David Ortiz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
 This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)
(Find sources: David Ortiz – news, books, scholar)
David Ortiz

Ortiz after swinging at a pitch
Boston Red Sox — No. 34
Designated hitter, First baseman
Born: November 18, 1975 (1975-11-18) (age 33)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Left Throws: Left 
MLB debut
September 24, 1997 for the Minnesota Twins
Career statistics
(through July 10, 2009)
Batting average     .283
Home runs     301
Hits     1394
Runs batted in     1,015
Teams
Career highlights and awards

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," 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. "Big Papi" is 6'4" and weighs 230 pounds. Ortiz plays first base in NL parks.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Early career

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

David Ortiz graduated from Edudia Espallat 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). He played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Mariners farm team, until 1996, when 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," making him, quite literally, a player to be named later. He made his debut in September 1997. For a few years, he was moved back and forth between the Twins and their minor league affiliate, the Salt Lake Buzz. In 2002, Ortiz hit .272 for Minnesota, with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs. The Twins advanced to the American League Championship Series that year, where they lost to the Anaheim Angels. Despite showing flashes of talent, Ortiz' time with the Twins will be remembered as a series of injuries and inconsistency both in the field and at the plate. Ortiz suffered wrist injuries in both 1998 and 2001. When knee problems hit in early 2002 and plagued him throughout the season, his fate with the Twins was sealed despite hitting 32 doubles, 20 homers and 75 RBIs, in only 125 games. In six seasons with the Twins, Ortiz hit 58 homers.[1]

[edit] 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[2]. 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 off of Jarrod Washburn 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 of the ALCS 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 2006

In 2006 Ortiz 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 10 over the 2nd place finisher Jermaine Dye .

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.[3]

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 27, 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.

[edit] 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] ". [4]

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 2008

2008 was a frustrating season for Ortiz. After starting slowly he suffered a wrist injury which caused him to miss several weeks. He played in only 109 games and finished the season hitting .264 with just 23 home runs and 89 RBI, his lowest totals since joining the Red Sox. However, his ratio of homering every 18.1 at-bats still led the team. In his first six seasons with Boston, Ortiz has hit 231 home runs, with the most homers against the Rays (34), and the Yankees (25).[1]

[edit] 2009

Ortiz struggled in the beginning of the 2009 season, hitting only .208 with no home runs and 30 strikeouts in his first 34 games. On May 20, Ortiz hit his first home run of the season off Brett Cecil of the Toronto Blue Jays, ending his career-high 149 homerless at-bat streak. [5] In June, Ortiz broke out of his slump by hitting 7 home runs with 18 RBI. On July 9th, Ortiz hit his 300th career home run against Luke Hochevar of the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park.

[edit] Personal life

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

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.[6] Ortiz also has 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).

On June 11, 2008, Ortiz became a United States citizen at John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.[7][8]

[edit] Reebok sponsorship

In April 2007, sporting goods company Reebok debuted the Big Papi 2M Mid Baseball cleat at a party in Canton, Massachusetts, home to the headquarters of Reebok International Ltd. At the party, Ortiz was quoted as saying, "Reebok's loyalty and friendship have always made me feel right at home and we are true partners in every sense of the word,... ." Ortiz first used the cleat during the 2007 MLB All Star Game in San Francisco, California.[9]

[edit] Charity work

The David Ortiz Children's Fund was founded in 2007 to support a range of causes that David believes in. The Fund allows David the flexibility to donate to those children are in the most need at any given time, from Boston to the Domincan Republic and beyond. David Ortiz released his own Charity Wine label in 2008 with all the proceeds going to the David Ortiz Children's Fund. The wine called Vintage Papi proceeded to raise $150,000 for charity.[10]

[edit] Salary history

  • 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 second in the AL MVP voting)
  • 2007 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,250,000
  • 2008 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,000,000
  • 2009 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,000,000

Ortiz has 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.[11]

