David Ortiz joined the Baseball Hall of Fame with six others on Sunday, earning his rightful place among the game’s greats after a career filled with magical moments.
The Boston Red Sox began playing at Fenway Park in 1912. More than 60 years later, Carlton Fisk gave the park its signature image, brandishing a fly-ball fest. Nearly four decades passed before that moment’s rivalry came: a golden gauntlet falls over the short fence of the right field, the “bulls cop” with his arms raised in the air, like a band of shaggy beards, Castoff veterans bring hope to the city after its darkest moment .
The man who masterminded this magic arrived in Boston a decade ago as someone who showed some pop in his racket, but otherwise had an unremarkable career. David Ortiz He was once a “later to be named player” in the trade. He was released by the Minnesota Twins, the organization with which he spent his first six seasons in the major leagues, in 2002. The Red Sox signed him on a one-year deal, worth $1.25 million. The rest, as they say, is history.
Once in Boston, Ortiz blossomed into “Big Papy,” the symbol of the franchise that took its place among the other game greats in Cooperstown on Sunday. Ortiz hit 483 out of 541 teammates with the Red Sox, made 10 All-Stars, and led the league twice in the RBI. But even these statistics do not fully reflect what he meant for the city and the organization.
In 2004, the Red Sox was still afflicted with the “Bambino Curse”. They haven’t won a world championship in 86 years. The drought looked set to continue for another year as the hated New York Yankees advanced 3-0 in the ALCS. No team in MLB history has ever come back from a severe deficit streak. But the Red Sox had Ortiz, and with the club needing a champion, he stepped up.
Ortiz won the second round of the right-field field trip at the bottom of the twelfth inning, winning the fourth game. The biggest comeback in baseball history has been going on. It was Ortiz who opened the scoring in Game 7 with Homer in two rounds as the Red Sox knocked out the Yankees, and went on to play the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The first runs were made by – from last – Ortiz, who hit the three-stroke homer down the right field line. The Cardinal did not take the lead at the Fall Classic. The 86-year wait is over.
The 2013 World Championship title cemented Ortiz’s legacy in Boston
The 2004 title, and another in 2007, made Ortiz a fan favorite in Boston and throughout New England. But in 2013 he became a legend.
Red Sox 2012 was a disaster to fear. They finished last in the division for the first time in 20 years and had their worst record since 1965. Manager Bobby Valentine was fired after just one season. John Farrell, the field coach for the 2007 World Championships, was brought in along with a host of veterans including Johnny Gomez, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and David Ross.
On April 15, the Red Sox had just completed a victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in their annual Patriots Day game to go 8-4 on the season. Less than an hour later, a bomb went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The city shook. He once again needed a savior, and so was Ortiz.
Five days later, before their first game at Fenway Park, Ortiz took the microphone and addressed the crowd. “This is our royal city,” he said. The team and the city never looked back.
Six months later, after dropping the first game of the ALCS to the Detroit Tigers, the Red Sox were trailing again 5-1 heading down the eighth inning. Dustin chose Pedroia with two ends to load the bases, and Ortiz who climbed higher represented the bound run to avoid a 2-0 fall in the series. On the first pitch he saw from Tigers assistant Joaquin Benoit, Ortiz sent the ball deep into a Boston night. Torii Hunter tried to chase him and ran at full speed into the wall. The shot fell into the bulls. The game was tied up, and the series returned. These will be the only four games Ortiz will lead as the Red Sox have won in six games, and are once again advancing to face the Cardinals at the World Championships where Ortiz has performed all-time.
Ortiz went 11-16 in a six-game win over the Cardinal as this squad of players of color brought the title back to a besieged city. The World Championship has been played since 1903. Ortiz’s 1,948 OPS hit average was the second highest in a four-game streak, behind only Barry Bonds in 2002. Only Billy Hatcher of the Reds in 1990 had a hit average higher than Ortiz .688 . He fulfilled his promise to the city and became a Boston legend on par with Paul Revere and Samuel Adams.
Ortiz retired in 2016, bringing three World Championship titles to an organization that hadn’t had any in the previous eight decades. The impact he made was reflected in the host of Red Sox fans who made the trip to Cooperstown on Sunday, by his teammates who were there to celebrate his big moment. There was Pedro Martinez as Ortiz inducted him into the Hall of Fame, and so was Pedroia, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell. Ortiz took a moment At the end of his speech to thank fans for everything they meant to him.
“When I think of Boston, I definitely think of 2004, 2007 and of course 2013,” Ortiz said. “After the city was so shaken by the Marathon bombing, I’ve never seen a community reunited like Boston once more.” “When I think of Boston, I also think of the last game I played. Standing in that field in Fenway Park. I felt like an entire New England city and every one of you was surrounding me and was showing me all your love. I’ll always be Boston, and I’ll always be there for you Boston.” “.
There has never been a player like Ortiz in the long history of the Red Sox. Ted Williams’ relationship with fans has been controversial and he refused to come out for a curtain call after his last home run. Carl Yastrzemski wore the Red Sox uniform for more than two decades, but couldn’t bring a title to Boston.
Not only was Ortiz lovable, his wide smile as familiar to Red Sox fans as his great swing, but he changed the tide of the franchise. The ‘damn’ is broken. The Red Sox were the champions, and Ortiz was the one who led the way.
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