Legendary Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is the newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ortiz was unveiled as Hall of Famer on Tuesday, getting the nod in his first year of eligibility. He is the 58th player to be inducted on first try.
“I learned not too long ago how difficult it is to get in on the first ballot,” Ortiz said after the news was confirmed. “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.”
Ortiz started his MLB career with the Minnesota Twins, where he spent six years before joining the Red Sox in 2003. It was in Boston where Ortiz built his Hall of Fame resume, earning 10 All-Star nods and helping the Red Sox win three World Series. He retired after the 2016 season with a batting average of .286, 2,472 hits, 541 home runs, and 1,768 RBIs.
David Ortiz received 77.9 percent votes from Baseball Writers’ Association of America voters, narrowly clearing the 75 percent mark needed for election. No other player managed to get even close to the mark, with Barry Bonds (66 percent) and Roger Clemens (65.2) being the next two biggest vote-getters.
For Bonds and Clemens, this was the last opportunity to get in the Hall of Fame. The duo, which posted historic numbers in the late ’90s and early ’00s, was overlooked by voters in the past 10 years due to their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs.
