BOSTON -- Curt Schilling, the big-game righty who guided three franchises to the World Series in his impressive career, could be poised to be elected into the Hall of Fame in his ninth year on the ballot.

The Hall of Fame released the 2021 ballot on Monday. And with none of the newcomers expected to gain entry, Schilling seems to have the best chance of the 25 candidates on the ballot.

A candidate needs votes from 75 percent of the ballots cast by Baseball Writers' Association of America members to get into the Hall of Fame.

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Last year, Schilling was named on 70 percent of the ballots and it was the second straight year he received the most votes of any candidate who didn’t get elected.

If Schilling doesn’t get enough support this year, he would be back on the ballot for the 10th and final time next year.

Roger Clemens, who won the first three of his seven Cy Young Awards while wearing a Red Sox uniform, is also on the ballot for the ninth time.

The Rocket got 61 percent of the votes last year and would have been a slam dunk for the Hall of Fame if not for allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens won 192 games in a Boston uniform, tied with Cy Young for the club record. He set an all-time single-game record with 20 strikeouts against the Mariners on April 29, 1986, and then tied his own record 10 years later in his final win for the Red Sox on Sept. 18, 1996, vs. the Tigers.

Another Red Sox player whose entry into the Hall of Fame has been stalled due to his association with PEDs is Manny Ramirez. The former slugger -- who was suspended twice in the latter years of his career for failing PED tests -- is on the ballot for the fifth time. Ramirez had a career OPS plus of 154 while hitting .312 with 555 homers and 1,831 RBIs. He played for the Red Sox from 2001-08, fueling the team to World Series titles in ’04 and ’07. Ramirez was selected on 28.2 percent of the ballots last year, his highest total so far.

Outfielder Shane Victorino and closer Billy Wagner are two others who had stints with the Red Sox who are on the ballot. This is the first year of eligibility for Victorino, was a core player in Boston’s 2013 World Series title. Victorino also won it all with the Phillies in '08.

When it comes to the 2021 ballot -- results of which will be announced on Jan. 26 -- all eyes will be on Schilling.

Perhaps the most clutch starting pitcher of his era, Schilling participated in the World Series four times for three franchises (Phillies, D-backs and Red Sox) and was on the winning side three times, twice with Boston.

While Schilling’s regular-season accomplishments were impressive enough (216-146, 3.46 ERA, 3,116 strikeouts), it was his utter brilliance in the postseason that truly sets him apart. In that ultra-pressurized environment of the playoffs, Schilling made 19 starts, going 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.

In an age when technology and information hadn’t taken over baseball like it has today, Schilling was a trend-setter. He was one of the first MLB players to bring a computer to work, and it was filled with data that was geared toward helping him beat the opposition. Schilling also had hand-written binders full of reports on every hitter he faced.

“I watched video of every pitch I threw like 300 times,” Schilling once told MLB.com.

For someone like Schilling, who has spent a lifetime absorbing and being awed by baseball history, the honor of being a Hall of Famer will surely be overwhelming if it eventually happens.