Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, as per the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) announcement on Tuesday.
He received 77.8 percent of the votes, barely beating the necessary 75 percent threshold to secure a place in Cooperstown.
He was with fellow Red Sox legend and countryman Pedro Martinez when he got the call, and the two hugged in a touching moment for fans and spectators.
Per the BBWAA, Ortiz will be honored during Induction Weekend July 22-25 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Six additional stars were also chosen for enshrinement last month by two Eras Committees — Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva and Buck O’Neil.
With the election to the Hall, Ortiz gets his place among the immortals as a first-ballot player.
An Incredible Career
His excellent career started in 1997 with the Minnesota Twins and ended in a Red Sox uniform in 2016.
In his 20-year MLB tenure, mostly as a designated hitter, Ortiz hit .286/.380/.552 with 541 home runs, 1,419 runs, and 1,768 RBI.
The fact that he was elected in his first try without adding defensive value (he was mainly a designated hitter for nearly all of his career) speaks volumes about his place in the game.
Ortiz was popular among fans and earned the “Big Papi” nickname because of his loud home runs and swagger in the early 2000s, specifically during the postseason duels with the New York Yankees.
He was capable of hitting for a high average, yes, but his power and run-producing ability made him legendary.
That’s what he is: an MLB legend, especially for Red Sox fans.
Ortiz, together with that 2004 Red Sox roster, turned Boston from a city that was used to losing into perennial contenders and winners.
He was behind the Red Sox comeback from 3-0 in the American League Championship Series against the Yankees (the only comeback of that kind in postseason baseball history), as he was named the MVP of the seven-game affair.
He won three World Series with Boston: in 2004, 2007, and 2013.
He was the MVP of that 2013 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .688/.760/1.188 with two homers, six RBI, and a 1.948 OPS (!) in six games.
A Stud In The Clutch
Ortiz is revered by Red Sox fans for his ability to perform when it matters most.
He was a beast in the clutch, which means the situations of most pressure, when everything is at stake.
For example, he hit .455 with three home runs and 14 RBI in 14 World Series games.
David Ortiz hit a combined .455 in his three World Series appearances (.688 in 2013). Lol.
— Section 10 Podcast (@Section10Pod) January 22, 2022
What’s more important than a World Series game?
In the playoffs as a whole, he was also incredibly productive: he hit .289/.404/.543 with a .947 OPS, 17 home runs, and 61 RBI in 369 plate appearances.
The Red Sox owe much of their recent postseason success to Ortiz, who helped transform the fate of an entire franchise.
All things considered, Ortiz is now a well-deserving member of the Hall of Fame, and will see his plaque in Cooperstown in a few months.
.@davidortiz provided a rare blend of charisma, clutch hitting and elite power over 20 big-league seasons. Today he joined Juan Marichal, @45PedroMartinez and @VladGuerrero27 as the 4th Dominican player to reach the Baseball Hall. Congratulations on the ultimate honor, Big Papi! pic.twitter.com/qxB1CYRclP
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) January 25, 2022
He is truly a modern legend in MLB.
NEXT: Pedro Martinez Remembers A Legendary Moment