David “Big Papi” Ortiz was the sole player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
It’s the first solo selection from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America since Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin in 2012.
He celebrated the news in his home in the Dominican Republic surrounded by friends, family and his mentor, Pedro Martinez.
The moment you get the call. pic.twitter.com/QurgJbqCAO
— Red Sox (@RedSox) January 25, 2022
The 10-time All-Star selection player is now the fourth Dominican born player to be elected to the HOF, joining Juan Marichal, Vladimir Guerrero and mentor Pedro Martinez.
His name was selected on 77.9 percent (307) of submitted ballots, only requiring 75 percent for entry.
San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds and former Red Sox player Roger Clemens were not elected because of rumors of using performance enhancing drugs.
Ortiz had previously been reported to testing positive for drugs, however in all his seasons, he never actually failed a drug test.
Ortiz is no newbie to legendary accomplishments. He is already the fourth player with at least 500 career home runs – 541 to be exact – and three or more World Series titles, joining Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson.
Oritz led the Boston Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004, 2007, 2013 and was the World Series MVP in 2013 hitting two home runs in 16 at-bats.
He will be officially inducted on Sunday, July 24 at 1:30 p.m. in Cooperstown, NY.
Today we celebrate a baseball legend & a friend. pic.twitter.com/zH5PoLucGY
— Red Sox (@RedSox) January 26, 2022
