While baseball’s annual Hall of Fame voting was once again a major letdown this year, as former Boston Red Sox great David Ortiz was the only player elected to Cooperstown, that didn’t stop a couple of ex-Yankees from showing some class towards their longtime AL East rival.
First, it was Alex Rodriguez, who received just 34.3% of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Rodriguez faced off against Ortiz on the diamond from 2004 to 2016 and although the Yankees and Red Sox were often at each other’s throats during this era, the former Bronx Bomber has nothing but love for his good friend.
“Congrats to my brother @davidortiz on your election to the Baseball Hall of Fame! A champion on and especially off the field,” Rodriguez wrote in a tweet. “From the Dominican Republic to Cooperstown…you are right where you’ve always belonged. #BigPapi #HOF”
Despite Rodriguez’s Hall of Fame worthy numbers (22 seasons, 3,115 hits, 696 home runs, three-time AL MVP, 14-time All-Star, 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner), he was not elected to Cooperstown in his first attempt due to several PED use allegations and offenses.
Throughout Rodriguez’s controversial playing career, he confessed to using steroids from 2001 to 2003 and later served a 211-game suspension from August 2013 through the 2014 season for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal back in 2012. Ironically, Ortiz was accused of testing positive for steroids in 2003, but these allegations were never confirmed. Once the league implemented bans for using steroids in 2004, Rodriguez tested positive again eight years later and Ortiz remained clean for the rest of his career.
Upon their retirement from baseball, Rodriguez and Ortiz have remained close, becoming teammates at Fox Sports as MLB analysts.
The other retired Yankee great to give props to Ortiz on social media was Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.
“Congratulations @davidortiz. A true competitor, who played with tremendous passion and commanded an unbelievable presence at the plate,” wrote Rivera in an Instagram post. “May God’s favor continue to shine on you my brother! Dios te bendiga.”
Rivera faced Ortiz multiple times a year from 2003 to 2013 during the countless heated matchups between the Yankees and Red Sox. Rivera, who is arguably the greatest closer of all-time, became the only unanimous electee into the Hall of Fame in 2019 by receiving 100% of the vote. Regardless, Rivera’s post exemplifies the immense amount of respect that he has for one of his toughest opponents throughout his playing days in Ortiz.
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