David Freese announces he is declining induction into St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
The author of some of the most shocking moments in St. Louis Cardinals history delivered another unexpected twist to his baseball story on Saturday.
David Freese, Most Valuable Player of both the National League Championship Series and World Series in 2011, announced that he was withdrawing from his induction into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
Freese was elected by the fans this spring and was set to enter the Hall of Fame with José Oquendo (organizational decision) and Max Lanier (Red Ribbon committee). Those two will still be honored on August 19. Scott Rolen, elected by the members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to the Baseball Hall of Fame this winter, will be celebrated at Busch Stadium on August 18.
“This is something that I have given an extreme amount of thought to, humbly, even before the voting process began,” Freese said in a statement. “I am aware of the impact I had helping the team bring great memories to the city I grew up in, including the 11th championship, but this honor means more to me.”
He added, “I look at who I was during my tenure, and that weighs heavily on me. The Cardinals and the entire city have always had my back in every way. I’m forever grateful to be part of such an amazing organization and fan base then, now and in the future.
“I’m especially sorry to the fans that took the time to cast their votes. Cardinal Nation is basically the reason why I’ve unfortunately waited so long for this decision and made it more of a headache for so many people. I feel strongly about my decision and understand how people might feel about this. I get it. I’ll wear it. Thank you for always being there for me, and I am excited to be around the Cardinals as we move forward.”
Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III said, “although we are disappointed that David has declined to be inducted into our Hall of Fame, we respect his decision and look forward to celebrating his great Cardinals career in other ways going forward. He is always welcome at Busch Stadium.”
Freese is the first known player to decline his induction into the team’s Hall of Fame, which opened in 2014. Beginning in 2021, the team transitioned from inducting two players per year via fan vote to one; 2023 will now be the first year in which no one who was inducted was selected by the fans.
Other finalists this year were Joaquin Andújar, Steve Carlton, Matt Morris, Edgar Renteria. The voting period lasted eight weeks and, according to the Cardinals, drew more than 40,000 votes, of which Freese received a plurality.
Born and raised in suburban Wildwood and a graduate of Lafayette High School, Freese was traded to the Cardinals for Jim Edmonds following the 2007 season. Edmonds and Freese would have been the second pair of Cardinals Hall of Fame inductees to be traded for each other, following Rogers Hornsby and Frankie Frisch.
Freese batted .286 with 44 home runs spread across five seasons in St. Louis, but it was the postseason where he made his unmistakable mark. According to Baseball Reference, Freese was responsible for a mark of 68.3% championship probability added in the 2011 World Series; his game-tying triple and game-winning home run in the ninth and eleventh innings of game six are among the most memorable plays in the history of a team with 11 world championships.
Since retiring after the 2019 season, Freese has lived with his family in Austin, Tex.
