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159-559: Major League Baseball alumni of note are featured on the wall inside the men's restroom at the Burlington Athletic Stadium in the form of painted jerseys: Manny Ramirez (#22), Jim Thome (#25), Bartolo Colón (#40) and CC Sabathia (#52). The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with

318-463: A Boston Globe article, Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski called David Ortiz the second greatest hitter in club history, stating "I would say as a hitter, I would say he's next to Ted [Williams]." In 2015, Ortiz hit 37 home runs and had 108 RBI while batting .273. He finished in the top 10 in the AL in both home runs and RBIs for the eighth time in his career. On April 19, in a game at Fenway Park vs.

477-467: A right fielder in his career to this point, spent most of the season as the designated hitter for the Red Sox. This was due to the Red Sox's belief that Ramirez was best suited to left field due to the presence of Trot Nixon in right, as well as the injuries Ramirez battled during the 2001 season. After signing with the Red Sox, Ramirez played only seven more games in right field, all of which came during

636-596: A 6–5 victory over the Houston Astros ; it was his 20th career walk-off hit. The double was the 600th of Ortiz' career, making him the 15th player all time to reach the milestone. He also joined Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds as only the third player in MLB history with at least 500 career home runs and 600 career doubles. On August 24, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field , Ortiz hit his 30th home run of

795-627: A Cleveland farm club . During its seven years of existence, the Carolina League Burlington Indians won one league championship. Its players included future major leaguers Luis Tiant and Duke Sims . Prior to opening their Burlington ballpark in 1960, the club was known as Alamance, and played their home games at Graham Athletic Park a.k.a. Graham Park. That park still exists, as the ballfield for Graham Middle School on East Pine Street in Graham, North Carolina . [1] A third team called

954-570: A Red Sox player in Fenway Park's history, just short of Ted Williams ' 1946 record of 502 feet. He also launched a prodigious home run in an away game on June 3 against the Blue Jays into the fifth deck at the SkyDome , which still stands as the longest home run in that ballpark's history at 491 feet. However, despite his efforts, the Red Sox did not qualify for the MLB postseason in 2001. Ramirez, primarily

1113-668: A September call-up to the Twins' MLB club. Ortiz made his MLB debut for the Twins on September 2, 1997. He played in 15 games in September, batting .327 in 49 at bats. He recorded his first major league hit in his second game, on September 3, with an eighth-inning pinch-hit double against the Chicago Cubs . He hit his first major league home run on September 14 against the Texas Rangers , off pitcher Julio Santana , going 3-for-4 with two walks in

1272-400: A bargain as Ramirez was among the better hitters in spring training, hitting .311 with three home runs and 10 RBI. However, the 38-year-old Ramirez abruptly retired on April 8, 2011, after batting .059 (1-for-17) in his first five games with no home runs and a single RBI. Ramirez reportedly tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug in spring training. His first sample, or A sample,

1431-544: A career-high 54 home runs to set a new Red Sox record and had 137 RBIs while batting .287 with an OPS of 1.049. He led the AL in both home runs and RBIs and finished third in OPS. He finished third in the AL MVP voting behind Justin Morneau and Derek Jeter . Despite his outstanding campaign, however, the Red Sox did not qualify for the postseason. In 2007, Ortiz was instrumental in leading

1590-493: A child, Ramirez was obsessed with baseball. When he was eight years old, his grandmother got him a Dodgers uniform with the number 30 on the back, which he considers to be one of his most prized possessions. In 1985, he moved to the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City with his parents. He often played ball at the nearby Snake Hill , the same place Lou Gehrig played during his childhood. Despite living just

1749-500: A combined .259 with 14 home runs and 82 RBI. Ortiz's strong season in Triple-A was too much for Kelly to ignore, and Ortiz again earned a September call-up in 1999. It did not go well for Ortiz, as he struck out 12 times in 20 at-bats, and did not register a hit. By 2000, with the Twins coming off three consecutive seasons of over 90 losses, Ortiz's bat could not be buried in the minor leagues much longer. After playing only sparingly during

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1908-546: A complete hitter who could hit for both power and average, and widely regarded as one of the best right-handed hitters of his generation, Ramirez finished his career with a lifetime .312 batting average, 555 home runs (15th all-time), and 1,831 RBI (18th all-time). In 111 postseason games, Ramirez posted a .285 batting average with 29 home runs and 78 RBI. Ramirez was born in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic to Aristides and Onelcida Ramirez and spent 13 years living there. As

2067-506: A cost-cutting move on December 16, after being unable to swing a trade for him. In parts of six seasons totaling 455 games with the Twins, Ortiz hit 58 home runs and had 238 RBI. The player who replaced Ortiz on the Twins' roster, Jose Morban , would never play in a game for the team. After his release from the Twins, Ortiz had a chance encounter with Pedro Martínez at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic, and Martinez remembered

2226-409: A formidable one-two punch in the middle of the lineup with Ramirez. However, in the summer, Ramirez missed several games with pharyngitis , but got into hot water as he was spotted in a bar in the hotel where he lived with a close friend, Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson , despite being supposedly too ill to play in the series against the rival Yankees. Ramirez and Wilson both maintained that Manny

2385-480: A free agent at season's end, but the Red Sox held 2 years of team options they had not yet exercised), many Red Sox fans and reporters, including Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe , called for Ramirez to be traded. Despite all these distractions, Ramirez did continue to hit solidly when on the field, as he batted .299 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI through the first 100 games of the season. On July 31, 2008, Ramirez

2544-520: A free agent at the conclusion of the season, which ended with the White Sox finishing 88-74, six games out of first place in the AL Central, and missing the postseason. On January 21, 2011, Ramirez agreed to a one-year, $ 2 million deal with the Tampa Bay Rays , who also signed his former Red Sox teammate Johnny Damon in a package deal suggested by agent Scott Boras . The signing initially looked like

2703-493: A friendship with Pedro that would only grow over the years. Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espaillat High School in the Dominican Republic, and was a standout baseball and basketball player there. On November 28, 1992, Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners just 10 days after his 17th birthday, who listed him as " David Arias " due to not being familiar with Spanish naming customs . He made his professional debut in 1994 for

2862-523: A high school senior was named New York City Public School Player of the Year in 1991, hitting for a .650 batting average with 14 home runs in 22 games. The Cleveland Indians selected Ramirez in the first round with the 13th overall pick of the 1991 MLB draft and gave him a $ 250,000 signing bonus . He was assigned to the Rookie-level Burlington Indians for his professional debut. He

3021-550: A highly productive pace as well. Through May 7, he was batting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBI. But on that date, Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program established by MLB and the MLB Players Association in 2004. In the announcement by MLB, Ramirez was suspended for unspecified violation of the agreement section 8.G.2. Shortly afterward, Ramirez stated that

3180-751: A major league regular, and finished second in voting for the Rookie of the Year Award . By 1995, he had become an All-Star . He was with the Indians in playoff appearances in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999; this included an appearance in the 1995 and 1997 World Series . In 1999, Ramirez set the Indians' single-season RBIs record with 165 RBIs. After the 2000 season, Ramirez signed with the Boston Red Sox . During his time in Boston, Ramirez and teammate David Ortiz became one of

