Seven new members were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Speechifying, poignance and remembrance were all done by Big Papi.
That's amazing!" The crowd was sprawled across the grounds at the Clark Sports Complex when David Ortiz started his speech. There were a lot of flags representing the Dominican Republic at the gathering.
When this year's round of results were announced in January, the first baseman was chosen on his first ballot. In his typically high-energy fashion, Ortiz thanked the baseball writers for the honor.
The Dominican-born player is the fourth Dominican-born player to be in the Hall of Fame.
"To all of my American friends, consider this as an open invitation to visit my island, because I have dual citizenship and I want you to know that," said the man with dual citizenship. The Dominican Republic has a unique taste. We have beautiful beaches where you can go when it's cold here.
Over the course of his 20-season MLB career, Ortiz bashed 541 homers while finishing in the top five of the American League's Most Valuable Player ballot for five straight seasons.
After the 1918 World Series win, Boston was given the nickname of the "Curse of the Bambino", meaning that they had not won a World Series in over a century. In Ortiz's second season with the club, the streak was broken. Boston had added two more titles by the time he left.
In the World Series, he went 16-for-16 at the plate with eight walks and was named the Most Valuable Player.
He did it all while living up to his nickname, Big Papi, which encapsulated the larger than life personality that was so often on display during his career.
He spoke in both English and Spanish. It's an amazing honor.
Tony Oliva, who won three batting titles, led the American League in hits five times and hit.302 over a 15-year career for the Twins, was one of two people who will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. During his speech, he alluding to the fact that moving on to the Red Sox was the best thing that could have happened to him, as well as suggesting that it was the worst thing that could have happened to him.
Still, still. "We didn't get to see you in Minnesota," he said.
The late Minnie Minoso was the first black Latino player in the American League or National League and he opened the doors for generations of Latino players. Minoso was one of the newest members of the hall of fame.
Sharon Rice-Minoso spoke on her husband's behalf, saying "Thank you, my friends, from the bottom of my heart"
Minoso and Buck O'Neil were both famous for their connection with fans and Minoso was just as famous for his career.
The Hall warmed up the gathering by showing a video of O'Neil singing "The greatest thing in all of my life is loving you" Two months before O'Neil's death, he spoke on behalf of 17 others who should have been included in the Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame.
O'Neil chose to celebrate those who made it in rather than be upset that he didn't.
O'Neil's niece said that his words would likely include the idea of priming. He saw a lot of the occurrences in his life as positive.
Jim Kaat's career spanned from 1959 to 1983 and he thanked those who helped along the way. Ted Williams and Julio Franco were the only players who faced Kaat.
During his career, Kaat racked up 16 Gold Gloves at the position, making him the best fielding pitcher of his era. He won the World Series with the St. LouisCardinals in 1982.
Kaat, who was selected by the Hall's era committee comprised of former players, executives and journalists expert on his era, said, "when your career is validation by players that you played against, the media people and club executives that actually saw you play, that's when your
Gil Hodges was also chosen. The 1969 World Series-winning edition of the New York club that before that campaign had never won more than 73 games is known as the "Amazin' Mets".
He died of a heart attack late in spring training. A popular choice for those pointing out Hall omissions, Hodges hit over 300 homers during his career, mostly for the Dodgers. The Dodgers moved to Los Angeles for the 1959 season.
"He was a very humble man, but he would be so proud to be here with the best of the best in baseball," said his daughter, who spoke on his behalf.
Bud Fowler is thought to be the first Black player in professional baseball. Fowler played for more than 50 teams in a career that spanned into the 20th century. He was sometimes forced to switch teams because his teammates wouldn't take the field with him.
Fowler passed away in 1913. "Some fans loved him, but many of his own teammates and opposing teammates didn't," said Dave. They did not want to play with a black person.
The Hall of Fame is 25 miles from Fowler's grave. The man said he went to Fowler's grave to make his speech.
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