Baseball Legend Denied Hall of Fame Election (Again) Over Conservative Views

Baseball legend Curt Schilling has been denied entry as a member of the Hall of Fame for the eighth consecutive year, and many say it is clear why: he's a outspoken conservative who currently supports President Trump.

When Derek Jeter and Larry Walker were elected to the Hall of Fame last Tuesday, it was announced that Schilling had fallen just 20 votes short of election. Nearly 400 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America vote to elect players to the Hall of Fame. 75% of the members must vote for a player to earn election. Jeter earned 99.75% of the vote. Walker earned 76.57%. Schilling finished at just over 70%.

According to most baseball commentators, Schilling's qualifications to the Hall of Fame are not in question. He is considered among the most "clutch" pitchers to ever play the game. He played in four World Series, winning three times. He finished with over 200 wins and over 3,000 strikeouts.

In the postseason, however, he truly shined. Over his career, Schilling was 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

In 2004, he gave us one of the most memorable moments in baseball history. After falling behind 3-0 to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, Schilling took the mound for the Boston Red Sox in an attempt to even the series at three games a piece. The day before, he had a loose tendon in his ankle surgically reattached, and the sutures began to bleed during the game.

Despite a bleeding ankle, Schilling pitched a masterful game, and the Red Sox evened the series. The next day, the Red Sox won Game Seven to win the World Series.

His accolades and statistics make him worthy of the Hall of Fame, but his political views - especially those voiced in his years after baseball - appear to be a sticking point with some media members who vote for Hall induction.

Schilling hosts a podcast with Breitbart News, and he is outspoken on social media on politics and social issues. In 2015, he was suspended by ESPN for comparing Islamic radicals to Nazis. In 2016, he was fired by the network for criticizing transgender people.

After Jeffrey Epstein's suicide last year, Schilling made it clear he believed the Clintons were responsible for his death.

All of these opinions and his conservative worldview have led to backlash, and baseball pundits have made it clear Schilling's outspoken stance is causing liberal media members to refuse to vote him to the Hall of Fame.

Even President Trump took up Schilling's case in 2019, saying he should be in the Hall. 

Curt Schilling deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Great record, especially when under pressure and when it mattered most. Do what everyone in Baseball knows is right! @marklevinshow

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2019

In an interview with Fox News’ Mark Levin, Schilling said he believed his politics has led to a snub from liberal baseball writers who vote. “I mean, it’s not a guess. People that have not voted for me specifically because of the things I’ve said or did, they’ve said it," he said. "They’ve come out and said, ‘I can’t vote for him because of what he said and what he did.'”

Although Schilling has fallen short of Hall induction eight times, his support has been growing each year, as more voters realize it is hard to deny a player of his stature.

One sports writer who votes for Hall of Fame induction seemed to admit that some sports writers do indeed hold Schilling’s politics against him.

Forbes sports columnist Barry M. Bloom admitted that he is now finally voting for Curt Schilling to get into the Hall of Fame, even though he believes he is a “right-wing, reactionary, demagogue.”

Many pundits feel that Schilling will finally be elected to the Hall of Fame next year, as he finally appears to finally have momentum with voters.