At a Santo Domingo city restaurant and in the company of his father Leo Ortiz and mentor Pedro Martínez, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz received the call from Jack O’Connell of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). He becomes the first designated hitter to be inducted to the MLB hall of fame. The ceremony will be on 24 July 2022 in Cooperstown, New York.
The BBWAA rules say that sports writers are told to base their vote on the player’s record, on-field ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.
Ortiz is one of the best designated hitters in history with a .286 average, 541 home runs and 1,768 RBIs. In the playoffs, he batted for .289 with 17 homers and 61 RBIs for the Boston Red Sox.
Ortiz batted .286/.380/.552 for his career. He spent the first six years of his career with the Minnesota Twins. Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez convinced the team’s management to hire fellow Dominicans Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. The Dominican trio resulted in Boston Red Sox championships.
Ortiz would make a name for himself as the catalyst behind the 2004 Red Sox team that broke the franchise’s 86-year championship drought by rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the semi-finals and World Series.
Ortiz is also remembered for his words after the Boston Marathon bombing. His infamous Fenway Park speech was punctuated with the phrase, “This is our f—ing city” — an expletive so appropriate, even the FCC approved it.
Ortiz would retire in 2016 after leading the league in doubles, slugging and OPS.
US sportswriters voted in favor of his being inducted to the Cooperstown Hall of Fame with 77.9% of the votes in a first round. He received a yes from 307 of 425 eligible voters. A minimum 75% was needed. He will join Dominicans Juan Marichal (1983), Pedro Martinez (2015) and Vladimir Guerrero (2018). Pedro Martínez made it also in a first vote.
Others inducted for 2022 are Cubans Minnie Miñoso and Tony Oliva and Americans Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Bud Fowler. Outside of the United States, Cuba has the most players in the US baseball hall of fame. Cuba has six, Puerto Rico 5, the DR will have four, Panama has two and Venezuela one.
President Luis Abinader was prompt to be among the first to congratulate David Ortiz and tell him that Dominicans are proud of the achievement. “The country is really celebrating and is very happy with this fair distinction. I also want to congratulate you and your father Leo Ortiz. You have our full distinction. We are extremely proud. A big hug for you and all your family,” said Abinader.
David Ortiz issued an official statement: “I am truly honored and blessed by my selection to the Hall of Fame — the highest honor that any baseball player can reach in their lifetime. I am grateful to the baseball writers who considered my career in its totality, not just on the statistics, but also on my contributions to the Red Sox, the City of Boston, and all of Red Sox Nation.”
During the same vote, legendary but controversial Barry Bonds (66%), Roger Clemens (65.2%), Curt Schilling (58.6%) and Dominicano Sammy Sosa (18.5%) failed on their 10th and last attempt to make the cut.
Ortiz had already been inducted into the Dominican Republic Sports Hall of Fame.
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26 January 2022