David Ortiz

David Ortiz
Boston Red Sox — No. 34
Designated hitter
Born: November 18 1975 (1975-11-18) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
Major League Baseball debut
September 2, 1997 for the Minnesota Twins
Selected MLB statistics (through August 1, 2008)
Batting average	.288
Home runs	280
Runs batted in	927
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1997-2002) Boston Red Sox (2003-present)
Highlights and awards
4x Silver Slugger Award winner (2004, 2005, 2006 2007) 5x All-Star selection (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) Led AL in home runs in 2006 Led AL in runs batted in in 2005 and 2006 Led AL in bases on balls in 2006 and 2007

David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who has played for the Boston Red Sox since 2003. Previously, Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002). Nicknamed "Big Papi" or "Señor Papi" , Ortiz is a five time All Star and holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, set during the 2006 season.

Career

Early career

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

Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espaillat High School in the Dominican Republic and in 1992 he was signed by the Seattle Mariners who listed him as "David Arias" (possibly not understanding Spanish naming customs). In 1996, the Mariners received Dave Hollins from the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later. Later that season, the Mariners announced that the player to be named later would be Arias. When he arrived in Minnesota, he informed the team that he preferred to be listed as "David Ortiz." He 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.

2003

The Twins released Ortiz nine days before Christmas in 2002. The Red Sox signed the free agent the following month, at the behest of Manny Ramirez. Originally, Jeremy Giambi was assigned the primary role as DH/First Baseman, but his poor 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 played a major role in leading the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years. 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, as he batted .301 with 41 home runs and 139 RBI. Ortiz was also suspended for 5 games (later reduced to 3 games due to an appeal) after being ejected following an incident on July 16 in a game against the Angels in which he threw several bats onto the field that came close to hitting umpires Bill Hohn and Mark Carlson<ref>"History of the July 16, 2004 Incident". sports.espn.go.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.</ref>. In the playoffs, Ortiz hit .400 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI. He had multiple game-winning hits 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. He then hit 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. Additionally, he finished fourth in AL MVP voting.

2005

In 2005 Ortiz set a new career high of 47 home runs, 43 of them as a designated hitter, beating Edgar Martínez'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 RBI with 148, and his 47 homers were second in the AL to the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. He also finished second to Rodriguez in MVP votes.

The 2005 American League|AL MVP was a significant debate among baseball circles as both 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

In 2006 Ortiz had a monstrous season. He belted 54 home runs (setting a new Red Sox record) and had 137 RBI, while batting .287 with an OPS of 1.049. He led the American League in both HR and RBI, winning the HR crown by 11 over the 2nd place finisher Travis Hafner .

2006 was a year of Walk-off home runs (the act of winning a game in the bottom half of the last inning) for Ortiz. He excelled in Late Inning Pressure Situations (LIPS), hitting more walk-off base hits (5, including 3 home runs) that year than most teams.<ref>Jackson, Scoop. "It's Time Big Papi Gets a Trophy", ESPN.com, p. 2. Retrieved on 2007-07-28. </ref>

On August 27, 2006, Ortiz tied his career high in home runs by hitting his 47th home run of the year off Cha Seung Baek 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 achievement of having increased his season home run tally in each of seven consecutive seasons (starting from 1999, year-by-year he has hit 0, 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 home run came on a 1-0 pitch in the first inning and it was his 44th home run as a designated hitter in 2006, breaking his own American League single-season record. Ortiz then hit his 52nd home run off reliever Matt Guerrier on a full count in the seventh inning. He finished the season with a franchise record 54 home runs.

Health issue in 2006

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]".<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2561697 ESPN - Sleeplessness, dehydration sent Papi to hospital - MLB</ref>

On 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.

2007

In 2007, Ortiz once again was a major force as he helped lead the Red Sox to their seventh World Series title. Despite playing the entire season with a torn meniscus in his right knee as well as nagging injuries to his shoulder and quadriceps, he finished the year hitting .332 with 35 home runs and 117 RBI. In addition, he hit 52 doubles, led the American League in extra base hits and had an OPS of 1.066. In the postseason Ortiz batted .370 with 3 home runs and 10 RBI.

