Major League Baseball

Hall of Fame: David Ortiz in; Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens out

Updated Jan. 25, 2022 8:34 p.m. ET

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David Ortiz is going to Cooperstown. Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds were not so fortunate.

Ortiz, the designated hitter/first baseman known for his clutch play as a member of three World Series championship Boston Red Sox teams, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday in his first year of eligibility.

Induction requires selection on 75% of ballots issued to voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Ortiz, a 10-time All-Star who had a .931 OPS with 541 home runs in his 20-year career, received 77.9% of the vote. He was the only player to meet the threshold this year.

But while Red Sox fans celebrated the induction of "Big Papi," much of the attention fell on Bonds and Clemens not getting in. Bonds was chosen on 66% of ballots, while Clemens was chosen on 65.2%.

The only other players to receive more than 50% of the vote were third baseman Scott Rolen (63.2%), pitcher Curt Schilling (58.6%), first baseman Todd Helton (52.0%) and relief pitcher Billy Wagner (51.0%).

Schilling was the highest vote-getter last year, when no players were selected, garnering 71.1% of the vote, but he received 54 fewer votes this year.

It was the final year of eligibility for Bonds, Clemens and Schilling, as well as outfielder Sammy Sosa (18.5%).

Bonds and Clemens are widely considered to be among the greatest talents in the sport's history. Bonds is a seven-time MVP, the career leader in home runs (762) and walks (2,558), and the owner of the single-season home run record (73 in 2001). Clemens holds a record seven Cy Young Awards and ranks third all time in both pitcher WAR and strikeouts.

And yet both Bonds and Clemens — as well as Sosa — were swept up in the PED scandal that hit baseball during the height of their powers. And while neither was ever convicted of wrongdoing, it clearly impacted their candidacies.

Now, their Cooperstown fates will be tied to the BBWAA’s Historical Overview Committee, which drafts the ballot to be considered by the Today’s Game Era Committee, which is scheduled to meet in December at the Winter Meetings in San Diego.

In the meantime, baseball players and fans had plenty to say about Tuesday's news. Here is a sampling:

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