3339-657: A member of the Boston Red Sox at the time, was among 104 major league players to test positive. Manny finished 2009 with a .290 batting average, 19 home runs, and 63 RBI in 104 games. He added a home run and 4 RBI in the 2009 MLB postseason (batting .281), but the Dodgers were again eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS . On April 10, 2010, Ramirez recorded his 2,500th career base hit with an infield single against

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3498-579: A member of the Red Sox, joining Ted Williams , Carl Yastrzemski , Jim Rice , and Dwight Evans . On July 15, Ortiz was suspended for four games for his part in a brawl that took place on July 8 in a game against the Baltimore Orioles . Ortiz charged Orioles pitcher Kevin Gregg after a brushback pitch and an exchange of words, triggering a bench-clearing brawl. In 2011, Ortiz made his seventh All-Star Team . He also earned his fifth Silver Slugger Award at

3657-491: A member of the Red Sox. A heated altercation between Ramirez and teammate Kevin Youkilis took place on June 5, during a game at Fenway Park against the Tampa Bay Rays . The Boston Globe speculated that Youkilis was angry that Ramirez had been slow to join a bench-clearing brawl earlier in the game. The altercation may have also been caused by Ramirez objecting to what he believed was excessive complaining by Youkilis about

3816-428: A member of the Red Sox." Ramirez played in his 2,000th game on May 26, 2008, against Seattle . On May 31, 2008, Ramirez hit his 500th home run , against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Chad Bradford at Camden Yards in the seventh inning on the first pitch. He became the 24th player in MLB history to do so. He joined two other Boston legends, Jimmie Foxx and Ted Williams , to have joined the exclusive home run club as

3975-450: A month. Because of his return, Roberto Alomar , Omar Vizquel , and Kenny Lofton all started getting better pitches to hit, which also significantly increased their batting averages. Despite the comeback, the Indians failed to make the postseason, finishing five games behind the White Sox in the AL Central. With free agency looming, Ramirez homered in his final game and at-bat in an Indians uniform, on October 1 against Toronto in front of

4134-410: A physician had unknowingly prescribed a banned medication. After consulting with the players association, Ramirez waived his right to challenge the suspension. According to an ESPN report, the drug used by Ramirez was human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It

4293-475: A season in the NL. After the Dodgers lost in the playoffs, Ramirez, a free agent to be, was asked about his future. "Gas is up, and so am I", was his reply, indicating that he expected to be valued highly in the free-agent market. After long and contentious negotiations that dragged into the start of spring training, Ramirez signed a two-year $ 45 million contract to remain with the Dodgers on March 4. Ramirez began 2009 at

4452-470: A short distance from Yankee Stadium , Ramirez rooted for the Toronto Blue Jays , who had as he described his Dominican heroes George Bell and Tony Fernández on its roster; he attended games when the Blue Jays were in town. Ramirez attended George Washington High School from 1987 to 1991, leaving at the age of 19 without graduating. During his time on the team, GWHS was seeing a large increase in

4611-529: A similarity to what had happened to him in Minnesota, especially considering that Giambi was only batting .125 on May 1. After expressing his frustration to the media, Pedro Martínez pulled his friend aside to defuse the situation, then asked manager Grady Little to ensure Ortiz always be in the lineup when he was pitching. As Ortiz's bat heated up in May, the Red Sox finally broke the logjam when they traded Hillenbrand to

4770-428: A sixth inning 1-1 tie by launching a go-ahead three-run homer off Barry Zito that set up an ALCS showdown with the rival Yankees. In ALCS Game 3, Ramirez was at the center of a bench-clearing brawl. Early in the game, Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez had hit Yankees outfielder Karim Garcia up high with a pitch, sparking heated dialogue, and a hard slide by Garcia into Red Sox second baseman Todd Walker had exacerbated

4929-474: A streak throughout the Series where the Red Sox scored in the first inning of each game. Ramirez's 2004 season was capped off by being named World Series MVP . Ramirez also finished third in AL MVP voting, just ahead of teammate Ortiz, who finished fourth. On May 15, 2005, Ramirez hit his 400th home run off Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners . On July 5, Ramirez hit his 20th career grand slam — and his third of

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5088-565: A strong performance in an impromptu home run derby—the result of a failed Mariners' promotion in which the Timber Rattlers were supposed to play an exhibition game against the MLB club in front of their home fans in Wisconsin, but the game was rained out. Also in Wisconsin, Ortiz met his future wife Tiffany; she led him to become a fan of the nearby Green Bay Packers NFL team, a devotion that would become lifelong. Baseball America named Ortiz

5247-468: A void at first base. Sabermetrics favorite Jeremy Giambi was widely expected to get most of the playing time, but also in the mix were primary third baseman Bill Mueller (who figured to DH at times), Shea Hillenbrand (who could play third base, first base, or DH), and Kevin Millar (who could play first base or outfield). The team's best hitter, outfielder Manny Ramirez , figured to DH at times also. When

5406-513: A walk-off hit against the rival New York Yankees . He would add his first walk-off homer as a member of the Red Sox on September 23, against the Baltimore Orioles . He finished the season with 31 home runs, 101 RBI and a .288 average, finishing fifth in the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award voting as the Red Sox won the AL Wild Card and qualified for the postseason. In

5565-533: A wish to be traded. This included a threat to not show up for spring training if his latest demand was not met by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein . Toward this end, in December 2005, Ramirez put his Ritz-Carlton condominium up for sale. Trade rumors circulated with Ramirez possibly going to the Baltimore Orioles or the New York Mets , but no deal was reached. By January 5, 2006, Ramirez changed his mind, stating that he

5724-603: Is often taken after steroids . In the spring of 2011, Ramirez was informed by MLB of another violation of its drug policy, and a 100-game suspension. He chose to retire on April 8 rather than be suspended. However, in September 2011, Ramirez wished to be reinstated and agreed in December with the league to a reduced 50-game suspension. Though he played at various points in the Oakland Athletics , Texas Rangers , and Chicago Cubs systems, as well as internationally, Ramirez did not appear in another Major League game. Known as

5883-449: Is similar to Clomid , the drug Jason Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO . Testing revealed artificial testosterone, too. As a condition for returning from the suspension, Ramirez was subject to three additional drug tests per year in addition to the minimum of two per player. During his suspension, Ramirez was allowed to work out at the Dodgers' facilities and he trained with Dodger coach Manny Mota . To get back into shape he

6042-496: The 1999 American League Division Series . In 2000, Ramirez was limited to 118 games due to injuries, but recorded a career-high .351 batting average, along with 38 home runs and 122 RBI. His return is believed to have started a major comeback that led the Indians to a final record of 90–72 and cut the number of games they were behind the leader of the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox , from 11.5 games down to 7.5 games in just

6201-543: The AL Division Series . In 2022 , Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Ortiz was born on November 18, 1975, in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic , as the oldest of four children of Enrique (Leo) Ortiz and Ángela Rosa Arias. As a boy, he followed the careers of standout pitcher Ramón Martinez and his younger brother Pedro , attending games whenever he could and building

6360-615: The ALDS versus the Red Sox, which the Indians won in four games. In the ALCS against the Yankees, Ramirez batted .333 with two home runs, but the Indians lost in six games. Following the season, Ramirez came in sixth place in AL MVP voting. Ramirez began 1999 on a hot streak, hitting .337 with seven home runs in the month of April. Ramirez's hot hitting continued all season, as he batted .364 in May and reached

