David Ortiz: A Modern Baseball Legend

Whether or not you’re a fan of the Boston Red Sox, or even of baseball itself, David Ortiz is undeniably one of modern baseball’s most highly-acclaimed players. The 40-year-old, known to most as “Big Papi”, debuted in his major league professional baseball career in 1997. Once on the Boston Red Sox, he quickly became known as one of baseball’s top hitters.

Ortiz was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where one of his greatest inspirations was his father, who played baseball in the Dominican pro leagues. David played on the Seattle Mariners from 1992 to 1996, when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins. On the Red Sox, he began in 2003 as a pinch hitter, and soon was made a permanent designated hitter after showing high potential.

Known for his insane home run hitting ability, Ortiz has been on the winning team of the World Series three times, is a nine-time All-Star, and holds the Red Sox’s team record for most home runs in a single season, with 54. He has hit a total of 497 career home runs, ranking him number 27 on the Major League Baseball’s all-time home run list.

Along with his numerous achievements in the world of baseball, Ortiz established the David Ortiz Children’s Fund, a charity based on the Boston area and the Dominican Republic (along with other places worldwide) that was created to support children in need. He was awarded the UNICEF Children’s Champion Award in 2008 for his dedication to charity work.

Ortiz announced his retirement after the 2016 season in November of 2015. In a video he stated: “I thought a lot about it; every single one of us, athletes-wise, we run out of time at some point. Life is based on different chapters and I think I’m ready to experience the next one in my life.”

On October 10th of this year, David Ortiz played in his last game, where, although the Red Sox lost, he received an emotional standing ovation from not only Boston fans, but baseball fans alike.