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David Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first turn on the ballot, while steroid-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied entry to Cooperstown in their final year under consideration by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Ortiz, a clutch slugger and 10-time All-Star over 20 seasons mostly with the Boston Red Sox, was named on 77.9% of ballots unveiled Tuesday night, clearing the 75% threshold needed for enshrinement. He’s the fourth primary designated hitter voted into the Hall.

Big Papi was among baseball’s most recognizable faces through the 2000s and 2010s. His enormous grin endeared him to fans, but the Dominican’s hulking frame menaced pitchers, especially in the late innings. He had 23 game-ending hits, including three during the 2004 postseason while Boston ended an 86-year World Series drought.

He’s also the fourth player born in the Dominican Republic, joining Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero.

Ortiz also has PED baggage, but enough voters chose to ignore a positive test that came during survey testing in 2003 that was supposed to be anonymous. Ortiz has denied using steroids, and Commissioner Rob Manfred said in 2016 “I think it would be wrong” to exclude him from the Hall of Fame based on that lone test.

For the second time in four years, the Rams are headed to the Super Bowl.

Led by Matthew Stafford under center and a run-stopping defense, the Rams closed the NFC Championship Game with 13 unanswered points to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17.

Up next are the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI on February 13.

Stafford, who threw for 337 yards, took over with 6:49 to play in a 17-17 ballgame. He calmly marched the ball down the length of the field, hitting all five of his pass attempts on the drive and setting up kicker Matt Gay for the eventual game-winning field goal from 30 yards out.

Los Angeles got another monster game from star wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who caught 11 balls for 142 yards and hauled in both of Stafford’s TD tosses. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was also fantastic in the Rams’ passing game, finishing with nine catches and 142 yards. LA’s defense, meanwhile, limited San Francisco to just 50 yards rushing.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisbergerhas retired at the age of 39. The No. 11 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft out of Miami University won two Super Bowls in Pittsburgh and was a six-time Pro Bowler.

“Big Ben” played in 249 regular-season games, 23 postseason games and three Super Bowls. He retires while sitting at No. 5 on the all-time passing list with 64,088 yards — one spot behind Brett Favre and right above Philip Rivers.

The 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year made his mark on the Steelers immediately, as he led Pittsburgh to the most wins ever recorded by a rookie with 15. Later, he became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win 100 games in the first 150 starts of his career. Roethlisberger also holds the NFL record for most career 500-yard passing games with four.

“I don’t know how to put into words what the game of football has meant to me, and what a blessing it has been,” Roethlisberger said.

The last-remaining quarterback from the legendary 2004 class, Roethlisberger threw for 3,740 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his final regular season. His 249 regular-season games are the most of any player in franchise history. He went 165-81-1 in the regular season while compiling the fifth-most regular-season wins in NFL history.

Next stop for Roethlisberger? Most likely Canton. Bet on it.

The Dallas Cowboys got off on the wrong foot before their wild card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch’s name was misspelled on the back of his No. 55 jersey during pregame warmups. The “c” and “s” were transposed in his last name. Vander Esch was still wearing the botched jersey in the game.

The fourth-year player is in the final year of his rookie contract after the Cowboys didn’t exercise the fifth-year option in their first-round pick from 2018. Vander Esch was the 19th overall choice.

While his future with the Cowboys remains a question, Vander Esch has had a solid season playing in the shadow of linebacker Micah Parsons, who shattered the club rookie record with 13 sacks. Parsons is a favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.