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David Ortiz

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David Ortiz
Boston Red Sox – No. 34
Designated Hitter
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
debut
September 2, 1997, for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics
(through June 11, 2007)
AVG.285
HR242
RBI805
H1,107
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

David Ortiz (IPA /or.ˈtis/, or roughly 'or-TEES', according to Latin American pronunciation) (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as David Américo Ortiz Arias), is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). Previously, Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002). Nicknamed "Big Papi," Ortiz has played in three All-Star Games and holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs.

History

Early career

David Ortiz shares a word with Toby Hall, then of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

In 1992, at the age of 17, Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners. Ortiz was traded to Minnesota in 1996, and made his debut in September 1997, then known as David Arias. After moving up and down from the majors to the minors, Ortiz hit .272 with 20 home runs and 75 RBI in 2002, when the Twins lost in the American League Championship Series to the Anaheim Angels.

2003

Along with Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar, Ortiz was a free agent signee for the Red Sox in 2003. Originally, Jeremy Giambi was assigned the primary role as DH/First Baseman, but his lackluster performance allowed Ortiz to step in. Additionally, the subsequent trade of Shea Hillenbrand to the Arizona Diamondbacks allowed Bill Mueller to play full time at third base, creating more playing time. Ortiz became the full time designated hitter and hit fifth in the batting order, collecting 21 home runs after the All-Star Game. He finished the season hitting .288 with 31 home runs and 101 RBI in only 128 games. Ortiz finished fifth in the American League MVP vote.

2004

In 2004, Ortiz was an integral part of the Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series after 86 years of not capturing a single world championship. This was Ortiz's second year with the Red Sox and his first year as their full-time designated hitter. During the season, Ortiz was voted onto the All-Star team for the first time in his career. Ortiz had multiple game-winning hits in the post-season to help Boston advance to and ultimately win the World Series. He hit a walk-off home run to win the American League Division Series against the Angels in addition to hitting a walk-off home run against the New York Yankees in Game 4 and a walk-off single in Game 5 during the American League Championship Series. His post-season heroics earned him MVP honors for the ALCS.

2005

  • In 2005 he set a new career record of 47 home runs in the season, 43 of them as designated hitter, beating Edgar Martinez's record of 37 set in 2000. Twenty of his home runs either tied or gave Boston the lead, and over the period 2003-2005, he hit .326, with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs in only 221 at bats in the late innings of close games. He also led the American League in RBIs with 148, and his 47 homers were second in the AL to the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. He also finished second to Alex Rodriguez in MVP votes.
  • The 2005 AL MVP was a significant debate among baseball circles as both Alex Rodriguez and Ortiz finished the regular season with impressive offensive statistics. He finished with new career highs in runs (119), RBIs (148), walks (102), on-base percentage (.397), and slugging percentage (.604). Two sportswriters left Ortiz completely off the ten player ballot, citing Ortiz's position as a designated hitter.

2006

  • 2006 was a year of walk-offs (the act of winning a game in the bottom half of the last inning) for Ortiz. Excelling in Late Inning Pressure Situations (LIPS), he hit more walk-off base hits (five, including 3 home runs) that year than most teams and came one hit away from the most walk-offs since divisional play started in 1969.[1]
  • On August 27, 2006, David Ortiz tied his career high in home runs by hitting his 47th homer of the year off of Cha Seung Bak of the Seattle Mariners. On September 20, 2006, Ortiz tied Jimmie Foxx's single season Red Sox home run record of 50 set in 1938; in the 6th inning against Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Boof Bonser, Big Papi launched the ball into the center field bleachers behind the Red Sox bullpen. Ortiz has the unique honor of having increased his season home run tally in each of seven consecutive seasons (starting from 2000, year-by-year he has hit 10, 18, 20, 31, 41, 47 and 54 HRs).
  • On September 21, 2006, Ortiz broke Jimmie Foxx's single season Red Sox home run record by hitting his 51st home run off his former teammate, Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins. The longball came on a 1-0 pitch in the first inning and it was his 44th home run as a designated hitter in 2006, which broke Ortiz's own American League single-season record. Ortiz then proceeded to hit his 232nd home run off reliever Matt Guerrier on a full-count in the seventh inning.

Health issues

  • Ortiz also said he began feeling ill between games of a day-night doubleheader on August 18, 2006, against New York that dragged into the early morning. Between games, he had gone home and tried to sleep but couldn't. Ortiz was reportedly driven to the hospital by a team assistant. An irregular heartbeat was the cause for the stress according to his doctors. Ortiz would not originally talk about his condition, but opened up to the media on August 25, 2006, reportedly saying "I'm a healthy son of a [gun]".[2]
  • August 28, 2006, Ortiz had recurring symptoms from his irregular heartbeat and was a last minute scratch in the Red Sox game at Oakland. Manager Terry Francona and General Manager Theo Epstein agreed that Ortiz fly back to Boston where he was reevaluated and cleared to play again in early September.

Salary History

[3]

-Signed a 4-year, $52 million preliminary extension with the Boston Red Sox on April 10, 2006, keeping him with the team through 2010. There is a team option for 2011 included. (A $2 million signing bonus makes his annual salary $13 ,500,000 a year.)

Career highlights

  • Three time All-Star (2004-2006)
  • Top 5 MVP vote-receiver four times (5th, 2003; 4th, 2004; 2nd, 2005; 3rd, 2006)
  • 2005 Hank Aaron Award winner
  • 3 time winner of the Silver Slugger Award
  • 4 time winner of the Edgar Martinez Award (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
  • Led the American League in extra base hits (2004)
  • Was the MVP for the American League Championship Series (2004)
  • Led the American League in Home Runs (2006)
  • Led the American League in Runs Batted In (2005, 2006)
  • American League Player of the Month for September 2005 and July 2006.
  • Member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series.
  • 2003 Caribbean Series MVP[4]
  • Red Sox single season home run leader (54; 2006)
  • Tied with Babe Ruth for AL single season home run record in road games (32; 2006)
  • First player ever to hit two walk-off home runs in the same postseason (against the Angels (ALDS) and Yankees (ALCS), 2004)
  • First player in Red Sox history to hit 40 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons (2004-2006)
  • Set new record for home runs by a DH in 2005 (47), then again in 2006 (54)

Charity and Community causes

  • On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Ortiz was slated to be one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. The game was rained out and he did not use the bat.
  • On October 14, 2006, Ortiz played wiffleball with a group of over 40 local kids as part of a 'Big Papi Backyard Wiffle Ball' game that was auctioned off to benefit 'Good Sports', a Boston-based non-profit organization that ensures disadvantaged youth have opportunity to play sports.

Book

  • In 2007, David released a book about his life called "Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits", ISBN 0-31-236633-7, written with Boston Herald columnist Tony Massarotti.

Family

David Ortiz points to the sky, saluting his mother, after hitting a home run.

Ortiz sports a tattoo of his mother on his biceps. His mother, Angela Rosa Arias, died in a car crash in January 2002 at 46.[5] Ortiz' son D'Angelo is named after her.[6]. Ortiz has become a Green Bay Packers fan since marrying the former Tiffany Brick, a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, southwest of Green Bay and has been spotted along the sidelines during the MLB off season. The family recently put their home in Newton, Massachusetts up for sale. The family now resides in Weston, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.

Career statistics

See also

References

  1. ^ "David Ortiz". ESPN.com. 2007-02-24. Retrieved 2007-02-24.

David Ortiz at:

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