David Ortiz Elected to Hall of Fame; Bonds And Clemens Shut Out Again

The Baseball Writers have said their piece. Sort of. 

For the 10th straight year, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds were denied election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, due to their ties to performance-enhancing drugs. But Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz DID get the call, becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

Ortiz got in with 77.9% of the vote, just above the 75% threshold needed. Big Papi helped lead the Red Sox to three World Series titles over his illustrious career. Here's the moment of celebration when Ortiz got the call.   

The final Hall of Fame moment in a Hall of Fame career 🙏

(via @RedSox) pic.twitter.com/wFzf4Ep6uc

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) January 25, 2022

Notably, he had another Red Sox legend and Hall of Famer, Pedro Martinez at his side when he got the call, and he was the first one to hug him in celebration. 

Ortiz released the following statement: 

David Ortiz on his election pic.twitter.com/LasZcmhycq

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 25, 2022

"I am truly honored and blessed by my selection to the Hall of Fame...  Those 14 years in a Red Sox uniform were the best of my life. We broke the curse and then got two more championships."

Clemens and Bonds each got around 66% of the vote, and now both fall off the ballot. They were each overwhelmingly stained by the steroid scandal, and the court of public opinion undoubtedly influenced the voters. 

Clemens felt compelled to put it out there into cyberspace that the snub doesn't concern him one bit (as IF): 

Hey y’all! I figured I’d give y’all a statement since it’s that time of the year again. My family and I put the HOF in the rear view mirror ten years ago. I didn’t play baseball to get into the HOF. I played to make a generational difference in the lives of my family. (Thread)

— Roger Clemens (@rogerclemens) January 25, 2022

The other notable steroid-abuser on this ballot was Alex Rodriguez. He was handed a record 211-game suspension (eventually reduced to the entire 2014 season) for his 2nd PED bust. He received votes on a mere 34% of the ballots. 

It should be noted that Ortiz also was said to have had a positive test in 2003, but there is some controversy over its validity. The 10-time All-Star's career numbers were certainly Hall-worthy: 541 home runs, with a .286 average and a .931 OPS, to go along with those 3 World Series rings.