By Satyne Doner, Contributing Writer
On Jan. 25, David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox was the only player voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. The affectionately nicknamed “Big Papi” was voted in by a jaw-dropping 77.9% of all ballots. Other baseball legends such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens reached results of just 66% 65.2%, respectively.
To be eligible for election into the Hall of Fame, a player must meet a threshold of 75%. This statistic made Ortiz the one and only candidate eligible. Astoundingly, this was also his first year on the ballot.
The 6’3, 230 – pound designated hitter and first baseman of the Boston Red Sox was born in the Dominican Republic, where he fostered his love for baseball at an early age. Throughout his 20 seasons in the Major League Baseball (MLB), 14 of those were with the Boston Red Sox. He had many achievements with this team- winning awards such as 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series Champion. He was also a seven-time Silver Slugger winner, with career stats of 514 total home runs and a remarkable .286 batting average. Ortiz was also named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2013.
This Hall of Fame election was the last chance for other MLB superstars to get their names on the list. On David Ortiz’s first time on the ballot, he received 307 of 405 writer’s votes, beating out big names such as Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa.
Ortiz will join fellow former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. Ortiz’s induction will occur on July 24th, 2022, in the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York.
David “Big Papi” Ortiz will forever be known as the lone class of 2022, with no opponents heading into the Hall of Fame. Such an honorable achievement can be attributed to many things, but certainly, his larger-than-life personality and expert skills truly hit a home run in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere.
