David Ortiz's Hall of Fame Career
David Ortiz, also known as Big Papi, is a and will forever be a Boston legend. He has done so much on and off the field for the city; he was there when Boston needed him the most.
Big Papi has a very profound career in the MLB. He is a 10x All-Star, 7x Silver Slugger, Home Run Derby Champion, 3x World Series Champion, and a World Series MVP. Not everything was smooth sailing for Big Papi though. Although, his career had a rough start.
David Ortiz’s career actually didn’t begin with the Boston Red Sox. He was on two teams previously. He played for the Seattle Mariners in 1992 and the next time he stepped foot on an MLB diamond was in 1997 when he was on the Minnesota Twins. Through that five-year gap, David Ortiz was sent back down to minor league ball and was a free agent after the year with the Seattle Mariners.
David Ortiz had to claw his way back into the league and that is what he did. Unfortunately during his time with the Minnesota Twins Ortiz had been struggling with injuries that kept him out of the lineup for multiple weeks. But during his second half of the season there Ortiz made his way back in the lineup and showed his hitting wizardry with 20 home runs and 75 runs batted in (RBI). Obviously with a player doing really good one of the consequences is that their price tag goes up and the Minnesota Twins struggled financially and just couldn’t keep David. They attempted to trade him but they failed to do so and just ended up releasing him during the off-season.
After David was released by Minnesota he started talking to one of his really good friends and mentor Pedro Martinez, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Pedro put in a good word about David to the Red Sox front office and soon enough David Signed a one-year contract with the Red Sox. This is where greatness started to begin and David made an immediate impact. David beat out a lot of people competing for the designated hitter(DH) spot. In 2003, still his first season as a Red Sox, in the last 97 games he batted .293 batting average and hit 29 home runs. David Ortiz helped his team obtain a spot in the playoffs but unfortunately came up short in the American League Championship to their rivals the Yankees.
With a successful first season, the Red Sox offered David another contract. This contract was a two-year deal worth more than $12 million. In 2004, his second season as a Red Sox, David emerged as one of the best players in the league. He made his first All-Star game in his career, but more impressively he led his team to a 98 win season and a playoff berth.
In the 2004 season, David recorded personal best in multiple hitting categories. He had 41 home runs, 47 doubles, 139 RBI’s, and a .301 batting average. During the playoffs, David really showcased his clutch factor especially during the series against their rivals the Yankees. In the last game in the series, David hit a walk-off home run to lead the Red Sox into the World Series they eventually ended up winning.
Skipping ahead a few years jumping into 2013, fans can’t forget the other World Series though where David Ortiz won with the Red Sox in 2007. The 2013 season was like a lightning rod caught in a bottle. On April 15, 2013, the Boston Marathon bombings happened. It impacted the whole city of Boston. People were scared to go out and do everyday activities. A few days later, on April 20th, the Red Sox came back home to play and before the game, the Red Sox held a ceremony for the people lost and hurt in the bombing.
While the ceremony was going on David Ortiz gave one of the most memorable and pivotal speeches. David said “This is our fucking city! And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.” Ever since that speech, the Red Sox started turning their season around. One thing to not forget about too is that during every home game in centerfield there stood the Boston logo with “Boston Strong” written above it. David Ortiz was fixated on leading the team to the playoffs this year and chasing another ring, and that is exactly what he did. After they won the World Series David was proudly named the World Series MVP, and it was rightfully deserved.
Two years after the 2013 season, on November 18th, David announced on his 40th birthday that the 2016 season would be his final season. In his final season, David still found a way to torment pitchers with 48 doubles (career-high), 38 homers, and 127 RBIs.
After a season like that, people didn’t expect David to retire because no one puts up those numbers and decides to hang up. On an interview phone call with mlb.com David says, “When you look at a guy who is about to retire, you don’t think he would retire with numbers like that,” said Ortiz. “But I was done, man. I ran out of gas.”
The Red Sox did make a playoff push in the 2016 season, but they ultimately came up short to the Cleveland Indians, who are now called the Cleveland Guardians. But that was it. An end of an era in Boston. Now all David Ortiz could do is wait until he is eligible to be considered in the hall of fame ballots.
2022 was the first year David Ortiz was on the Hall of Fame ballot. He was accompanied with other great players such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens on the ballot as well.
January 25th was the day of the decision. David was surrounded by a group of loved ones and friends anticipating a phone call to see if he had punched his ticket to Cooperstown. Ortiz received a call, congratulating him on induction. This was such an accomplishment to make it to a place where very few people get accepted.
David Ortiz became a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Having the words “first ballot” carries a lot of weight to it especially since he had the infamous Barry Bonds and the exceptional Roger Clemens on the ballot as well. It shows that all the hard work he’s put in and all the struggle he went through was worth it because at the end of the day he is going to be able to go to Cooperstown and see his face right there along with other greats in the game of baseball.