Salary history

[1]

• 1999 (Minnesota Twins) - $170,000
• 2000 (Minnesota Twins) - $220,000
• 2001 (Minnesota Twins) - $260,000
• 2002 (Minnesota Twins) - $950,000
• 2003 (Boston Red Sox) - $1,250,000
• 2004 (Boston Red Sox) - $4,587,500
• 2005 (Boston Red Sox) - $5,250,000
• 2006 (Boston Red Sox) - $6,500,000 (+ $100,000 bonus for finishing third in the AL MVP voting)
• 2007 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,250,000
• 2008 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,000,000

-Signed a 4-year, $52 million extension with the Boston Red Sox on April 10, 2006, keeping him with the team through 2010. There is a team option for 2011.

Career statistics

year	team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG
1997	MIN	15	49	10	16	3	0	1	6	0	2	19	.327	.353	.449
1998	MIN	86	278	47	77	20	0	9	46	1	39	72	.277	.371	.446
1999	MIN	10	20	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	12	.000	.200	.000
2000	MIN	130	415	59	117	36	1	10	63	1	57	81	.282	.364	.446
2001	MIN	89	303	46	71	17	1	18	48	1	40	68	.234	.324	.475
2002	MIN	125	412	52	112	32	1	20	75	1	43	87	.272	.339	.500
2003	BOS	128	448	79	129	39	2	31	101	0	58	83	.288	.369	.592
2004	BOS	150	582	94	175	47	3	41	139	0	75	133	.301	.380	.603
2005	BOS	159	601	119	180	40	1	47	148	1	102	124	.300	.397	.604
2006	BOS	151	558	115	160	29	2	54	137	1	119	117	.287	.413	.636
2007	BOS	149	549	116	182	52	1	35	117	3	111	103	.332	.445	.621
2008	BOS	52	112	43	57	9	0	14	47	0	31	33	.261	.358	.488
Total	-	1234	4378	775	1267	324	12	280	927	9	676	918	.288	.385	.558

Career highlights

David Ortiz points to the sky after hitting a home run.

• 5-time All-Star (2004-2008)
• Top 5 MVP vote-receiver five times (5th, 2003; 4th, 2004; 2nd, 2005; 3rd, 2006; 4th, 2007)
• 2005 Hank Aaron Award winner
• 4-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award (2004-2007)
• 5-time winner of the Edgar Martínez Award (2003-2007)
• Led the American League in extra base hits 3 times (2004, 2005, 2007)
• MVP of 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.
• 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)
• 5 straight seasons of at least 30 HR and 100 RBI (2003-2007)
• Tied with Billy Hatcher for all-time post-season consecutive on-base streak (10)
• Member of the 2007 Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series.
• 85 extra-base hits or more for four consecutive years, something only 2 other players--Lou Gehrig (5) and Sammy Sosa (4)--have ever done. <ref>SI.com - Writers - Tom Verducci: Is Ortiz a Hall of Famer? - Tuesday March 4, 2008 3:37PM</ref>
• Ortiz' home run total increased each year from 2000-2006, starting with 10 home runs, and ending with 54.

