David Ortiz's hit, "Big Papi" 1:54
(CNN Spanish) --
The new generation of former baseball players eligible for the Hall of Fame has a Latin legend: David Ortiz.
The Dominican entered the prestigious club in his first opportunity to be immortalized in Cooperstown, New York.
The idol of the Boston Red Sox was chosen in the vote of the Baseball Writers Association of North America (BBWAA for its acronym in English).
Only BBWAA members with 10 years or more of seniority could pay.
David Ortiz, known as Big Papi, spent the first five years of his career with the Minnesota Twins and closed his career with the Boston Red Sox after 13 years with the Red Sox.
He won the World Series three times with Boston and was named Most Valuable Player in the 2013 definition. He was also selected to 10 All-Star Games, won seven Silver Sluggers and led the American League in home runs in 2006. The Dominican has already He is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame and his iconic number 34 was retired by the Boston team.
He is the fourth Dominican in history to enter the Hall of Fame.
BIG PAPI, forever IMMORTAL!
🇩🇴👏
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25 years after @davidortiz's debut, he has been elected to the @LasMayores Hall of Fame.
You are an idol, pride and inspiration for all!#MLBDominicana pic.twitter.com/j4yUA2QEWW
– Dominican MLB (@MLBDominicana) January 25, 2022
In 2019, Ortiz was shot in the back by a gunman while he was sitting on a crowded patio at Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
The bullet tore through his lower back, piercing his intestines and lower organs before striking his friend, television personality Jhoel LĂłpez, in the leg.
Ortiz will be joined in the Hall of Fame class of 2022 by Era Committee elect Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso, Tony Oliva, Bud Fowler and Buck O'Neil.
To earn induction into the Hall of Fame, players must be named on at least 75% of the ballots cast by eligible members of the BBWAA.
Steve Almasy contributed to this report