No player was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for the first time since 2013.
Curt Schilling, a former Red Sox pitcher, received 71.1 percent of the 75 votes needed for induction, with Barry Bonds following at 61.8%.
Despite being just 16 votes short of entry, Schilling expressed frustration with the voting process. He posted on Facebook, asking to be removed from next year’s ballot.
Schilling stated, “I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I’ll defer to the veteran’s committee and men whose opinions actually matter.”
He added, “I don’t think I’m a hall of famer as I’ve often stated, but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.”
Here is the full Facebook statement:
I want to share with everyone the letter I wrote to the folks at the Hall of Fame yesterday. They’ve been exceptional…
The 54-year-old pitcher, who played for five teams during his 20-year MLB career, achieved a 216-146 record across more than 400 game starts.