6519-445: The American League (AL) twice in the latter category and setting the team's single-season record of 54 home runs in 2006 ; he finished in the top five of the AL's Most Valuable Player voting all five years. Used almost exclusively as a DH during his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, he was a ten-time All-Star and a seven-time Silver Slugger winner, and became regarded as one of the greatest designated hitters of all time. He received

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6678-490: The Arizona Diamondbacks on May 29. On June 1, manager Grady Little benched Giambi, who was still hitting only .185. These two moves allowed Ortiz to become the everyday designated hitter. As a regular, Ortiz finally had the breakout year he had envisioned. After hitting .299 with 10 home runs in the season's first half, he turned on the power in the second half, hitting 21 home runs in 63 games. On July 26, he delivered

6837-477: The Boston Red Sox , with $ 20 million options for 2009 and 2010, pushing the total value of the contract to $ 200 million for 10 years. Ramirez immediately delivered for the Red Sox, hitting .408 in April 2001. He had another sterling first half, amassing a .335 batting average with 26 home runs and 84 RBI at the 2001 All-Star break. Although he missed some time battling hamstring injuries and struggled down

6996-603: The Boston Red Sox . After playing parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Twins with unremarkable results, Ortiz moved to the Red Sox, where he played a leading role in ending the team's 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004 , as well as winning championships in 2007 and 2013 ; he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2013. In his first five seasons with the club, he averaged 41 home runs and 128 runs batted in (RBIs), leading

7155-409: The Chicago White Sox 's Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez . In the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game , Ramirez hit a two-run home run off Roger Clemens in the top of the first inning, giving his teammates a 3–0 lead. Ramirez, Derek Jeter (with a single ), Ichiro Suzuki (with a double ) and Iván Rodríguez (with a triple ) became the first All-Star quartet that combined to hit for

7314-587: The Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan . Ramirez is recognized for having great batting skill and power. He was a nine-time Silver Slugger and was one of 28 players to hit 500 career home runs . His 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 29 postseason home runs are the most in MLB history. He appeared in 12 All-Star Games , with a streak of eleven consecutive games beginning in 1998 that included every season that he played with

7473-480: The Colorado Rockies to win their second World Series Championship in four years. In 2008, Ortiz started slowly after suffering a wrist injury which caused him to miss several weeks. He played in a total of 109 games and finished the season with 23 home runs and 89 RBI while batting .264. Despite his struggles, Ortiz was named to his fifth All-Star team. In the playoffs, Ortiz batted just .186 over two rounds as

7632-497: The Edgar Martínez Award as the league's top DH eight times, and set major league records for career home runs (485), RBIs (1,569) and hits (2,192) as a DH. He posted ten seasons each with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, and batted .300 or better seven times. After a drop in his offensive numbers from 2008 to 2012, he enjoyed a strong resurgence in his last four seasons, and had one of his best years in his final campaign, leading

7791-540: The Florida Marlins . On April 18 against the San Francisco Giants , Ramirez hit his 548th career home run to tie Mike Schmidt for the 14th place on the all-time home run list. He hit his 549th to pass Schmidt on May 28 against the Colorado Rockies . On June 19, he hit a home run in his second game back at Fenway Park . In 2010, Ramirez had three separate stints on the disabled list. When he returned from

7950-510: The Home Run Derby contest, defeating Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramírez in the final. A strong September where Ortiz drove in 23 runs pushed him over the 100-RBI mark for the first time in three seasons. But despite Ortiz's resurgence, the Red Sox finished third in the AL East and failed to qualify for the postseason. At the end of the season, the Red Sox announced that they would pick up

8109-467: The Philadelphia Phillies . This marked the ninth time that Ortiz hit 30 or more home runs in a season, the most in Red Sox history. On September 12, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field , Ortiz hit his 500th career home run off Rays pitcher Matt Moore . He became only the 27th player in MLB history to reach that milestone. On November 18, 2015, his 40th birthday, Ortiz announced on

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8268-595: The World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals , Ortiz hit home runs in both Games 1 and 2, had six RBIs and batted .688 as the Red Sox won the series 4–2. He tied a Series record by reaching base nine times in a row, and the opposing Cardinals seemed to stop trying to get him out, with many intentional walks. Ortiz won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award . Ortiz gained several new nicknames from

8427-514: The designated hitter . The following day, when the Indians took on the New York Yankees , Ramirez went 3 for 4 with his first two home runs, with many of his family and friends in attendance at Yankee Stadium . His first career base hit was hit against Mélido Pérez . However, rather humorously, his first MLB hit off Perez was an automatic double that bounced into the left-field seats as left fielder Paul O'Neill pursued it. Ramirez, seeing

8586-401: The strike zone , as well as the first baseman's penchant for sometimes throwing his helmet in frustration after making an out. Before the fifth inning, Ramirez was caught on NESN cameras taking a swing at Youkilis. Ramirez and Youkilis yelled at each other and had to be separated by teammates, coaches, and training staff. Youkilis headed out to the field still yelling at Ramirez, while Ramirez

8745-449: The "Franchise Four" (the greatest four players of all time for every MLB team) was determined by online voting by fans on the MLB.com website. Along with Ortiz, Ted Williams , Carl Yastrzemski and Ortiz's friend Pedro Martínez were selected as the four greatest players in Boston Red Sox history. On September 5 at Fenway Park, Ortiz hit his 30th home run of the season off Jerome Williams of

8904-555: The "Most Exciting Player in the Carolina League" by Baseball America. In 1993, Ramirez was named "Minor League Player of the Year" by Baseball America while hitting .333 with 31 homers and 115 RBIs in 129 combined games with the Double-A Canton–Akron Indians and Triple-A Charlotte Knights . Ramirez made his major league debut on September 2, 1993, against the Minnesota Twins , going hitless in four at-bats as

9063-422: The $ 12.5 million team option on his contract for 2011, though Ortiz had hoped for a multi-year extension instead. In 2011, Ortiz continued to produce, batting .309 with 29 home runs and 96 RBI. He passed several milestones during the year. On April 2, he set the record for RBI by a designated hitter with 1,004, surpassing Edgar Martínez . Then, on May 21, Ortiz became only the fifth player to hit 300 home runs as

9222-503: The 2002 season. Ramirez only played in 120 games in 2002 due to a hamstring injury that put him on the disabled list (DL) from mid-May to the end of June. Despite this, Ramirez won the AL batting title, hitting .349 (including .438 against lefties), and his .647 slugging percentage was second in the league behind Jim Thome 's .677. Like clockwork, Ramirez again reached the 30 home run and 100 RBI plateaus, posting 33 and 107 respectively. He hit his 300th career home run on August 26 against

9381-578: The 2003 postseason, Ortiz struggled in the ALDS against the Oakland A's until Game 4, when he hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth inning off closer Keith Foulke to turn a 4–3 deficit into a 5–4 Red Sox lead and eventual victory. In Game 1 of the AL Championship Series against the rival New York Yankees , Ortiz hit his first career postseason home run. He finished with two home runs and 6 RBI in

9540-546: The 2007 season in left field, and tied for sixth overall in the major leagues in assists from left field. In the postseason, Ramirez hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , breaking a 3-3 tie as he launched the ball over Fenway Park's Monster seats beyond the left-field wall. In

9699-681: The 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league , and the Royals were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores. In addition to the Appalachian League version of the Burlington Indians, from 1958 to 1964 a team representing Burlington, N.C., of the same name competed in the Carolina League (Class B through 1962; thereafter Class A) as

