By Nadia Reese
Special to the AFRO
On Jan. 25, Boston Red Sox Slugger, David Ortiz, also known as “Big Papi” and now as “Cooperstown” by his teammates, was elected to the 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame. Ortiz is now the youngest member inducted and one of four Dominican-born players to be selected in this year’s class. Other Dominican-born players include Juan Marichal, Vladimir Guerrero and Pedro Martinez.
In an Instagram account, Ortiz said, “I would like to thank God first, my teammates, my fans, family and friends for the support through my career, finally HOF 2022 #THANKYOU #bigpapi #redsox #redsoxnation #dominicanrepublic #USA #davidortiz #boston.”
Ortiz received praise from many his Red Sox tribe like Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner who wrote in a Twitter post, “It has been a privilege to watch David’s storybook career in Boston for 14 years and three World Series Championships. This honor only confirms what many of us at the Red Sox and throughout New England already knew: that he is not only one of our greatest players but one of baseball’s greatest players. Even now, as the sole BBWAA ballot inductee this year, he continues to stand out in the same way he did throughout his playing career. David, you deserve to take your rightful place alongside the Hall of Fame’s legends. Congratulations on this special recognition.”This year will also be Ortiz’s first time on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) ballot. There, Ortiz was acknowledged by ESPN as, “the only player to finish above the 75% threshold at 77.9%.” The Hall of Fame ceremony took place on July 24 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.
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