him.
He got just 34.3% of the vote, so at this point, he’s not even halfway there.
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