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9858-617: The 300th of his career against Luke Hochevar of the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on July 9. On September 17, Ortiz hit his 270th career home run as a DH off José Arredondo of the Los Angeles Angels, breaking the all-time record held by Frank Thomas . However, Ortiz finished the season with just a .238 average to go along with his 28 home runs and 99 RBI. He also struggled in the postseason, with just one hit in 12 at-bats. During 2009, Ortiz did, however, play first base for

10017-412: The 64-year-old McCormick to the ground after telling him "Just do your job." The two were quickly separated and Ramirez later offered a public apology but did not apologize to McCormick in person until 2014. The matter was dealt with internally, and Ramirez was fined $ 10,000–15,000. On July 25, after sitting out a game against the Seattle Mariners with a sore knee, Ramirez was slated to start against

10176-683: The AL MVP voting and captured the Silver Slugger at DH once again, as the Red Sox won the AL East. In the postseason, Ortiz again kept up the clutch hitting. He batted .714 (5-for-7) against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the Division Series, with two home runs. Then, after batting .292 with a home run against the Cleveland Indians in the AL Championship Series , he hit .333 in the 2007 World Series , with 4 RBI. Combined, Ortiz batted .370 with three home runs and 10 RBI and Boston swept

10335-510: The AL and MLB with a 1.021 OPS, .620 slugging percentage, 87 extra base hits and 48 doubles. He had the highest percentage of hard-hit batted balls in the majors (45.9%). He also had the highest ISO (Isolated Power) of all MLB players in 2016, at .305. Throughout the season, opposing teams honored Ortiz by presenting him with gifts, some humorous, when the Red Sox visited, similar to how teams had done when other stars like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were in their final season. For example,

10494-464: The AL in doubles , RBIs, and slugging percentage , once again leading the team to the postseason. Upon his retirement, Ortiz ranked sixth in AL history with 541 home runs, fifth in doubles (632) and ninth in RBIs (1,768). Regarded as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, he had 11 career walk-off home runs during the regular season and two during the 2004 postseason, the first of which clinched

10653-539: The AL in RBI, while finishing second in home runs and third in OPS. Ortiz finished second in the AL MVP voting to Alex Rodriguez while leading the Red Sox to their third consecutive playoff appearance, where they lost in the first round to the eventual champion Chicago White Sox . For the second consecutive season, Ortiz was named an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award . He also won his first Hank Aaron Award as

10812-408: The AL in salary, at $ 22.5 million. In addition, Ramirez and teammate David Ortiz became the first pair of AL teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBIs, and bat .300 since the Yankees' Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Together they hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single-season mark set by the Detroit Tigers ' Hank Greenberg and Rudy York and later matched by

10971-399: The ALCS, including a solo home run in the eighth inning of the decisive Game 7 that gave the Red Sox a 5–2 lead at the time. However, the Red Sox would go on to blow the lead in the bottom of the inning, and Boston lost the series in heartbreaking fashion on Aaron Boone 's infamous extra-inning walk-off home run that instead sent the Yankees to the 2003 World Series . In the offseason, Ortiz

11130-458: The All-Star break with 25 home runs and 96 RBI. At the time, it was the third-highest single-season total for RBI by the All-Star Break in MLB history, behind only Hank Greenberg (103 in 1935) and Juan González (101 in 1998). On September 30, 1999, Ramirez broke the Indians' single-season RBI record (previously 162 by Hal Trosky in 1936) by hitting a three-run home run, giving Ramirez 164. Despite missing 15 games, he finished 1999 with 165 RBI,

11289-403: The Angels' Ramón Ortiz . It was the first of two home runs on the night for Ramirez, as he went 5-for-5 overall. However, the Red Sox again failed to qualify for the MLB postseason in 2002. In 2003, Ramirez again posted strong offensive numbers, finishing with a .325 average, 37 home runs, and 104 RBI. The second-half surge of newly acquired fellow Dominican slugger David Ortiz gave the Red Sox

11448-586: The Baltimore Orioles, Ortiz was ejected for arguing a check swing call. While arguing, Ortiz bumped into umpire John Tumpane . Two days later, MLB suspended Ortiz one game and fined him an undisclosed amount. On July 14, in an announcement prior to the MLB All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati , Ortiz was selected as one of the "Franchise Four" of the Boston Red Sox. The selection of

11607-455: The Bambino by winning their first World Series Championship in 86 years. Overall, Ortiz batted .400 in the 2004 postseason with five home runs and 23 RBI. In 2005 , Ortiz set new career highs with 47 home runs and 148 RBI. He batted .300 with an OPS of 1.001. On June 2, his three-run homer turned a 4–3 deficit into a 6–4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles . On September 6, his 38th home run of

11766-661: The Burlington Indians was based in Burlington, Iowa , and played in the Class C Central Association in the late 1940s. Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder . He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox , Los Angeles Dodgers , Chicago White Sox , and Tampa Bay Rays before playing one season at

11925-501: The Chicago Cubs in the Division Series before losing in the NLCS to the eventual World Series-winning Philadelphia Phillies in five games. During the playoffs, Ramirez hit an astounding .520 with four home runs, two doubles, 11 walks and 10 RBI. Ramirez was fourth in the voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, with 138 points, behind Albert Pujols , Ryan Howard , and Ryan Braun ; this was remarkable for someone who played less than half

12084-407: The Dodgers, Ramirez was claimed by the Chicago White Sox . The Dodgers awarded Ramirez to the White Sox on August 30, receiving no prospects, but with the White Sox assuming the $ 3.8 million remaining on Ramirez's salary. At the time, the White Sox hoped to bolster their offense for a playoff push. However, Ramirez hit .261 with just one home run and 2 RBI in his 24 games with the White Sox. He became

12243-562: The Dodgers. After going 2-for-4 in his first game as a Dodger, Ramirez never looked back. He hit his first Dodger home run the following day in another 2-for-4 performance. Manny went on to be named the NL Player of the Month for August 2008, touching off "Mannywood" in Los Angeles. He hit .415 (44-for-106) with seven doubles, nine home runs, 25 RBIs and 21 runs scored during the month. He finished

12402-408: The Dominican Republic. As his playing time increased, his stats improved. Despite his slow start, he finished at .282 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI. His 36 doubles were second on the team to Matt Lawton 's 44, despite Ortiz having almost 200 fewer plate appearances. Ortiz's .364 on-base percentage was fourth on the team among players with more than 100 plate appearances. Ortiz began the 2001 season as

12561-460: The Indians again reached the World Series , and Ramirez batted .154 with two home runs as the Indians lost to the Florida Marlins in seven games. In 1998, Ramirez experienced a great increase in power, on his way to becoming one of the great run producers in the game. He batted .294 with 45 home runs and 145 RBIs, and was selected to his second All-Star Game, where he recorded a sacrifice fly and RBI. Ramirez batted .357 with two home runs during

12720-549: The Indians' six-game loss. In December 1995, Ramirez agreed to a $ 10.15 million, four-year contract. Ramirez continued to hit well in 1996, batting .309 with 33 home runs and 112 RBI. The Indians again reached the playoffs, and Ramirez batted .375 with two home runs in the Indians' loss to the Orioles in the 1996 American League Division Series . In 1997, Ramirez's contact continued to improve, though his power dipped slightly, as he hit .328 with 26 home runs and 88 RBI. This year,

