Former Dominican slugger David ´Big Papi´ Ortiz was elected this Tuesday as a member of the World Series champion with Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs retires”>Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, the only nominee selected on this occasion to receive the distinction after overcoming a sea of adversity.
Ortiz became the 18th Latin American chosen to enter the enclosure of the immortals of the ‘Mayores’.
After 541 home runs, 1,768 RBIs, three World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox (2004, 2007 and 2013) and 10 All-Star Games, Ortiz was chosen on his first ballot by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) with 77.9% of the votes.
The former striker from Quito, who played 20 Major League seasons with the Twins and the Red Sox, will be officially admitted on July 24. Ortiz was the only one chosen by the BBWAA in this election.
“Honored and blessed.”
´Big Papi´ is the fourth player born in the Dominican Republic to arrive in Cooperstown, joining former pitchers Juan Marichal and Pedro Martínez, as well as former slugger Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
“I am truly honored and blessed to be elected to the Hall of Fame, the highest honor a player can receive in their lifetime,” Ortiz said in a statement released by the Red Sox.
“As a kid from Santo Domingo, I always dreamed of playing professional baseball,” said “Big Papi.”
The star from Quisquey received congratulations from other great baseball stars who already illuminate the venue of the immortals of their sport.
“Congratulations to ‘Big Papi’ on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Watching you grow from a kid in Minnesota to a powerhouse in Boston was a real treat. Well deserved!” congratulated him, among others, Rob Carew, Panamanian member of the Hall of Fame.
Pure charisma.
With his smile and charisma, Ortiz was one of the benchmarks in baseball in 2000 and 2010, earning the affection of fans of his team and even those who sympathized with his rivals.
The Dominican had 23 hits that sentenced games, including three during the 2004 postseason in which Boston exorcised an 86-year curse without winning the World Series.
The stellar gunner was exempt from the doping substance scandals, a situation that has vetoed stellar figures such as Barry Bond (762 home runs) and Roger Clemens (site Cy Young awards) from the Hall of Fame.
The three-time World Series champion has remained in the limelight after retiring and has served as an analyst for Fox Sports during the postseason.
Ortiz was hospitalized in 2019 after being shot in the Dominican Republic. His recovery required three surgeries, and doctors removed his gallbladder and parts of his intestines and colon.
Last December, the group of Latin Americans in the Hall of Immortals had grown thanks to the election, by the Golden Age Committee, of Cubans Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso and Tony Oliva. With the entry of the two sluggers, Cuba is now the Latin American country with the most members in Cooperstown with six.
Former Panamanian reliever Mariano Rivera (with the Yankees), has been the only one chosen unanimously, in 2019, when he was named on each of the 425 BBWAA ballots.
Ortiz also joins Rivera, Puerto Ricans Iván Rodríguez and the late Roberto Clemente, as well as fellow Panamanian Rob Carew as the only Latin American players to be inducted in their first year of eligibility.
There is a lot of history of this player in the Majors, where he also achieved seven Silver Sluggers for his offense, two Hank Aaron awards (205 and 2016), Roberto Clemente award (2011) and best home run hitter (2006) and leading driving force three times (2005, 2006 and 2016).
