Manny Ramirez did not receive a phone call from the folks at the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, but one of his former teammates and close friends did.
In addition to three-time World Series champion and 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star, David Ortiz now boasts the label of first-ballot Hall of Famer. The former Red Sox slugger received 77.9% of votes from BBWAA members, eclipsing the 75% threshold needed for enshrinement in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Shortly after Ortiz received the great news, Ramirez took to Instagram to congratulate his old running mate in Boston.
“Congratulations my brother @davidortiz,” the translated post reads, “with his well-deserved promotion to the Hall of Immortals of Major League Baseball, we feel more than honored, great pride and joy for all Dominicans what a blessing the years we played together were, they were unforgettable times! @God bless you @davidortiz”
As for Ramirez, he only received 28.9% of the vote for his sixth year on the ballot, a fraction of an uptick from the 28.2% he garnered in 2021. Ortiz admitted he’s “hurt” by the decision to keep Ramirez out of the Hall of Fame.
