David Ortiz (IPA /or.ˈtiz/, or roughly 'or-TEEZ') born David Américo Ortiz Arias, nicknamed Big Papi (November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), is a Major League Baseball first baseman/designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). Previously, Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002). He bats and throws left-handed.
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| Position | Designated hitter/1st base |
| Team | Boston Red Sox |
| Years of Experience | 9 years |
| Age | 30 |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in |
| Weight | 230 lb. |
| Bats | Left |
| Throws | Left |
| College | N/A
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| 2006 Salary | $6,500,000 |
| Place of Birth | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Selection | Amateur free agent, 1992. |
| Drafted by | Seattle Mariners |
| Major League Debut | September 2, 1997 |
| Nickname | "Big Papi" |
Career
Ortiz is a career .283 hitter with 214 home runs and 731 RBI in 995 games[1].
In 1992, at the age of 17, Ortiz signed with the Seattle Mariners. He was traded to Minnesota in 1996, and made his debut in September 1997. 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. But Ortiz, whose left knee and right wrist had been surgically repaired, had not played in more than 130 games in a season. Thinking he was injured too often, struggled against left-handed pitching, and didn't work hard enough, and also fearing his salary would increase dramatically in arbitration, Minnesota let Ortiz go, and the Red Sox signed him.
Along with Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar, Ortiz was another free agent signee who came up big for the Red Sox in 2003. Originally, Jeremy Giambi was assigned the primary role, but he hit horribly and allowed Ortiz to step in. Additionally, Shea Hillenbrand was traded to Arizona, which allowed Kevin Millar to play full time. David Ortiz became the full time DH and hit fifth in the batting order. He had a huge second half and 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.
In 2004 Ortiz surpassed all expectations around him by turning in another solid season. Batting in the cleanup slot in the batting order, he led the American League in extra base hits (91) and was second in RBI (139); had 33 go-ahead RBI, 50 RBI with two out, and collected career highs in batting average (.301), home runs (41), RBI (139), runs (94), doubles (47), triples (3), walks (75), total bases (351), on base percentage (.380), slugging average (.603), OPS (.983), and games played (150).
In addition, Ortiz and Manny Ramírez became the first pair of American League teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBI, and bat .300 since the Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Also along with Ramirez, Ortiz hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single season set by Hank Greenberg and Rudy York (Detroit Tigers) and Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez (Chicago White Sox). Ortiz also hit 24 road home runs, second only to Ted Williams’ 26 in 1957. A first time All-Star, he hit a two-run home run, walked twice and scored two runs in the game.
In 2005 Red Sox owner John Henry named Ortiz "The Best Clutch Hitter in the History of the Boston Red Sox." 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 Rodriguez and Ortiz finished the regular season with impressive offensive statistics. Two sportswriters left Ortiz completely off the ten player ballot, citing Ortiz's position as a designated hitter. Ortiz ultimately finished second in the voting because as a designated hitter, he played very few games defensively and thus many sportswriters argued that Ortiz did not contribute as much as Rodriguez, who played the majority of his games at third base for the New York Yankees. On June 13, 2006, Ortiz was the victim of former teammate Johan Santana's 1,000th career strikeout.
2006 has been a year of walk-offs (the act of winning a game in the bottom half of the last inning) for Ortiz. He has hit more walk-off base hits (five) this year than most teams and is currently one away for the most walk-offs since divisional play started in 1969. His most recent came in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cleveland Indians on July 31, 2006. This homerun led longtime Boston sports fan, and ESPN columnist, "Sports Guy" Bill Simmons to labor over whether Ortiz had surpassed Boston legend Larry Bird as the most clutch player in Beantown history. After much deliberation, Bird retained his spot, but Simmons relented that Ortiz was not far behind.
Señor Octubre
Ortiz had one of the greatest postseasons in recent history in 2004:
- AL Division Series
- Game 3 - Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 10th inning at Fenway Park, hit a walk-off home run against left-handed Jarrod Washburn on his first pitch, giving the Red Sox a three-game sweep of the Angels.
- AL Championship Series
- Game 4 - Facing elimination against the Yankees, won the game with a two-run walk-off homer off Paul Quantrill in the 12th inning.
