One year after he asked to have his name removed from consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame, and ten years after he first started earning votes, former pitcher Curt Schilling will see his name erased from consideration. The Baseball Writers Association of America did not give the 216-game winner enough support to earn election.
The failure is the tenth and final time Schilling can be on the BBWAA ballot for the Hall of Fame. His fate will now rest with the era committees that consider former players who were not anointed to Cooperstown through “the front door.”
Schilling lashed out at the voting process in January of 2021 after he fell 16 votes of getting the 75% needed to be elected. In a statement he released on social media, a cranky Schilling requested to have his name completely removed from the ballot for 2022, an unprecedented reaction from a candidate.
“First off, I am not sure I can express my level of gratitude and sincere appreciation at the graciousness, kindness and desire on all your parts to help me navigate this process,” Schilling said in a message to the Hall of Fame. “I can say at this point I am mentally done. I know math and I know trends and I know I will not attain the 75% threshold for induction.”
Schilling went on to write: “I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player. I don’t think I’m a Hall of Famer, as I’ve often stated, but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.”
The Hall of Fame refused to appease the former pitcher, noting that he had satisfied all requirements to be considered on the ballot, and that history supported the BBWAA to compile a ballot each year, not one that complied with wishes of the Hall of Fame nor the candidates themselves.
After falling 16 votes shy in his ninth try in 2021, Schilling got 58.6 percent this year. The next time he can be considered for election by a eras committee is December of 2024.
Schilling may not think he’s deserving of a plaque in Cooperstown, but he rates among the most efficient and effective starting pitchers in history. His strikeout-to-walk ratio rates 11th all-time, and he’s one of only four pitchers (whose careers have been completed) to record as many as 3,000 K’s and also allow fewer than 1,000 walks. The others are Fergie Jenkins, Greg Maddux, and Pedro Martinez.
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Baseball Hall of Fame Election Results: 2022
| PLAYER | YEAR ON BALLOT | VOTES | VOTE PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Ortiz | 1st | 307 | 77.9 |
| Barry Bonds | 10th | 260 | 66.0 |
| Roger Clemens | 10th | 257 | 65.2 |
| Scott Rolen | 5th | 249 | 63.2 |
| Curt Schilling | 10th | 231 | 58.6 |
| Todd Helton | 4th | 205 | 52.0 |
| Billy Wagner | 7th | 201 | 51.0 |
| Andrew Jones | 5th | 163 | 41.1 |
| Gary Sheffield | 8th | 160 | 40.6 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 1st | 135 | 34.3 |
| Jeff Kent | 9th | 129 | 32.7 |
| Manny Ramirez | 6th | 114 | 28.9 |
| Omar Vizquel | 5th | 94 | 23.9 |
| Sammy Sosa | 10th | 73 | 18.5 |
| Andy Pettitte | 4th | 42 | 10.7 |
| Jimmy Rollins | 1st | 37 | 9.4 |
| Bobby Abreu | 3rd | 34 | 8.6 |
| Mark Buehrle | 2nd | 23 | 5.8 |
| Torri Hunter | 2nd | 21 | 5.3 |
| Joe Nathan | 1st | 17 | 4.3 |
| Tim Hudson | 2nd | 12 | 3.0 |
| Tim Lincecum | 1st | 9 | 2.3 |
| Ryan Howard | 1st | 8 | 2.0 |
| Mark Teixeira | 1st | 6 | 1.5 |
| Jonathan Papelbon | 1st | 5 | 1.3 |
| Justin Morneau | 1st | 5 | 1.3 |
| Prince Fielder | 1st | 2 | 0.5 |
| A.J. Pierzynski | 1st | 2 | 0.5 |
| Carl Crawford | 1st | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jake Peavy | 1st | 0 | 0.0 |
