Ortiz: I have 'faith' Schilling will be elected to HOF this year

At least one of Curt Schilling's former teammates is in his corner this Hall of Fame season.

Legendary Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz believes Schilling will be elected to Cooperstown in his final turn on the writers' ballot - despite the former pitcher's public wishes to have his name removed from consideration.

"Every time I think about what he did in (2004), I would pay what I don't have to play with a teammate like that," Ortiz said of Schilling on Wednesday, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com.

Ortiz - who's making his debut on the Hall of Fame ballot this winter - added that he has "faith" Schilling will be on the podium next July.

Schilling enjoyed a dominant 20-year career on the mound, primarily with the Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies. He authored three 300-strikeout seasons and twice led the majors in innings pitched, while his 3,116 strikeouts rank 15th all time.

He's also one of the best postseason pitchers of all time after posting a 2.23 ERA in the playoffs and winning three World Series titles; he was named the 1993 NLCS MVP and 2001 World Series co-MVP.

Schilling appeared to be making strides in recent Hall of Fame votes and garnered a new high of 71.1% on last year's ballot. But his public support of the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., led many Hall of Fame voters to drop their support of his candidacy. Some even went so far as to ask for their ballots back.

Schilling requested that his name be removed from the writers' ballot after he was not elected this past January in his ninth year of eligibility. The Baseball Writers' Association of America denied his request and is including him on the 2022 ballot.

Should he not be elected on Jan. 25, Schilling will become eligible to appear on the Today's Game Era Committee ballot, which will next be contested in December 2022.

He'd prefer a plaque that depicts him in a Diamondbacks hat if he is elected to the Hall of Fame.