LEADING OFF: Big Papi takes center stage at Hall inductions

By The Associated Press

David Ortiz will certainly hear loud chants of “Big Papi!” on induction day at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Ortiz hit 541 home runs in 20 big league seasons and helped the Boston Red Sox win three World Series championhips. Joining Ortiz on stage will be three-time batting champion Tony Oliva and 283-game winner Jim Kaat. Also getting their due Sunday are: Dodgers great Gil Hodges, who managed the Mets to their first World Series title in 1969; Minnie Miñoso, a star with the White Sox in the 1950s; Buck O’Neil, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues and was a tireless advocate for the game; and Bud Fowler, a pioneering Black player who grew up in Cooperstown in the 1860s.