David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first turn on the ballot.
Ortiz was a clutch slugger and 10-time All-Star over 20 seasons mostly with the Boston Red Sox. He was named on 77.9% of ballots, clearing the 75% threshold needed for enshrinement. He’s the fourth primary designated hitter voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"When you are playing, when you're in the mix, you're not thinking about any of this. You're thinking about do whatever it takes to win championships, do whatever it takes for the fans to go happy, you do whatever it takes for your community, your organization. You're not thinking about one day being a Hall of Famer," Ortiz said.
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.
Clemens said he hopes Tuesday's decision allows people to move forward.
"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," Clemens said.
"Hopefully everyone can now close this book and keep their eyes forward focusing on what is really important in life," he added.
Clemens, Bonds and Curt Schilling were all rejected in their 10th and final seasons on the BBWAA ballot.
