Does the MLB Hall of Fame Hate Republicans?

Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey and Piazza were revealed as the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 during a live show on MLB Network on Wednesday. The induction ceremony itself will be held Sunday, July 24th.

Griffey set a record for the highest vote percentage. People on social media spent most of Wednesday saying how the three voters that didn’t vote for Griffey are an absolute disgrace. I can’t disagree. Meanwhile, Piazza appeared on 83.0 percent of the ballots.

Griffey had the following to say regarding his reaction to the announcement:

Nervous,” Griffey said about his reaction to getting the call. “It’s just one of those things where I can’t control — I can control how I play, how I do things — but I can’t control what other people do for you. It’s just a waiting game. It was quite a ride, but to get that call, it’s just unbelievable.”

Who remembers the 1995 ALDS game five homerun in the eight inning against the Yankees? I know I do like it was yesterday.

Griffey was an incredible player to watch. That swing was one of the prettiest swings that I’ve ever seen.

Piazza, who was on the ballot for the fourth year, one could argue is the greatest offensive catcher in baseball history. He retired with 2,127 hits, 427 home runs, and 1,335 RBIs in his career. Piazza spoke about the honor it is to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

It’s a tremendous honor. I just want to say thank you very much to all the writers for their support. It’s just overwhelming. Very honored and I’m a huge student of the game as far as the history of the game, so this is just something for me that, really, words can’t describe. And going in with a great player such as Ken Griffey Jr. makes it obviously special as well.”

One of Piazza’s biggest moments was in a post-9/11 New York, he launched a home run on an emotional night at Shea Stadium.

Players need to receive 75 percent of the vote for induction.

Here are the voting results from the BBWAA website for the players that had at least five percent of the vote.

Ken Griffey Jr. – 99.3 percent
Mike Piazza – 83.0 percent

Jeff Bagwell – 71.6 percent
Tim Raines – 69.8 percent
Trevor Hoffman – 67.3 percent
Curt Schilling – 52.3 percent
Roger Clemens – 45.2 percent
Barry Bonds – 44.3 percent
Edgar Martinez – 43.4 percent
Mike Mussina – 43.0 percent
Alan Trammell – 40.9 percent
Lee Smith – 34.1 percent
Fred McGriff – 20.9 percent
Jeff Kent – 16.6 percent
Larry Walker – 15.5 percent
Mark McGwire – 12.3 percent
Gary Sheffield – 11.6 percent
Billy Wagner – 10.5 percent
Sammy Sosa – 7.0 percent

You’ll notice on the list of those that didn’t make it were Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. As we mentioned in a prior article, Roy Halladay blasted Clemens and Bonds on twitter in regards to their suggested PED use, as it pertains to being elected in the hall of fame. Halladay didn’t hold back either.

Another controversial figure on the list of no’s was Curt Schilling. There’s been speculation that his views on politics are holding him back big time from being elected to the Hall of Fame. In fact Curt Schilling at one point even made the claim that because he was an outspoken Republican, it was costing him votes.

Schilling first made the claim on WEEI’s Dennis and Callahan show. Here’s what he said:

I think he got in because of (Greg) Maddux and (Tom) Glavine,” Schilling said of John Smoltz in January. “I think the fact that they won 14 straight pennants I think… his Swiss Army knife versatility… I think he got a lot of accolades for that, I think he got a lot of recognition for that and he’s a Hall of Famer so … and I think the other big thing is, I think he’s a Democrat, and so…,” Schilling said chuckling a bit. “I know that as a Republican that there’s some people that really don’t like that.”

Schilling once said in a tweet “The math is staggering when you get to the true #’s” in comparing the number of Muslims now that are Extremists to the number of Germans that were Nazi’s in 1940. He later deleted the tweet and was suspended from ESPN after a screengrab of the tweet circulated around the internet.

Does the fact that Schilling is an outspoken Republican cost him votes? It’s certainly possible. One thing is for sure and that is that he isn’t afraid to speak what’s on his mind.

At the end of the day though, the day belonged to Griffey and Piazza. The day that they get inducted will be one of their proudest moments in life.

What do you guys think? Did the Hall of Fame get it right? Let us know on social media and in the comments section.