David Ortiz elected into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot

David Ortiz is getting a plaque in Cooperstown. Almost 19 years to the day after the Boston Red Sox took a chance on the recently cut slugger from the Minnesota Twins, largely on the word of Pedro Martinez, one of the most important players in the history of the Red Sox franchise is getting his well-deserved spot in the Hall of Fame. Ortiz is going to be the only member of his class to make it into the Hall this year after receiving 77.9 percent of the vote. Here are the full voting results.

It was not a foregone conclusion that Ortiz was going to get over the necessary 75 percent threshold in this vote for a variety of reasons, including the potential for voters to hold his DH-only status against him, or the (tenuous at best) steroid connections from early in his career. While he did cut it pretty close, he was able to get over the hump. He becomes the first former Red Sox player (who made it to the majors with the organization, anyway) to make the Hall since Martinez in 2015.

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From elsewhere on the ballot, both Curt Schilling (58.6 percent) and Roger Clemens (65.2 percent) both fell just short of the threshold, and both fall off the ballot. The good news for them, and others like Barry Bonds (66 percent), is that they will have another chance with the veterans committee. In terms of next year’s ballot, Scott Rolen looks like the best bet from this year’s class to have a chance next season. In his fifth year on the ballot, Rolen received 63.2 percent of the vote. Among players who still have time remaining on the ballot, Todd Helton had the next highest vote share receiving votes on 58.6 percent of the vote. Next year’s ballot is also expected feature some newcomers like Carlos Beltran, John Lackey, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

We’ll have more on all things Ortiz tomorrow and beyond, but for now let’s just celebrate an all-time great getting his due.