12879-715: The Mariners of the Arizona League , batting .246 with two home runs and 20 RBI. By 1995, he had improved those numbers to .332 with four home runs and 37 RBI. In 1996, he was promoted to the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League , a Mariners farm team . He established himself as one of the Mariners' best hitting prospects, batting .322 with 18 home runs and 93 RBI. Ortiz also impressed both fans and Mariners' players like Alex Rodriguez with

13038-519: The New York Yankees presented Ortiz with a painting of him at home plate in Yankee Stadium, as well as a book of notes to Ortiz written by several former and current Yankees. When it was their turn, the Baltimore Orioles presented Ortiz with the mangled dugout phone he had destroyed with a bat from his 2013 outburst. On May 14, at Fenway Park, Ortiz hit a walk-off double to lead the Red Sox to

13197-471: The Red Sox agreed to terms on a two-year contract with $ 26 million, with incentives that could push the total value of the deal to $ 30 million. The deal was made official on November 5. Ortiz rebounded from his injury to post a strong 2013 campaign as he once again guided the Red Sox to a first-place finish in the AL East. During the regular season, he hit 30 home runs, had 103 RBI and batted .309. He finished in

13356-496: The Red Sox offer of salary arbitration, and the two sides again avoided hearings by agreeing to a $ 14.575 million figure for the 2012 season. 2012 began like Ortiz had his sights set on MVP contention again, as he hit .405 over the season's first month, with six home runs and 20 RBI. On July 4, at O.co Coliseum in Oakland , Ortiz hit his 400th career home run off A. J. Griffin of the Oakland Athletics . However, on July 16, Ortiz suffered an injury to his right Achilles tendon and

13515-458: The Red Sox quickly fell behind 0 games to 3, a deficit that had never been surmounted in baseball history. Ortiz almost single-handedly paved the way for history, as he hit a walk-off two-run home run against Paul Quantrill in the 12th inning of Game 4 and a walk-off single off Esteban Loaiza in the 14th inning of Game 5. His heroics - namely batting .387 with three home runs and 11 RBI in the series - earned him AL Championship Series MVP honors,

13674-593: The Red Sox through the 2017 season. Once the season started, Ortiz continued to hit well, homering 35 times to go along with 104 RBI and a .263 average. He again placed in the top 10 in the AL in both home runs and RBI. During a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 31, Ortiz was hit by a pitch from David Price , leading to both benches being warned. Price later hit Mike Carp which led to both benches clearing and an enraged Ortiz shouting at Price. On June 29 at Yankee Stadium , Ortiz homered off New York Yankees pitcher Chase Whitley for his 450th career home run. In

13833-474: The Red Sox to a World Series championship, the franchise's eighth. In Game 2 of the AL Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays , he hit two home runs off Rays' ace pitcher David Price . In Game 2 of the AL Championship Series versus the Detroit Tigers , Ortiz hit a dramatic, game-tying grand slam off reliever Joaquín Benoit in the bottom of the eighth inning, helping propel the Red Sox to victory. In

13992-416: The Red Sox to their seventh World Series title. In the regular season, he had 35 home runs and 117 RBI while batting a career-best .332, placing him in the top 10 in the AL in all three categories. In addition, he hit 52 doubles, led the AL in extra-base hits and finished second in OPS at 1.066. His .445 on-base percentage led the league. An All-Star for the fourth consecutive season, Ortiz finished fourth in

14151-499: The Red Sox ultimately fell to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Championship Series . Ortiz struggled early in the 2009 season, hitting only .206 with no home runs and 30 strikeouts in his first 34 games. He did not hit his first home run of the season until May 20 off Brett Cecil of the Toronto Blue Jays , ending a career-high 150 homerless at-bat streak. In June, Ortiz broke out of his slump by hitting seven home runs with 22 RBI. He hit seven home runs in both July and August, including

14310-412: The Red Sox. Ramirez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic . When he was 13 years old, he moved to New York City with his parents, Onelcida and Aristides. He attended George Washington High School and became a baseball standout. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the 1991 MLB draft , 13th overall. He made his MLB debut on September 2, 1993. In 1994, Ramirez became

14469-483: The Twins ahead 5–1 in a game they would hold on to win 5–4. The series-winning RBI was the first of what would be many clutch postseason hits in Ortiz's career. After the season, the small market Twins faced a decision on Ortiz, who had made $ 950,000 and would likely have been granted around $ 2 million for 2003 by an arbitrator. Rather than negotiate a contract, or go to arbitration, the Twins instead decided to release Ortiz as

14628-536: The Yankees, setting up a showdown with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 World Series as the Red Sox attempted to end the Curse of the Bambino and win their first championship since 1918 . Ramirez proceeded to hit .412 with a home run and 4 RBI in a 4-game sweep of the Cardinals, as the Red Sox won their first title in 86 years. His home run came in the first inning of Game 3, off Cardinals starter Jeff Suppan , continuing

14787-434: The Yankees. However, several minutes before the game, he informed manager Terry Francona , through a bench coach, that he would not be playing. During the series, Ramirez was directed to an area hospital for MRIs on both his knees; the results showed no damage. When back in action, Ramirez frequently failed to run out ground balls. Assuming that this was due to his displeasure about his contract situation (Ramirez could become

14946-423: The all-time leader for hits by a DH with 1,689. On July 27, Ortiz was ejected by home-plate umpire Tim Timmons for arguing balls and strikes in a game against the Baltimore Orioles . After his ejection, Ortiz used his bat to smash a pressbox phone in the dugout. Major League Baseball decided not to suspend Ortiz for the incident. In the postseason, Ortiz hit five home runs and 13 RBI while batting .353 to lead

15105-552: The appeal process. Ramirez was facing a 100-game suspension, which would still apply if he decided to return to MLB in the future. Neither Ramirez nor the MLB Players Association issued a statement about the sudden retirement. Ramirez did not personally inform the Rays about his decision. The team announced that they had been informed of his retirement by the MLB Commissioner's Office. In September 2011, reports surfaced that Ramirez

15264-421: The ball in the seats, continued running thinking he had hit a home run, before returning to second base while his teammates ribbed him. After flying out to O'Neill in his next plate appearance, Ramirez homered in his final two at-bats. In 1994, his first full season in the majors, Ramirez had a strong start to the season, hitting six home runs during the month of April. Despite a weak start to May, he rebounded in

15423-484: The bat. On May 28, Ortiz hit his 100th career home run, a grand slam , off Joel Piñeiro of the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. Also in May, Ortiz signed a two-year contract extension with the Red Sox worth $ 12.5 million. He batted .304 with 23 home runs and 78 RBI in the season's first half, was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, and hit a long home run in the All-Star Game off Carl Pavano . Ortiz

15582-463: The best hitting tandem of the decade. In the 2004 postseason, Ortiz elevated his play to a new level. He had multiple game-winning hits to help Boston advance through the rounds. In the 2004 AL Division Series , he hit a series-winning walk-off home run off Jarrod Washburn in the 10th inning of Game 3 to knock out the Anaheim Angels . In the AL Championship Series against the New York Yankees ,

15741-539: The best offensive tandems in baseball history. Ramirez led the Red Sox to World Series Championships in 2004 and 2007 before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Pittsburgh Pirates . In 2009 , Ramirez was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy by taking human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug that

