How former Red Sox pitchers Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens reacted to Hall of Fame results

Curt Schilling dropped off the BBWAA’s Hall of Fame ballot on Tuesday, after his vote total dropped significantly in his 10th and final year on the ballot.

But the former Red Sox pitcher doesn’t want the focus to be on that, or him.

David Ortiz was the only player to earn election for the 2022 Hall of Fame class, receiving 77.9% of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Schilling, his teammate from 2004-2007 who he won two championships with, wanted to celebrate that instead.

“Every year the conversation revolves around who didn’t get in,” Schilling tweeted shortly after Tuesday’s Hall of Fame announcement. “Like all star voting, who got cheated. I say it every year and especially this year, focus on who did get in. @davidortiz deserved a 1st ballot induction! Congratulations my friend you earned it! #bigpapiHoF”

Schilling, who was 16 votes shy of election last year, saw his voting percentage drop from 71.1% last year — which was the highest on the 2021 ballot — to 58.6% this year. In a lengthy letter he sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame after last year’s announcement, Schilling requested to be removed from the ballot. He was not, of course, but that may have contributed to his vote decrease this year.

Former Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens also took to Twitter after Tuesday’s announcement, in which he fell short of the 75% requirement for Hall of Fame election. He earned 65.2% of the vote, up from 61.6% last year. Clemens has faced long-standing allegations of steroid use, and has long accepted his fate that he likely wouldn’t have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Clemens tweeted: “Hey y’all! I figured I’d give y’all a statement since it’s that time of the year again. My family and I put the HOF in the rear view mirror ten years ago. I didn’t play baseball to get into the HOF. I played to make a generational difference in the lives of my family.

“Then focus on winning championships while giving back to my community and the fans as well. It was my passion. I gave it all I had, the right way, for my family and for the fans who supported me. I am grateful for that support. I would like to thank those who took the time to look at the facts and vote for me. Hopefully everyone can now close this book and keep their eyes forward focusing on what is really important in life. All love!”

Schilling and Clemens still have a chance to earn election to the Hall of Fame through the MLB’s Era Committee, which considers players no longer eligible on the BBWAA ballot. This December, the Today’s Game committee will vote on players whose contributions to the game came from 1988-2016, which would include Schilling and Clemens.