Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hits his 755th career home run against the San Diego Padres on August 4, 2007, in San Diego. The all-time home run champ was among the 37 eligible players denied entry into the sport's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, January 9. It's only the eighth time no player received enough votes.
(CNN) -- Baseball writers balked at naming any new players to the sport's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, with none of the 37 eligible players drawing enough votes for a ticket to Cooperstown.
The 2013 ballot marked the first year of eligibility for several players who have been named in the probes of performance-enhancing drug use in the major leagues, including all-time home run champ Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens.
It's only the eighth time that no player received the 75% support needed to enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and several of the voters said the results reflected the Baseball Writers Association of America's ambivalence about the sport's "steroid era."
"This is really a statement on an era, and it's really a sad day for baseball," BBWAA voter Jon Heyman told the sport's in-house MLB Network. Heyman said he expected the writers who choose hall members would "basically split" on Bonds and Clemens, "and we're not split. It was two-thirds to one-third against."
The concerns about players who were linked to steroids "has hurt some of the clean guys" as well, Heyman said.
The head of the players' union, Michael Weiner, said the decision was unfair.
"To ignore the historic accomplishments of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, for example, is hard to justify," he said. "Moreover, to penalize players exonerated in legal proceedings, and others never even implicated, is simply unfair. The Hall of Fame is supposed to be for the best players to have ever played the game."
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Longtime Sports Illustrated baseball writer Tom Verducci said it wouldn't matter if a player was a Hall of Fame caliber player before baseball had its steroid use problems.
"Based on your career win totals or home run totals, that doesn't give you the green light then to go ahead and cheat the game and those who played it, (making it) an unfair game."
The top vote-getter on the 2013 ballot was longtime Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, who racked up more than 3,000 hits in a two-decade career. Biggio received 68% of the vote, falling 39 votes short of election, Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson announced.
Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing drugs, and in 2012, a federal jury acquitted him of lying to Congress during an investigation of steroid use. Bonds, who topped Hank Aaron's home run mark in 2007, was sentenced to two years of probation and 30 days of house arrest for obstruction of justice in another federal probe; he also has denied using performance-enhancing drugs.
Other players on the ballot who were linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs over the past two decades included Mark McGwire, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger who broke the sport's single-season home run record in 1998; the Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa, McGwire's major rival in that season-long chase; and four-time All-Star Rafael Palmeiro.
In 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids during his record-breaking season. Palmeiro was once slapped with a suspension after a positive drug test but denied using any banned substances. Sosa denied using steroids during a congressional hearing but did not respond to requests for an interview by staffers for former Sen. George Mitchell, who led a probe of steroid use in the major leagues in 2007.
Fans' reactions were mixed.
"I think it's utter nonsense," said Darin McAuliffe, an Atlanta IT consultant. "I think if you're going to be paid tens of millions of dollars a year, you're going to do what you need to do to stay at the top of your game. And the average Joe gets that. And their owners demand that."
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But Carl Bauer, who commented on the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Facebook page, said the voters got it right.
"I think people confuse the Hall of Fame and Museum with getting a plaque from the Baseball Writers (Association) of America," he wrote. "All the steroid cheaters (specifically Bonds, Clemens, McGwire, Sosa and Palmeiro, etc.) have their accomplishments represented in the Hall of Fame. So the history of baseball, and their history in baseball, is represented. However, we do not need to honor these cheaters and lawbreakers with a plaque."
Matt Roe, a Cardinals fan who was hanging out at The Post Sports Bar and Grill in Maplewood, Missouri, said he thought some of those on the ballot were punished for the supposed actions of another.
"The fact that nobody got inducted is kind of like the sports writers were making a point out of Barry Bonds," he said.
Like Bonds and Clemens, Sosa was in his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame. McGwire was on the ballot for a seventh time and Palmeiro, a third.
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Former pitcher Jack Morris received 67.7% of the vote. Morris, who won 254 games in his career, gets one more crack next year, as players are eligible for 15 ballots, beginning five years after they retire.
One of the players who won't be on next year's ballot is Dale Murphy, a two-time Most Valuable Player who spent most of his career with the Atlanta Braves.
The fact that no one was voted in this year could muddle the ballot for 2014, when pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux will be added to the ballot, as will slugger Frank Thomas.
