David Ortiz — 34 | DH/1B
Fast Facts about David Ortiz
Date of Birth: 18 November 1975
Place of Birth: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Height: 6-4 Weight: 230
College: None
Signed: 1992 (Seattle Mariners)
Years Pro: 12
Years with Red Sox: 6
Bats: L
Throws: L
Batting Statistics for David Ortiz through 2008 Season
SEASON
AB
R
H
HR
RBI
BB
SB
AVG
1997 — MIN
49
10
16
1
6
2
0
.327
1998 — MIN
278
47
77
9
46
39
1
.277
1999 — MIN
20
1
0
0
0
5
0
.000
2000 — MIN
415
59
117
10
63
57
1
.282
2001 — MIN
303
46
71
18
48
40
1
.234
2002 — MIN
412
52
112
20
75
43
1
.272
2003 — BOS
448
79
129
31
101
58
0
.288
2004 — BOS
582
94
175
41
139
75
0
.301
2005 — BOS
601
119
180
47
148
102
1
.300
2006 — BOS
558
115
160
54
137
119
1
.287
2007 — BOS
549
116
182
35
117
111
3
.332
2008 — BOS
416
74
110
23
89
70
1
.264
TOTAL
4631
812
1329
289
969
721
10
.287
More about David Ortiz
- Ortiz was signed in 1992 by the Seattle Mariners as an amateur free agent. In 1996, he was the player to be named that was sent to Minnesota in a trade for third baseman Dave Hollins.
- "Big Papi" stroked 30 home runs in his first full season in Boston in 2003 and his slugging percentage was .592, third-best in the American League. He also drove in 101 RBI, the first time in his career that he had broken the 100-RBI mark. His efforts were enough that he placed fifth in the race for the AL MVP award.
- 2003 turned out to be just a preview of what was to come in 2004, when he earned the opportunity to represent the AL in the All-Star Game in Houston. Ortiz finished the season second behind teammate Manny Ramirez in the home run race with 41 and second behind Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada in RBI with 139. He also finished second in total bases with 351 and first in extra-base hits with 91.
- In the 2004 American League Championship versus New York, Ortiz had two game-winning hits to stave off elimination for Boston. In Game 4, his two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th inning won that game, 6-4. Less than 24 hours later, Ortiz came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the 14th with teammate Johnny Damon on second base. Fouling off eight two-strike pitches, he finally dumped a soft single into center field to send the series back to New York. His efforts earned Ortiz ALCS MVP honors, the first Red Sox player to earn that honor since Marty Barrett in 1986.
- Ortiz also has the game-winning hit in the deciding game of the Division Series against Anaheim, hitting a two-run home run into the Monster Seats of Fenway Park in the bottom of the 10th.
- In 2005, Ortiz set career highs with 47 home runs, then second all-time by a player in a Red Sox uniform, 119 runs, 148 RBI, 102 walks, a .397 on-base percentage, and a .604 slugging percentage. He finished at .300, just one point less than his career-best from 2004.
- Likely due to the fact that Ortiz played just 10 games in the field, all at first base, New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez edged out Ortiz for the 2005 American League MVP award. Rodriguez, in winning his second such award in three years, collected 331 points, including 16 first-place votes, while Ortiz, a full-time designated hitter, finished with 307 points and 11 first-place votes. The only other player to earn a first-place vote was Los Angeles outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, who won the award in 2004.
- Big Papi finished 2006 with 54 home runs, a new single season record for the Red Sox, and also drove in 137 RBI while batting .287 and slugging .636. He finished third in the MVP race behind eventual winner Justin Monreau of Minnesota and Derek Jeter of New York. He did win a Silver Slugger award and his fourth Outstanding DH award.
- Though some of his offensive numbers were down in 2007, Ortiz did post a career-best .332 average, fifth-best in the American League, and a career high of 52 doubles, second only to Magglio Ordonez of the Detroit Tigers and fourth-highest single-season total in team history.
Memorable Moments for David Ortiz
- 22 January 2003 - Released by the Minnesota Twins, David Ortiz finds a new home as he signs with the Red Sox.
- 8 October 2004 - David Ortiz takes the first pitch from Jarrod Washburn in the tenth inning and plants it into the Monster Seats at Fenway Park as Boston wins 8-6 over Anaheim and sweeps the best-of-five division series.
- 17 October 2004 - Boston staves off elimination thanks to the heroics of Dave Roberts and David Ortiz in a 6-4 Red Sox win over the Yankees in Game Four of the ALCS. Roberts' steal of second base allows him to come home on Bill Mueller's single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score, at Ortiz wins it with a two-run home run in the 12th inning.
- 18 October 2004 - Less than 24 hours after forcing a fifth game in the series, David Ortiz hits his second consecutive walk-off hit, driving home Johnny Damon from second with a bloop single in the 14th inning as Boston wins 5-4 over New York. The Red Sox had rallied late to tie the score at four with two runs in the eighth, including a solo home run from Ortiz.
- 20 October 2004 - Boston rebounds from an 0-3 series deficit and clobbers New York 10-3 at Yankee Stadium for the club's first pennant in 18 years. Johnny Damon hits two home runs, David Ortiz hits his third of the series, and Derek Lowe earns the win by allowing just one run on one hit in six innings of work. The Red Sox become the first team to ever rally from an 0-3 playoff series deficit in Major League Baseball history.
- 2 June 2005 - David Ortiz takes Orioles closer B.J. Ryan deep to center field in the ninth inning at Fenway Park to give Boston a walk-off 6-4 win.
- 14 November 2005 - Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez wins the American League MVP award as Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz finishes a close second in the balloting.
- 17 April 2006 - Mark Loretta hits a walk-off, two-run home run on Patriots' Day at Fenway Park as Boston beats Seattle, 7-6. David Ortiz also provide some fireworks with two home runs of his own.
- 31 July 2006 - For the second time in three days, designated hitter David Ortiz hits a game-winning hit, this time a three-run home run in the ninth inning, as Boston beats Cleveland, 9-8. It marked the fourth time this season and the 12th time in his Red Sox career that Ortiz had ended a game with a walk-off hit. Ortiz also ties a club record with his 14th home run for the month.
- 21 September 2006 - David Ortiz surpasses former Red Sox slugger Jimmie Foxx with his 51st and 52nd home run of the season in a 6-0 shutout over the Twins at Fenway Park. "Big Papi" would finish the season with a club-record 54 home runs.
- 30 April 2008 - For the second game in a row, Boston beats Toronto with a ninth-inning, two-out base hit that scores the winning run; catcher Jason Varitek singles home Manny Ramirez to give the Sox a 2-1 win one day after Kevin Youkilis plates David Ortiz in a 1-0 victory over the Blue Jays.
- 16 October 2008 - Down 7-0 with two outs in the seventh, Boston stages the largest comeback in a American League playoff game, winning 8-7 over Tampa Bay in Game Five of the ALCS thanks in part to home runs from David Ortiz and J.D. Drew. The game ends when Drew's ground-rule double scores Kevin Youkilis from second base with two outs in the ninth.
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