List of walk-off or game winning hits

<ref>Boston Globe gallery of David Ortiz Walk-Offs</ref>

• July 26, 2003. Red Sox 5, Yankees 4. Doubles off the Green Monster in the 9th inning to drive home Jeremy Giambi.
• September 23, 2003. Red Sox 6, Orioles 5. 10th inning home run over the Green Monster to win the game.
• April 11, 2004. Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 4. 12th inning, two-run home run over the Green Monster.
• June 11, 2004. Red Sox 2, Dodgers 1. 9th inning single allows Johnny Damon to score the winning run from second base.
• October 8, 2004. Red Sox 8, Angels 6. Two-run series-clinching home run off Jarrod Washburn over the Green Monster in the 10th inning of Game 3 of the 2004 ALDS.
• October 17, 2004. Red Sox 6, Yankees 4. 12th inning 2-run home run off Paul Quantrill in game 4 of the ALCS.
• October 18, 2004. Red Sox 5, Yankees 4. 14th inning single to center field driving in Johnny Damon from second base in game 5 of the ALCS.
• June 2, 2005. Red Sox 6, Orioles 4. Three-run home run off to center off BJ Ryan in the bottom of the 9th inning.
• August 16, 2005. Red Sox 10, Tigers 7. Solo home run in the top of the 9th to tie the game, then homered again in the 10th inning to drive in 3 more.
• September 6, 2005. Red Sox 3, Angels 2. 9th inning home run to win the game. Ortiz is awarded a plaque declaring him to be "The Greatest Clutch Hitter in the History of the Boston Red Sox." <ref>A blast, like the past</ref>
• September 12, 2005. Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5. Two-out top of the 11th solo home run to beat the Blue Jays.
• September 14, 2005. Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 3. 2-run 9th inning home run snaps a 3-3 tie.
• September 29, 2005. Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4. Game-tying home run in the bottom of the 8th, followed by an RBI single in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.
• June 11, 2006. Red Sox 5, Rangers 4. 3-run, two-out, 9th inning home run off Akinori Otsuka to win the game.
• June 24, 2006. Red Sox 5, Phillies 3. 10th inning 2-run home run to win the game.
• June 26, 2006. Red Sox 8, Phillies 7. 12th inning RBI single to center field.
• July 29, 2006. Red Sox 7, Angels 6. RBI single up the middle in the 11th inning with men on first and second.
• July 31, 2006. Red Sox 9, Indians 8. Three-run home run in the 9th inning.
• September 12, 2007. Red Sox 5, Devil Rays 4. Two-run home run in the 9th inning.

Charity and community causes

• On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Ortiz was one of more than 50 hitters who brandished pink bats to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.
• On October 14, 2006, Ortiz played wiffleball with more than 40 local kids as part of a 'Big Papi Backyard Wiffle Ball' game to benefit 'Good Sports', a Boston-based non-profit organization that ensures disadvantaged youth the opportunity to play sports.
• In 2007, Ortiz participated in ESPN and the Make-A-Wish Foundation's "My Wish" program to grant sports-oriented wishes to children with life-threatening diseases. Ortiz spent a day with 12-year-old Stephan Zepeda, a Red Sox fan who has neurofibromatosis type II.
• On November 18, 2007, Ortiz rang in his 32nd birthday by leading a relief drive for hurricane victims in the Dominican Republic. More than one thousand fans gathered at a Stop & Shop supermarket in Plainville, Mass to exchange non-perishable items for Ortiz's autograph.
• In 2008, the David Ortiz Children's Fund was founded to help keep children from Boston to the Dominican Republic safe and healthy. David's Vintage Papi charity wine supports this cause in entirety.

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

• Each time Ortiz crosses the plate after hitting a home run, he looks up and points both index fingers to the sky in tribute to his mother Angela Rosa Arias, who died in a car crash in January 2002 at the age of 46.<ref>USATODAY.com - Pointing: It isn't just for pop-ups anymore</ref> Ortiz also sports a tattoo of his mother on his biceps.
• Ortiz and his wife Tiffany have three children, Jessica (born October 23, 1996), Alexandra (born March 22, 2001) and D'Angelo (born July 10, 2004). D'Angelo is named after David's mother. Ortiz has become a Green Bay Packers fan since marrying Tiffany Ortiz (née Brick), who is a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, and he's been spotted on the sidelines at Packers games.
• The family recently put their home in Newton, Massachusetts up for sale. The family now resides in Weston, Massachusetts, another suburb of Boston.
• On June 11, 2008, Ortiz became a legal United States citizen at John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.<ref>"Red Sox slugger Ortiz sworn as US citizen". Yahoo! Sports (2008-06-11). Retrieved on 2008-06-11.</ref><ref>"Ortiz, pride of Sox Nation, joins US as a citizen". The Boston Globe (2008-06-12). Retrieved on 2008-06-13.</ref>

See also

• MLB players who have hit 30 or more home runs before the All-Star break
• 50 home run club
• Players from Dominican Republic in MLB
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
• List of Major League Baseball home run champions

External links

• Fan-driven, Red Sox social media site

• Ten Questions for David Ortiz on Time.com (a division of Time Magazine)
• Stephan and Big Papi
• David Ortiz Interview
• Stephan and Big Papi