David Ortiz, who gave fans so many reasons to cheer during his remarkable 14-year career with the Boston Red Sox, stood on the field at Fenway Park for one final salute Monday night.
Unlike so many others, it did not come after one of Ortiz’s signature clutch hits propelling the Sox to a win. Rather, it followed a season-ending 4-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians.
It was anything but the fairy-tale ending to Ortiz’s storied career in Boston hoped for by fans. Still, they stayed in the park after the players had left the field, calling out “Papi, Papi.” Ortiz emerged one final time, walked to the pitcher’s mound and, with tears in his eyes, waved his cap in a final goodbye. And so the career of one of the most remarkable athletes in Boston sports history ended.
The statistics suggest that Ortiz will be enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. During his 20-year career (the first six in Minnesota) Ortiz hit 541 home runs — the 17th most in Major League Baseball history. Ortiz finished ahead of iconic sluggers such as Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams.
In his final season, at age 40 and on aching feet that slowed him, Ortiz still was one of the game’s top hitters, leading the American League with a .620 slugging percentage.
But the numbers alone do not define Ortiz’s legacy. His knack for game-winning hits at the most critical time endeared him to fans. Over two unforgettable nights in October 2004, Ortiz’s home run won Game 4 of the American League Championship series against New York, and his single in the 14th inning gave the Red Sox another victory in Game 5 as Boston was on its way to an unprecedented comeback after being down 0-3 to the Yankees. On Oct. 27, 2004, Boston won its first World Series in 86 years, in large part due to Ortiz.
He led the Sox to two more championships in 2007 and 2013, and along the way his can-do attitude and the joy he brought to the game helped redefine the character of Red Sox Nation as it moved on from eternal pessimism. But that doesn’t fully explain the way in which Ortiz embraced the larger community, in good times and bad. Beyond his baseball heroics, Ortiz likely will best be remembered for an expletive-not-deleted delivery to a crowd at Fenway Park, and thousands more watching on television.
It was April 20, 2013, five days after the Boston Marathon bombing, the city was on edge and emotions ran high. In remarks near the end of a pregame ceremony, Ortiz famously said: “This is our f— city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.” Ortiz expressed the sentiments of many as the healing began.
Ortiz’s charitable work reflects a commitment both to his native Dominican Republic and his adopted New England. The David Ortiz Children’s Fund, which has raised some $2 million during the past decade, partners with the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and the World Pediatric Project to help children in the Dominican Republic and New England who otherwise would not have access to needed medical care, which in some cases is lifesaving surgery.
Ortiz addressed Red Sox Nation in a farewell note he posted on social media Wednesday: “Never forget what we did … I may not be in uniform anymore, but these teams were never bout one guy … It was always about the Team. And I will ALWAYS be a part of Red Sox Nation.”
Big Papi, your now-retired No. 34 hanging at Fenway Park will be a constant reminder of how many lives you enriched.