Three people will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 28. In December a special panel that looks at people whose career ended before 1947 voted in Jacob Ruppert, the New York Yankees owner who bought Babe Ruth's contract in 1919; former umpire Hank O'Day; and Deacon White, a catcher in the 19th century.
CNN's Phil Gast and David Close contributed to this story.
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Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees pitches against the Cleveland Indians during Game Three of the American League Division Series in New York on October 7, 2007.
Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa, right, is congratulated at the plate by his teammates after scoring in a game against the San Francisco Giants on August 10, 2001, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals waves to fans after hitting his 70th home run of the 1998 season during a game against the Montreal Expos. He broke the single-season home-run record in a race against rival Sammy Sosa.
First baseman Rafael Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers swings at a Kansas City Royals pitch in 2003. He was on he Hall of Fame ballot for the third time in 2013.
Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros lines up for batting practice during a workout ahead of the 2005 World Series in Chicago.
Third baseman Jeff Cirillo of the Seattle Mariners throws the ball during a game against the Minnesota Twins in Seattle on July 4, 2002.
Sandy Alomar Jr. of the Colorado Rockies catches a pitch during a 2002 game against the Cincinnati Reds in Denver.
Second baseman Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros waves to fans after his 3,000th career hit against the Colorado Rockies on June 28, 2007, in Houston.
New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza takes a swing during a game against the Chicago Cubs on April 25, 2004, at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Shortstop Royce Clayton of the Cincinnati Reds bunts against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 29, 2006, at Dodger Stadium.
Todd Walker of the Chicago Cubs flips over a Washington Nationals player after throwing the ball on a double play during a game in Chicago on May 18, 2006.
Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners is greeted by fans as he takes a lap around the field during a post-game ceremony honoring his career as a Mariner on October 2, 2004.
Jose Mesa of the Colorado Rockies delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 9, 2006, in St. Louis.
Ryan Klesko of the San Francisco Giants makes contact with the ball against the San Diego Padres on August 5, 2007, in San Diego.
Left fielder Jeff Conine of the Florida Marlins celebrates a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in Miami on July 29, 2004.
New York Mets pitcher Roberto Hernandez throws against the Houston Astros in New York on April 11, 2005.
Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees hits a pitch during Game Five of the 1995 American League Divisional Series against the Seattle Mariners on October 8, 1995.
Rondell White of the Montreal Expos tries to catch a long fly ball during a game against the New York Mets in Flushing, New York, on July 12, 1998.
Julio Franco of the Atlanta Braves takes a swing during a game against the San Francisco Giants on July 25, 2007, in San Francisco.
Kenny Lofton of the Cleveland Indians runs back to the dugout after making a catch to end the inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game Four of the American League Championship Series on October 16, 2007, in Cleveland.
Jack Morris of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch during a 1992 game.
Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves throws the ball to the infield during a game against the San Diego Padres in 1987.
Outfielder Reggie Sanders of the Cincinnati Reds takes a turn at bat during a spring training game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Sarasota, Florida, on March 7, 1998.
Aaron Sele of the Anaheim Angels pitches against the Baltimore Orioles on August 10, 2004, in Anaheim, California.
Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees prepares to bat against the Los Angeles Angels during Game Five of the American League Division Series on October 10, 2005.
Outfielder Tim Raines of the Montreal Expos drops his bat and prepares to run during a 1989 game.
Lee Smith of the Chicago Cubs pitches during a game against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in a 1986 game in San Diego.
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shawn Green hits his fourth home run of the day against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 23, 2002, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Pitcher David Wells of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore on July 3, 2000.
Fred McGriff of the Chicago Cubs celebrates during a game against the New York Mets at Wrigley Field in Chicago on April 10, 2002.
Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox tips his hat to the crowd as he leaves the game in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies during Game Two of the 2007 World Series at Fenway Park on October 25, 2007, in Boston.
Alan Trammell of the Detroit Tigers fields a ground ball during a game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum on June 25, 1996, in Oakland, California.
Mike Stanton of the New York Yankees pitches against the Boston Red Sox during a game at Yankee Stadium on June 2, 2002.
Larry Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals hits an RBI double in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox during Game One of the 2004 World Series on October 23, 2004, at Fenway Park in Boston.
Pitcher Woody Williams of the St. Louis Cardinals takes his place on the mound during Game One of the 2004 World Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 23, 2004, at Fenway Park.
Steve Finley of the Colorado Rockies takes a lead off third base against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on May 10, 2007, in Denver.
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