On January 22, 2003, David Ortiz signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox. The team hadn’t won a World Series championship since 1918. In the beginning months of his career with Boston he played a small role on the team, but in 2004 he ended up leading them to their first World Series win in 86 years.
In 2004, Ortiz became the first MLB designated hitter to earn the title of MVP. To beat the Angels in the American League Division, he hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning of Game 3. To beat the Yankees in the American League Championship, he hit a walk-off two-run home run in the 12th inning of Game 4 and a walk-off single in the 14th inning of Game 5. When the Red Sox needed him most, he delivered. They went on to win it all.
With the help of David Ortiz, the Red Sox also won World Series titles in 2007 and 2013. He was the World Series MVP in 2013 and joined the 500 Home Run Club in September of 2015. He has hit 541 home runs to date, 38 of them being this season. But Papi hasn’t just made a difference on the baseball field.
In 2005 Ortiz visited children in the Dominican Republic who had just received life-saving heart surgeries. He left feeling overwhelmed and wanting to help. After seeing how much those children were suffering, he created the David Ortiz Children’s Fund. The organization has saved more than 500 children’s lives in Boston and the Dominican Republic since 2005.
Ortiz is also known for helping Boston heal after the bombing that took place in April of 2013 at the Boston Marathon. On April 20, the first game back at Fenway Park after the bombing, Ortiz said, “This past week I don’t think there was one human being who wasn’t affected by what we got going on down here…” He told fans he wanted everyone to know what a great nation they live in, and to support each other through it all. He ended with a statement that became very famous, “This is our f*cking city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”
Papi is the face of Boston Strong. He is the best of the best; he never disappoints. He doesn’t just hit home runs. He has changed the sports culture in Boston, and he has changed the lives of so many children. On more than one occasion, he promised a child in need that he would hit a home run for them – and he delivered.
There’s a reason they call him Big Papi. When Ortiz started with the Red Sox, he tended to call people “papi” or “mami” if he couldn’t remember their name. They soon began to call him “Big Papi,” and the name stuck.
This weekend, from Friday, September 30th to Sunday, October 2nd, Boston celebrated Big Papi as he played in his final home stand of the regular season. After the playoffs, which will hopefully end with another World Series pennant for the Red Sox, David Ortiz will go into retirement.
Although the Red Sox lost two of their three games this weekend, their season isn’t over. The Red Sox are AL East Division Champions, and they are more than ready to take on the playoffs. The season isn’t over for David Ortiz or for Boston.
I was lucky enough to attend the Sox game on October 1st, which began with a ceremony including players from the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, and the Celtics. Also present were Boston marathon survivors (which included Jeff Bauman), Pete Frates, the face of the Ice Bucket Challenge, and the family of a young girl who Ortiz built a strong relationship with before she lost her life to cancer. It was a very special ceremony symbolizing a small portion of New England that Big Papi has made a big impact on.
On October 2nd, Papi’s final game of the regular season, an hour-long ceremony took place to honor the legend. The ceremony included exciting announcements that Ortiz will have a bridge and a street near Fenway named after him, the number 34 will be retired next year, and $1 million will be donated to the David Ortiz Children’s Fund to thank him for all that he’s done. Papi was also presented with customized L.L. Bean boots, a bat made of pure gold, and greeted by teammates past and present who had come to bid him goodbye.
During the ceremony, David Ortiz also took the time to give his thanks. This included a tearful thank you to his late mother, as well as thanks to his father, his wife and children, the Red Sox organization, his teammates (especially Pedro Martinez), the President of the Dominican Republic, the media, and most importantly, the fans. With a tip of his cap, he got down on one knee, saying, “At last, I want to thank all of you, the fans. Thank you, thank you so much.”
Well Big Papi… thank you. Boston is your city, and it always will be. We love you forever, #34.
