Curt Schilling wrote a lengthy letter on Tuesday asking to be removed from the Hall of Fame ballot next year, but it does not sound like his request is going to be fulfilled.
Baseball Writers Association of America secretary and treasurer Jack O’Connell issued a statement on Wednesday responding to Schilling. O’Connell said removing Schilling from the 2022 ballot would be a violation of the rules put in place by the Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors. The BBWAA is urging the Hall of Fame to reject Schilling’s request.
Statement from BBWAA secretary/treasurer Jack O’Connell… pic.twitter.com/NoG1Z84TZV
— BBWAA (@officialBBWAA) January 27, 2021
The results of the Hall of Fame voting for 2021 were released on Tuesday. Not one player met the 75 percent minimum required for election, marking the ninth time no player was elected. Schilling received the most votes at 71 percent and is 16 away from making the Hall of Fame.
Schilling is tired of voters using his political views as a reason to not vote for him. He wrote a lengthy letter on Tuesday asking to be removed from the ballot next year and wants to only be judged by the veteran’s committee. You can read the full letter here.
Schilling is one of only 16 pitchers with 3,000-plus strikeouts in his career. His 216 wins are a bit low for some people, but he ranks third all-time in strikeout-to-walk ratio. The strongest case Schilling can make for Cooperstown is his 11-2 record and 2.23 ERA in the playoffs, where he was downright dominant.
This is not the first time Schilling has unloaded on Hall of Fame voters for holding his political views against him.
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