How Did Former Yankees Fare in Hall of Fame Voting?

Roger Clemens was denied entry to Cooperstown in his final year of BBWAA eligibility, while Alex Rodriguez had a poor debut on the ballot. A few other ex-Bronx Bombers missed the cut as well.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America elected former Red Sox star David Ortiz to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday, while several other baseball icons fell short of Cooperstown.

When it came to ex-Yankees, none received more votes than Roger Clemens. But the seven-time Cy Young winner only garnered 65.2 percent of the vote; induction requires 75 percent. And so Clemens and Barry Bonds, MLB’s home run king, were denied entry in their 10th and final year of BBWAA eligibility, due in large part to their connections to performance-enhancing drugs.

Ortiz reportedly tested positive following a 2003 test that was supposed to remain anonymous.

Clemens issued a statement on Twitter after Tuesday’s results were announced. In it, he said that “hopefully everyone can close this book” on his Hall of Fame candidacy, but he, Bonds, Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa – two others who fell short in their final year of BBWAA eligibility – could still get in via the Hall’s Today’s Game Committee.

Thank y’all for the great responses! Much appreciated. Not sure if I did the thread right 🤦‍♂️ so here’s a screenshot pic.twitter.com/oSGIniv1Bm

— Roger Clemens (@rogerclemens) January 25, 2022

While that quartet was bounced from the BBWAA ballot, Alex Rodriguez debuted with a mere 34.3 percent of the vote. The former Yankees third baseman served the longest PED suspension in baseball history when he missed the 2014 season. Rodriguez, who hit 696 career home runs, also tested positive in the anonymous 2003 survey.

Rodriguez will have another nine years to improve his vote share.

Congrats to my brother @davidortiz on your election to the Baseball Hall of Fame! A champion on and especially off the field.

From the Dominican Republic to Cooperstown.. you are right where you’ve always belonged. #BigPapi #HOF 🇩🇴🙏 pic.twitter.com/dp9zkOTkPK

— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) January 26, 2022

Andruw Jones (41.1%, 5th try) and Gary Sheffield (40.6%, 8th try), finished directly ahead of A-Rod on Tuesday. Further down the ballot, Andy Pettitte received 10.7 percent of the vote on his fourth attempt, while Bobby Abreu received 8.6 percent on his third appearance.

Mark Teixeira, the only other former Yankee on the ballot, collected 1.5 percent of the vote in his first year of eligibility. Players require at least 5 percent to remain on the ballot the following year.

Full BBWAA results can be seen below. While the writers did not elect any former Yankees this year, Jim Kaat will be inducted in July. He, Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva and Buck O’Neil were elected by two Eras Committees in December.

BBWAA

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