Renowned former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling is not surprised he was not selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
Schilling, who pitched for the Phillies, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks over the course of his 20-year career, told Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade that he was snubbed because of his support of conservative causes and former President Donald Trump.
“[The BBWAA] said it,” Schilling said. “They’ve come out and said it. What’s happening in this country, if you think back, Brian, in many ways, I think I was the domino that started it all in the cancel culture when I got fired from ESPN.”
The pitcher referenced how he was let go from ESPN in 2015 after posting a tweet that compared Islamic extremists to Nazis.
Curt, NO pic.twitter.com/k47jQn8Aa8
— Chris Lingebach (@ChrisLingebach) August 25, 2015
“[I’m] still trying to figure out what group I offended that votes, the terrorists or the Nazis, but no one has been able to tell me since,” Schilling said. “I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is.”
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The Red Sox’s David Ortiz was the only player voted into the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in 2022, with 307 “yes” votes out of 394 ballots, or 77.9%. At least 75% is required to be selected.
This year marked the final time that Schilling’s name will appear on BBWAA ballots. Schilling netted 58.6% of the votes.
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Roger Clemens, who pitched for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees, and Astros, also appeared for the last time. Clemens won seven Cy Young awards, more than any other MLB pitcher. Clemens has been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.
Both Schilling and Clemens still have a chance to be elected to the Hall of Fame when veterans committees vote in December for 2023 inductions.