[edit] Career statistics

year team G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO BA OBP SLG
1997 MIN 15 49 10 16 22 3 0 1 6 0 2 19 .327 .353 .449
1998 MIN 86 278 47 77 124 20 0 9 46 1 39 72 .277 .371 .446
1999 MIN 10 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 12 .000 .200 .000
2000 MIN 130 415 59 117 185 36 1 10 63 1 57 81 .282 .364 .446
2001 MIN 89 303 46 71 144 17 1 18 48 1 40 68 .234 .324 .475
2002 MIN 125 412 52 112 206 32 1 20 75 1 43 87 .272 .339 .500
2003 BOS 128 448 79 129 265 39 2 31 101 0 58 83 .288 .369 .592
2004 BOS 150 582 94 175 351 47 3 41 139 0 75 133 .301 .380 .603
2005 BOS 159 601 119 180 367 40 1 47 148 1 102 124 .300 .397 .604
2006 BOS 151 558 115 160 355 29 2 54 137 1 119 117 .287 .413 .636
2007 BOS 149 549 116 182 341 52 1 35 117 3 111 103 .332 .445 .621
2008 BOS 109 416 74 110 211 30 1 23 89 1 70 74 .264 .369 .507
2009 BOS 80 281 35 64 117 18 1 12 46 0 38 71 .227 .330 .450
Total - 1378 4912 847 1394 2684 364 14 301 1015 10 759 1044 .284 .380 .550

[edit] Career highlights

  • 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)
  • American League Championship Series MVP (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. [12]
  • Ortiz' home run total increased each year from 2000-2006, starting with 10 home runs, and ending with 54.

[edit] List of walk-off or game winning hits

  • 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. (HR) Red Sox 6, Orioles 5. 10th inning home run over the Green Monster to win the game.
  • April 11, 2004. (HR) 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. (HR) 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. (HR) 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.
  • May 5, 2005. Red Sox 2, Tigers 1. 9th inning double off the center-field wall to give Boston the lead.
  • June 2, 2005. (HR) Red Sox 6, Orioles 4. Three-run walk-off home run to center off B. J. Ryan in the bottom of the 9th inning.
  • August 16, 2005. (HR) 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. (HR) 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." [13]
  • September 12, 2005. (HR) Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5. Two-out top of the 11th solo home run to beat the Blue Jays.
  • September 14, 2005. (HR) 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. (HR) Red Sox 5, Rangers 4. 3-run, two-out, 9th inning home run off Akinori Otsuka to win the game.
  • June 24, 2006. (HR) 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. (HR) Red Sox 9, Indians 8. Three-run home run in the 9th inning.
  • September 12, 2007. (HR) Red Sox 5, Devil Rays 4. Two-run home run in the 9th inning.[14]

[edit] See also

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Ortiz
Search Wikiquote Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: David Ortiz

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Chuck, Bill. 100 random things about the Red Sox, Rays, and Yankees, The Boston Globe. Published April 2, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  2. ^ "History of the July 16, 2004 Incident". sports.espn.go.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1844775. Retrieved on 2008-05-27. 
  3. ^ Jackson, Scoop. "It's Time Big Papi Gets a Trophy". ESPN.com. p. 2. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=jackson/060808. Retrieved on 2007-07-28. 
  4. ^ Sleeplessness, dehydration sent Papi to hospital ESPN August 25, 2006
  5. ^ Big Papi ends long homerless drought | Redsox.com: News
  6. ^ USATODAY.com - Pointing: It isn't just for pop-ups anymore
  7. ^ "Red Sox slugger Ortiz sworn as US citizen". Yahoo! Sports. 2008-06-11. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ak3mo9hHt1Tinx3jrnwhwic5nYcB?slug=ap-ortiz-citizenship&prov=ap&type=lgns. Retrieved on 2008-06-11. 
  8. ^ "Ortiz, pride of Sox Nation, joins US as a citizen". The Boston Globe. 2008-06-12. http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2008/06/12/ortiz_pride_of_sox_nation_joins_us_as_a_citizen/. Retrieved on 2008-06-13. 
  9. ^ Business Wire News, URL accessed December 12, 2008
  10. ^ David Ortiz Children's Fund, URL accessed March 24, 2008
  11. ^ Baseball-Reference.com stats
  12. ^ SI.com - Writers - Tom Verducci: Is Ortiz a Hall of Famer? - Tuesday March 4, 2008 3:37PM
  13. ^ A blast, like the past
  14. ^ Boston Globe gallery of David Ortiz Walk-Offs

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ortiz"
Personal tools