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NEW YORK – Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are the top candidates returning to the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame in a year with no favorites among the new names.
Schilling was third behind Derek Jeter and Larry Walker with 278 votes out of 397 last year, finishing with 70% and 20 fewer votes than needed in the Baseball Writers Association of America vote.
Clemens got 242 votes for 61% and Bonds 241 for 60.7%, both of which are well below the required 75%, which was 298 votes last year. Both were overwhelming favorites before steroid use suspicions.
Clemens denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs, and Bonds says he never knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs.
All three will make their ninth appearance on the BBWAA runoff this year, one under the cap. Omar Vizquel was next in last year’s vote with 209 votes for 52.6%.
Pitchers Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle and AJ Burnett and outfielder Torii Hunter are among the top newcomers to the ballot announced on Monday.
Zito was 165-143 with a 4.04 ERA for Oakland and San Francisco, including 23-5 in 2002. Hudson was 222-133 with a 3.49 ERA for Oakland, Atlanta and San Francisco.
Buehrle was 214-160 with a 3.81 ERA, pitching a perfect game for the Chicago White Sox against Tampa Bay on July 23, 2009 and a no-hitter for the White Sox against Texas on April 18, 2007. Burnett Was 164-157 and launched a no-hitter for the Marlins against San Diego on May 12, 2001.
Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glove center-back, averaged .277, 2,452 hits, 353 home runs and 1,391 RBI.
The vote will be announced on January 26, and all those elected will be included on July 25 along with Jeter and Walker, whose cheers have been postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Other names in the ballot: Andy Pettitte, Billy Wagner, Todd Helton, Jeff Kent, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu, Andruw Jones, Manny Ramírez, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa.
Newcomers also include Dan Haren, LaTroy Hawkins, Aramis Ramírez, Michael Cuddyer, Nick Swisher and Shane Victorino.
Voting for BBWAA members for 10 consecutive years or more must be submitted by December 31st.
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