The Hall of Fame voters sent a message to the baseball world Wednesday afternoon by denying all players listed on the ballot entry into Cooperstown.
In what was the most significant and most-telling vote in recent memory, the Baseball Writers of America slammed shut the doors to the hallowed grounds on a list that featured the all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, seven-time Cy Young award winner Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, who hit 609 home runs in his career.
It was the eighth time in the history of the Hall of Fame, and first time since 1996, where the writers did not elect a single player to Cooperstown.
Despite their gargantuan feats on the field, Bonds, Clemens and Sosa have all been linked to using performance-enhancing drugs during their careers. Clemens finished with 37.6 percent while Bonds finished with 36.2 percent, each approximately halfway to the needed 75-percent.
COMPLETE LIST OF 2013 HALL OF FAME RESULTS
“The standards for earning election to the Hall of Fame have been very high ever since the rules were created in 1936. We realize the challenges voters are faced with in this era,” Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson said in a statement.
“The Hall of Fame has always entrusted the exclusive voting privilege to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. We remain pleased with their role in evaluating candidates based on the criteria we provide.”
Clemens was not surprised by the outcome of the vote and took to Twitter to express his feelings.
“After what has been written and said over the last few years I’m not overly surprised,” Clemens posted. “To those who did take the time to look at the facts…we very much appreciate it.”
Sosa, who is the only player to hit 60 home runs in three seasons and won an MVP award, came in with 12.5 percent of the vote.
Other players appearing on the ballot for the first time, Mike Piazza (57.8), Curt Schilling (38.8) and Craig Biggio, failed to reach the 75 percent of votes that are required for entry into the Hall.
Biggio came the closest to enshrinement with 68 percent of voters naming him on their ballot. Biggio played for 20 years in the majors, all with the Astros, and is one of 28 players in baseball history with 3,000 hits.
While Piazza and Schilling never failed a test and have not been directly linked to performance enhancing drugs, they may have been lumped in with Bonds, Clemens and Sosa for playing during the same era as the juiced-up stars.
Piazza, who spent eight seasons with the Mets, is the all-time home run leader for catchers, having hit 352 of his 427 home runs at the position, and is a career .308 hitter.
Mets COO Jeff Wilpon expressed both disappointment and confidence about Piazza’s snub on Twitter.
“We hope in the not too distant future that Mike Piazza will take his rightful place in the [Baseball Hall of Fame,]” Wilpon said. “The statistics he compiled during his career as a catcher were unmatched by anyone in the history of the game. The statistics he compiled during his career as a catcher were unmatched by anyone in the history of the game”
Schilling’s candidacy was boosted by his stellar postseason play, but it ultimately was not enough to sway voters in his favor. The three-time World Series champion compiled a 216-146 record in the regular season but was 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in the postseason.
Other snubs included Jack Morris, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell, Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy.
Morris, who finished second in voting with 67.7 percent, will appear on the ballot for the 15th and final time next year. Murphy will not be eligible next year after failing to get in for the 15th straight season.
Not surprisingly, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro both fell well short of the 75 percent mark for the seventh and third time, respectively.
Despite admitting to using steroids during his career, Hall voters have not changed their tune on McGwire, whose percentage has dropped each year since 2010 and hit 16.9 this year.
Palmeiro, who is more famous for his finger-wagging show during congressional hearings in 2005, has not received more than 12.6 percent of the vote while being one of four players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs in his career. Palmeiro dropped to 8.8 percent this year.
asulla-heffinger@nypost.com