The Baseball Writer's Association of America did something on Tuesday night that has not happened in eight years.
For the first time since 2013, there will be no players, managers, executives or the likes inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
This is the ninth-such occasion with zero inductees in the history of voting by the writers.
The closest to eclipsing the 75%-threshold was longtime Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Curt Schilling (71.1%). Schilling, outspoken in recent years on various hot-button political issues and personal stances, came 16 votes shy of enshrinement in Cooperstown.
On the field Schilling is remembered for numerous playoff efforts with all three of those franchises, but most notably his "Bloody Sock" performance with the Red Sox in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. Despite that, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Schilling said had he been elected, he would like to have gone in wearing a Phillies or Diamondbacks ballcap.
Other notable names who missed their date with destiny include homerun king Barry Bonds (61.8%), 300-game winner and 4,000-strikeout hurler Roger Clemens (61.6%) and perennial Gold Glovers Scott Rolen and Omar Vizquel (52.9% and 49.1%, respectively).
With COVID-19 cancelling the festivities for 2020's Class of Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and executive Marvin Miller, they instead will take center stage in Cooperstown this summer on Induction Ceremony weekend from July 23rd-26th.
