David Ortiz was the lone member voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for the 2022 class. Ortiz received 307 votes (77.9%) in his first year of eligibility to surpass the 296 votes (75%) threshold for induction.
Although Ortiz signed with the Seattle Mariners as an international free agent in November 1992 and made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins, it was with the Boston Red Sox that the first baseman/designated hitter rose to stardom.
During that time, Ortiz played alongside Mookie Betts, who was among the several players to congratulate him on reaching Cooperstown. After the Red Sox selected Betts in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft, he was teammates with Ortiz from 2014-2016.
Betts was a first-time All-Star in 2016, which coincided with Ortiz’s last time making the Midsummer Classic and his final season in the Majors.
While Betts and Ortiz enjoyed individual success during their time as Red Sox teammates, it did not coincide with the franchise winning a World Series. Ortiz was part Boston teams that won titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013.
Over his 20-year MLB career, the eight-time winner of the Edgar Martinez Award as the outstanding designated hitter batted .286/.380/.552 with 632 doubles, 541 home runs and 1,768 RBI.
Betts congratulated Pedroia
This marks a second time Betts has congratulated a former Red Sox teammate, as he previously did so when Dustin Pedroia retired prior to the 2022 regular season.
Betts and Pedroia not only were teammates for six seasons, but they won a World Series together in 2018. Though, Pedroia appeared in just three games that year, while Betts earned MVP honors and the batting title.
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