15900-506: The cycle during the same inning. The Red Sox again qualified for the postseason, and Ramirez continued his hot hitting. He hit .385 in the 2004 ALDS , leading the Red Sox to a sweep over the Anaheim Angels , and setting up a rematch in the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees. Despite not driving in a run in the ALCS, Ramirez hit .300 as the Red Sox completed a historic comeback from down 3 games to 0 to win in seven against

16059-543: The disabled list. He returned to the Twins in July following a rehab assignment to Triple-A and finished the season with the team. He ended his rookie year strong, batting .360 in September. All told, he hit .277 with nine home runs and 46 RBI in 86 games. In 1999, Ortiz figured to be a fixture in the lineup, but after a tough spring training which saw him bat only .137, he was sent down to the Triple-A Salt Lake Buzz as

16218-510: The duo combined to drive in an outstanding 292 runs. Ortiz finished second, and Ramirez fourth, in MVP voting to winner Alex Rodriguez . Off the field, the season was one of much conflict for Ramirez. Persistent trade rumors (generally involving the New York Mets ) dogged him all season. After the Red Sox were eliminated in the first round of that year's playoffs by the eventual World Series champion Chicago White Sox , Ramirez once again expressed

16377-440: The end of the season, longtime Twins manager Tom Kelly retired, and Ron Gardenhire took over the reins. The offseason proved very difficult for Ortiz, as on New Year's Day 2002, his mother died following a car accident. Gardenhire reached out and helped Ortiz deal with the death, and Ortiz prepared hard for the coming baseball season, both saddened his mother never saw him play at his best and determined to reach new heights. When

16536-493: The end of the year, and, on October 20, Major League Baseball announced that Ortiz was the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award . However, the Red Sox again failed to qualify for the postseason. Also at season's end, as Ortiz and the Red Sox could not agree on a contract extension during the year, Ortiz headed for free agency for the first time since being released by the Twins in 2003. However, on December 7, he accepted

16695-411: The first pair of AL teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBIs, and bat .300 since the Yankees' Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931. Together they hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single-season mark set by the Detroit Tigers ' Hank Greenberg and Rudy York and later matched by the Chicago White Sox 's Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez . The duo quickly became arguably

16854-401: The first time a DH had ever won that award, as the Red Sox came back to win in seven games. In the 2004 World Series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals , Ortiz set the tone for the four-game sweep as he hit a three-run home run off Woody Williams in the first inning of Game 1 at Fenway Park . He hit .308 in the series with a home run and 4 RBI as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals to end the Curse of

17013-474: The first time since the 2007 season. In 2010, Ortiz again got off to a slow start, and questions loomed large about his future. Ortiz batted just .143 in April, with a home run and 4 RBI. But Ortiz returned to his All-Star form beginning with a hot May and finished at .270 with 32 home runs and 102 RBI for the year. His home run and RBI totals were both in the top 10 in the AL. At the All-Star Game , Ortiz won

17172-438: The fourth inning of the series' final game, Ramirez combined with teammate David Ortiz to hit back-to-back home runs off pitcher Jered Weaver . The home run tied him with Bernie Williams for first place all-time in postseason home runs with 22. The Red Sox advanced to the 2007 American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians where, on October 13, Ramirez hit his 23rd postseason home run, passing Williams for

17331-535: The game overall. Ortiz hit one home run and had 6 RBI in his first season. In 1998, Ortiz entered the season with his sights set on playing as the regular first baseman for the Twins. However, Ortiz's playing style was somewhat different from the approach favored by manager Tom Kelly , which placed a premium on avoiding strikeouts, and great defense (which Kelly felt Ortiz still needed to work on). While Kelly worked with Ortiz on his defense, he hit well, batting .306 through May 9 before fracturing his wrist and going on

17490-402: The highest total by any player since Jimmie Foxx (1938), and batted an eye-popping .383 against left-handed pitchers. He also batted .383 with runners in scoring position, and .377 with men on base. That season, he finished third in the voting for the AL MVP award. However, he struggled in the 1999 postseason, going 1-for-18 as the Indians were eliminated by the Boston Red Sox in 5 games in

17649-461: The home fans at Jacobs Field . In November 2000, the Indians offered Ramirez a seven-year, $ 119 million contract. While this would have made Ramirez the highest-paid player in baseball, the deal was rejected by Ramirez and his agent, Jeff Moorad , who were seeking a ten-year, $ 200 million contract. Ramirez was reportedly pursued by the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, but in December agreed to an eight-year, $ 160 million deal with

17808-530: The home run he had given up to Ortiz in August 2002. Excited at the prospect of his friend joining him on the Boston Red Sox (who needed a first baseman), Pedro began calling several Red Sox team officials to request that the team sign Ortiz. On January 22, Ortiz signed a non-guaranteed free agent contract with the Red Sox that would be worth $ 1.25 million if he made the team. New Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein envisioned Ortiz as one of several candidates to fill

17967-630: The latter half of the month, finishing the month with a .300 batting average. During the season, the Indians were chasing the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central (AL Central) division all the way until the end of the season. However, the team's season ended in August due to the 1994 MLB strike . Ramirez finished second in the Rookie of the Year award voting after batting .269 with 17 home runs and 60 RBI in 91 games. Ramirez's breakout season came in 1995, when he batted .308 with 31 home runs and 107 RBI. In July, he

18126-580: The league to be reinstated to baseball and that an agreement had been reached between MLB and the Players Association that he needed to serve only a 50-game suspension instead of 100 games. David Ortiz This is an accepted version of this page David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed " Big Papi ", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2016, primarily for

18285-473: The media and his teammates as a result of his great postseason play such as "Señor Octubre" and " Cooperstown ." He finished third in Boston's mayoral race that year with 560 write-in votes. He also finished 10th in AL MVP voting, the first season he garnered votes since 2007. On March 23, 2014, Ortiz signed a one-year, $ 16 million contract extension for the 2015 season. The extension also included two team option years to potentially keep him under contract with

18444-442: The most all-time. He helped the Red Sox to reach and win the 2007 World Series , where they swept the Colorado Rockies , by batting a combined .348 with four home runs and 16 RBI in the postseason. Ramirez earned his second World Series ring, as the Red Sox earned their seventh title. 2008 opened with Ramirez and the Red Sox defending their crown, and with Ramirez himself stating he wanted "to play six more years and then retire as

18603-464: The most exciting player in the Midwest League , as well as its best defensive first baseman for 1996. Despite his strong year in the Mariners' system, on September 13, 1996, Ortiz was traded to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named later to complete an earlier transaction for Dave Hollins . When he arrived in Minnesota, he informed the team that he preferred to be listed as "David Ortiz"—using his paternal family name rather than "Arias" which

18762-470: The mound. His career year coincided with the Twins qualifying for the postseason, as the team won 94 games and upset the Oakland Athletics in the Division Series before falling in the 2002 American League Championship Series to the eventual World Series winning Anaheim Angels . Ortiz batted .276 in his first postseason, with 4 RBI. His 9th inning double in the decisive Game 5 of the Division Series put

18921-411: The ninth consecutive season on August 20 in a series against the Yankees, but missed 28 games from mid-August on with soreness in his right knee. Ramirez finished at .321 with 35 home runs and 102 RBI. He also drew a career-high 100 walks in 2006, the only time in his career he reached that mark. However, the Red Sox missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season. On April 22, 2007, Ramirez