- Game 5 - Trailing 4-2 in the 8th inning, hit a home run off Tom Gordon to start a tying rally and won the game in the 14th inning with a walk-off single off Esteban Loaiza in a dramatic 10-pitch at-bat.
- Game 7 - In the top of the first inning, Johnny Damon was thrown out at the plate following a Manny Ramirez single, a potentially demoralizing moment for the Red Sox. However, on the very next pitch, Ortiz rocked a line drive into the right field stands for a two-run homer. The Red Sox went on to win the game 10-3.
- After the Red Sox’ improbable comeback against the Yankees, Ortiz was selected the MVP of the 2004 ALCS.
- World Series
- At Fenway Park, hit a three-run home run in his first World Series at-bat. The Red Sox went on to complete a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Postseason accomplishments
- 2004 AL Championship Series MVP.
- Tied a record with 19 RBI in the postseason.
- Won three playoff games at Fenway Park with walkoff hits (within the span of 11 days).
- Two of his game-winners actually came on the same calendar day (October 18).
Career highlights
- All-Star (2004-2006)
- Three times Top 10 MVP (5th, 2003; 4th, 2004; 2nd, 2005)
- Led league in extra base hits (2004)
- Set record for most home runs by designated hitter in a season (2005)
- Winner of the 2005 Hank Aaron Award in the American League. This coveted honor is awarded annually to the best overall offensive performer in both the American League and National League.
- 2004 and 2005 winner of MLB's TYIB Hitter of the Year Award.
- Two-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award
- Played in the World Baseball Classic for the Dominican Republic, where he hit .193 with three home runs and 5 runs batted in.
- Given a plaque declaring him "The Best Clutch Hitter in the History of the Boston Red Sox".
- 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.
Facts
- In six seasons with Minnesota, Ortiz batted .266 with 58 home runs and 238 RBI in 455 games. In three seasons with Boston, he has collected a .297 average, 119 home runs, and 388 RBI in 437 games.
- Perhaps known best for his remarkable clutch hitting, Ortiz hit 20 home runs in the 2005 season which either tied or gave Boston a lead. Eight of these came in the seventh inning or later. (As of end of Sep 14, 2005.)
- Has eighteen career game-winning hits, of which nine have been home runs. [2]
- On August 6, 2006, Ortiz became the first player in Red Sox history to hit 40 or more home runs in three straight seasons. Only two other Boston players — Carl Yastrzemski (1967, 1969-70) and Manny Ramirez (2001, 2004-2005) — have hit 40 or more homers in three different seasons[3].
Trivia
- Was the 2003 Caribbean Series MVP[citation needed].
- Originally Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wanted to trade Nick Johnson in order to sign the non-tendered Ortiz. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman opted not to, however. [4]
- Ortiz' big frame and great-hitting ability have led him to receive the affectionate nicknames Big Papi, Señor Octubre and Señor Papi, both from the media and the Red Sox Nation.
- Before swinging, Ortiz spits on the palm of his glove and then claps his hands. This has replaced Nomar Garciaparra's glove-and-pad-adjustment as the most imitated pre-swing ritual in New England playgrounds[citation needed].
- Was set to grace the cover of Nintendo's baseball video game for the GameCube, Pennant Chase Baseball. The game has since been canceled.
- He lives in Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.
- His wife, a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, southwest of Green Bay, has made him attend Green Bay Packers games in the off season.
- Has his own line of salsa, "Big Papi Salsa."
- Appeared on the cover of 989 Studios MLB 06: The Show
- Points to the sky when he reaches home plate after hitting a home run: "I do it normally, just to thank God and thanks to my mom, too."[5]
- He also sports a tattoo of his mother on his biceps. His mother, Angela Rosa Arias, died in a car crash in January 2002 at 46.[6]
- Advertises for D'Angelo Sandwich's, a New England Sub Shop company, in which they have begun an entire marketing campaign selling "hot and spicy" Big Papi sandwiches. The Big Papi sandwich is a Chicken Stir Fry with American Cheese and a spicy buffalo sauce.
See also
External links
- David Ortiz at: