Curt Schilling missed out on making the Baseball Hall of Fame by 5 percentage points.
The former Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox pitcher showed up on 70 percent of ballots for a spot in Cooperstown. Players must appear on 75 percent of ballots to make the Hall.
New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter (99.7 percent) and Larry Walker (76.6 percent) were voted in. It was Jeter’s first year on the ballot and Walker’s 10th and final year. Schilling was on the ballot for the eighth time.
Barry Bonds (60.7 percent) and Roger Clemens (61 percent) were also denied. They each have two years of eligibility remaining.
On social media Tuesday, Schilling thanks fans for their support
“Thank you,” he tweeted. “The tweets, DMs, Emails have been both staggering and overwhelming. That you took the time is appreciated. But these are fights for another day, Congratulations to Derek and Larry, two good men who deserve their due in Cooperstown!”
Thank you. The tweets, DM's, Emails have been both staggering and overwhelming. That you took the time is appreciated. But these are fights for another day, Congratulations to Derek and Larry, two good men who deserve their due in Cooperstown! #Rolen4HOF2021
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) January 22, 2020
“Today is about the two men who were voted into the MLB HOF. Talk about the other stuff outside the next few days. Derek Jeter was as fun to compete against as any player I faced in 22 years. The wink/smirk we exchanged prior to pitch 1 Gm 7 2001 will be something I never forget.”
In his 20-year career, Schilling went 216-146 with a 3.46 ERA, playing in 569 games with 83 complete games. In the postseason, he was 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA.
He was a co-MVP in the 2001 World Series with the Diamondbacks and helped lead the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series title (remember the bloody sock game?) and the 2007 World Series title.
Schilling’s exclusion from the Hall of Fame to this point may have more to do with things he has said online than his baseball accomplishments.
He was fired from his analyst role at ESPN in 2016 for an anti-transgender post on his Facebook page. Prior to his firing, he had received a suspension in 2015 for sharing a post on Twitter that compared Muslims to the Nazis. Also in 2016, Schilling jokingly endorsed the lynching of journalists.
Schilling is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, who is a big fan.
“Curt Schilling deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Trump tweeted last year. “Great record, especially when under pressure and when it mattered most. Do what everyone in Baseball knows is right!”
Read more at usatoday.com