19080-420: The number of immigrants. This was apparent, as GWHS's baseball team was composed entirely of Dominicans. As a youth, Ramirez preferred to not be the center of attention and was often very modest. During his time at GWHS, he led his team to three straight division championships. As a junior in 1990, he had a batting average of .633 and hit 16 home runs. He was a three-time all-city selection in baseball, and as

19239-452: The offseason that followed, the new Red Sox ownership (led by John W. Henry ) and management tried to rid themselves of Ramirez's massive contract, despite his high level of production. Believed to be necessary in pursuit of a trade for Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez , the team put Ramirez on irrevocable waivers, thus making him available to any team willing to assume the remainder of his contract. However, all 29 other teams passed on

19398-596: The opportunity to claim Ramirez due to the high cost, and Rodriguez was acquired by the Yankees instead, as a replacement for Boone after the latter had blown out his knee playing offseason basketball. Also noteworthy from 2003 (though it was not revealed until 2009), according to the New York Times , Ramirez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs that season from the "survey" drug test, in which MLB players were tested to see if drugs were being used. Players faced no penalties or sanctions for testing positive. Ramirez

19557-445: The outstanding hitter in the AL. On April 10, the Red Sox announced Ortiz signed a four-year, $ 52 million contract extension with the team. The contract also included a team option for a fifth year. Over the two months of June and July, he had five walk-off hits, three of which were home runs. Ortiz hit his 200th career home run on June 29, against Duaner Sánchez of the New York Mets at Fenway Park . He posted his best month of

19716-417: The regular DH and started the year strong, batting .311 with six home runs and 18 RBI through May 4. For the first time in years, the Twins were a contender thanks to a hot start helped by Ortiz's hitting. However, another wrist fracture landed Ortiz back on the disabled list, and he did not return until July. It was apparent the injury affected his production, as he batted just .202 upon his return. He finished

19875-571: The season began, Ortiz battled knee injuries. It was a tale of two seasons for Ortiz, as his .240 average with five homers and 33 RBI before the All-Star break was disappointing. But after the All-Star break, Ortiz quietly turned in one of the better second halves in baseball, batting .297 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI. On August 16, he hit a memorable home run off his friend Pedro Martínez at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , hitting an inside cut fastball into

20034-466: The season in July, batting .339 with 14 home runs. On September 20 at Fenway Park, Ortiz tied Jimmie Foxx 's single season Red Sox home run record of 50 set in 1938, in the sixth inning against Minnesota Twins' Boof Bonser . On September 21, Ortiz broke the record by hitting his 51st home run off Johan Santana of the Twins. The home run was also his 44th of the season as a designated hitter, breaking his own AL single-season record. Ortiz finished 2006 with

20193-569: The season started, all of them made the team, including Ortiz, with the new designated hitter/first baseman taking player number 34 in honor of his mentor and friend on the Twins, Kirby Puckett . Because of the logjam, Ortiz did not play steadily during the first two months of the season. He hit his first home run with his new team on April 27 at Anaheim , a go-ahead shot to break a 14th-inning tie in an eventual 6–4 win, but batted only .212 in April. By May, he had raised his average to .272. Ortiz became frustrated over his limited playing time, seeing

20352-450: The season with the Dodgers by batting .396 with 17 home runs and 53 RBI in just 53 games, remarkable numbers for a 36-year-old. His combined totals were a .332 batting average, 37 home runs, and 121 RBI. Among all major leaguers, Ramirez finished 2008 third in batting average, second in slugging percentage, and third in OPS. With Ramirez in the lineup, the Dodgers won the NL West, then swept

20511-399: The season — off Chris Young of the Texas Rangers . On defense, however, he tied for the lead among all major league left fielders in errors, with seven. He posted his highest single-season RBI total as a Red Sox in 2005, driving in 144 runs to go along with his 45 homers, but he batted only .292, his first time under .300 since 1998. Along with teammate David Ortiz , who drove in 148 runs,

20670-545: The season's first two months, by June 2000 he finally established himself as an MLB regular. However, Ortiz played primarily at designated hitter as manager Kelly stuck with the veteran Ron Coomer at first base. When Ortiz homered on June 9 against the Milwaukee Brewers , it was his first MLB home run in more than a year. On September 7, he hit his first major league grand slam at Fenway Park against Boston Red Sox pitcher Ramón Martínez , one of his childhood heroes from

20829-481: The season, the Red Sox announced that his uniform number 34 would be retired during the 2017 season . Additionally, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker was on hand to announce the bridge that carries Brookline Avenue over the Massachusetts Turnpike would be dedicated in honor of Ortiz. Ortiz's strong play in his final season was enough to get the Red Sox into the postseason, but a first-round sweep at

20988-455: The season. He became the oldest MLB player to ever do so. In the same game, he also reached 100 RBI for the season. It was the tenth time in his career he reached both milestones, a Red Sox record. He hit his 625th career double two days later against the Royals , passing Hank Aaron for tenth place all-time. On October 2, during a pregame ceremony at Fenway Park for Ortiz prior to the final game of

21147-420: The stretch, Ramirez finished the 2001 season at .306 with 41 home runs and 125 RBI, setting the season franchise record of hitting the most home runs as a first year Red Sox player. On June 23, Ramirez hit two monstrous home runs against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park , with the second one hitting the very top of the light tower in left field. Its length was officially listed at 501 feet, second-longest by

21306-539: The sure-handed rookie Doug Mientkiewicz earned the first base job. It was becoming apparent that manager Tom Kelly preferred veteran players or those who fit into his small-ball and good defense philosophy, something Ortiz would later be vocal about after his days with the Twins. While Ortiz tore through minor league pitching to the tune of a .315 average with 30 home runs and 110 RBI, Twins first basemen would go on to hit just .245 with 11 homers and 69 RBI all season. Twins designated hitters did not fare much better, batting

21465-412: The tensions. The very next inning, Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens threw a pitch high and inside to Ramirez, and Manny charged the mound, sparking the melee. The Red Sox lost the game 4-3. Despite Ramirez's strong play in the ALCS against the Yankees (.310 with two home runs), the Red Sox fell to the Yankees in the decisive seventh game on Aaron Boone 's infamous extra-inning, walk-off home run. During

21624-437: The third trip on August 21, he apparently had lost his starting job to Scott Podsednik . As a pinch hitter, he was ejected on August 29 by home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom one pitch into his at-bat for arguing a strike call. That appearance was his final one in a Dodger uniform. He batted .311 with eight home runs and 40 RBI in only 66 games as a Dodger in 2010 before being placed on waivers. After being placed on waivers by

21783-581: The top 10 in all the categories in the AL. On April 20, before the first game played at Fenway Park since the Boston Marathon bombing and his first since August 2012 after an Achilles tendon injury, Ortiz spoke emotionally to the crowd and stated, "This is our fucking city, and no one is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong." Ortiz reached several career milestones in 2013, including his 500th career double on July 2 and his 2,000th career hit on September 4. On July 10, Ortiz passed Harold Baines to become

21942-406: The upper deck. On September 25, he hit the first walk-off home run of his career, against the Cleveland Indians . He finished the 2002 season batting .272 with 20 home runs and 75 RBI. At this point in his career, the home run and RBI totals were both career bests. However, as he batted only .203 against left-handed pitching, Ortiz still was not always guaranteed to start if a tough lefty would be on

22101-459: The website The Players' Tribune that he would retire following the 2016 season. In the final season of his career, Ortiz hit 38 home runs—the most ever hit by a player in his final season—and had 127 RBI while batting .315. He finished in the top 10 in the AL in home runs and RBI for the ninth time in his career. He finished tied for first in the AL in RBI with Edwin Encarnación . Ortiz led

22260-484: The winter league would not work, Ramirez decided that he was willing to serve his 100-game suspension for the second violation of the drug policy, and to request reinstatement with MLB. He stated that he was not prepared for retirement, that he was available for any MLB team, and if none showed interest, then he would "play in Japan or some other place." On December 4, it was announced that Ramirez had formally filed papers with

22419-400: The year beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim . On September 29, his eighth-inning home run against the Toronto Blue Jays tied the game at 4, then his ninth-inning single in his very next at-bat gave Boston the win. For all of his late-inning heroics, Red Sox ownership would present Ortiz with a plaque proclaiming him "the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox." He led

22578-415: The year with a disappointing .234 average, however, the 11 home runs he hit over the season's final two months (including his first multihomer game on September 5 against the Texas Rangers ) offered a glimmer of hope for the future. Despite their hot start, the Twins ultimately did not qualify for the postseason but did win a very respectable 85 games. It was the franchise's first winning season since 1992. At

22737-677: Was allowed a short rehab stint in the minor leagues. Ramirez played two games with the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes , where his appearance led to record crowds for the Isotopes. He played several games with the Single-A Inland Empire 66ers , homering in his first at-bat with the 66ers. Ramirez returned from his suspension and reclaimed his starting role with the Dodgers on July 3 against the San Diego Padres . On July 7, Ramirez

22896-492: Was cut short when he strained his left oblique in late August during a Yankees series, but he did return to the lineup for the final homestand of the season. In 2007, he had the highest fielding percentage (.990) among left fielders in the AL, tied for second in the major leagues; he was ranked sixth-highest in range factor of all AL left fielders, 1.72, 16th in both leagues, but had the lowest zone rating among MLB left fielders with 100+ games (.713). He made two errors during

23055-532: Was dropping the demand. His agents, in turn, insisted their client was still open to a trade. But no deal materialized. On June 10, 2006, Ramirez became the 31st player in history to hit 450 home runs, with a solo home run off Francisco Cordero of the Texas Rangers. Three weeks later, on July 1, he collected his 2000th hit . Beginning in mid-July, he had a 28-game hitting streak , including 12 multi-hit games, eight home runs, and 28 RBI. He reached 100 RBI for

23214-518: Was ejected by homeplate umpire John Hirschbeck after throwing his elbow guard in the air after being called out on strikes. Instead of causing conflict, Ramirez walked into the dugout where he remained the rest of the game. On July 21, Ramirez hit his 537th career home run, passing Mickey Mantle for 15th place on the all-time home run list . On July 30, The New York Times reported that Ramirez tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during Major League Baseball's 2003 survey testing. Ramirez,

23373-410: Was eligible for salary arbitration once again, but the Red Sox agreed with him on a $ 4.6 million salary for the 2004 season, avoiding hearings. Prior to the agreement, Ortiz and his agent had submitted a figure of $ 5 million, while the Red Sox had countered with $ 4.2 million, so the agreement split the difference. Once the 2004 season started, Ortiz wasted no time picking up right where he left off with

23532-459: Was escorted into the tunnel leading to the clubhouse by bench coach Brad Mills and trainer Paul Lessard. Later in the season, during a series with the Houston Astros , Ramirez had a physical altercation with elderly Red Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick. The two were arguing over McCormick's inability to fill Ramirez's large game-day request for 16 tickets to the game in Houston. Ramirez pushed

23691-557: Was his maternal family name. Referring to the switch, sportswriter Jay Jaffe called Arias/Ortiz "literally the player to be named later." Ortiz rose quickly through the Twins system in 1997. Though he started with the High-A Fort Myers Miracle , he quickly progressed through Double-A ( New Britain Rock Cats ), to the Triple-A Salt Lake Buzz . At the three levels, Ortiz combined to hit .317 with 31 home runs and 124 RBI, earning

23850-427: Was just talking to his friend in that setting, and not actually drinking or partying as the media speculated. Boston manager Grady Little benched Ramirez for one game as a result. Despite this distraction, the Red Sox finished the season 95-67, qualifying for the MLB postseason for the first time with Ramirez. In the decisive fifth game of their Division Series matchup against the Oakland Athletics , Ramirez broke

24009-546: Was named the Appalachian League MVP and was selected by Baseball America as short-season Player of the Year while slugging 19 homers and driving in 63 runs in 59 games, while leading the league in slugging and total bases. With the Single-A Kinston Indians in 1992, Ramirez battled injuries but still hit .278 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs in 81 games and was named as the number three prospect and

24168-416: Was one of 104 players to have allegedly tested positive. In 2004, Ramirez led the AL in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.613) and OPS (1.009); he finished second in errors committed as a left fielder (7), third in RBIs (130), fourth in doubles (44) and total bases (348), sixth in on-base percentage (.397), eighth in walks (82), tenth in runs (108), and posted a .308 batting average . He also led

24327-486: Was placed on the DL on July 19. He returned on August 24 but returned to the DL on August 27 after playing just one game. He finished the season with 23 home runs and 60 RBI while batting .318 in 90 games. On the date of his injury, the Red Sox were 46–44. However, without Ortiz, the Red Sox cratered, going 23–49 over the last two and a half months of the season to finish last in the AL East. With free agency again looming, Ortiz and

24486-596: Was planning on playing in the Dominican Winter League for the Cibao Eagles . In a statement, the team said that Ramirez hoped to motivate other MLB stars to play in the country. However, the MLB Commissioner's Office issued a statement that since the Dominican League is affiliated with MLB, Ramirez was not eligible to play without first serving his mandated suspension. Upon hearing that his plans to play in

24645-521: Was retested and again returned a positive result. Ramirez filed a notice to appeal, and his second sample, or B sample, was tested under observation by Ramirez' representatives. When the B sample also tested positive, he dropped the appeal and told MLB that he would immediately retire. MLB issued a statement that Ramirez had been informed of an issue under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program, and chose to retire rather than continue with

24804-572: Was selected to his first All-Star Game and won his first career Silver Slugger Award following the season. That year, the Indians reached the postseason, and Ramirez hit two home runs in the 1995 American League Championship Series against the Mariners , which the Indians won in six games. The Indians then took on the Atlanta Braves in the World Series, and Ramirez batted .222 with one home run in

24963-660: Was suspended for three games in July, after being ejected following an incident in a July 16 game against the Angels in which he threw several bats onto the field that came close to hitting umpires Bill Hohn and Mark Carlson . Ortiz finished the 2004 season with 41 home runs and 139 RBI while batting .301 with an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .983. He finished second in the AL in both home runs and RBIs and finished fourth in AL MVP voting. He also earned his first Silver Slugger award for his outstanding performance at designated hitter . In addition, Ortiz and teammate Manny Ramirez became

25122-504: Was the first of four Red Sox batters to homer in consecutive at-bats in a game against the New York Yankees pitcher Chase Wright , tying a league record when J. D. Drew , Mike Lowell , and Jason Varitek followed Ramirez with longballs of their own. On April 29, Ramirez became the fifth player to hit 50 career home runs against the Yankees. Ramirez finished 2007 with a .296 batting average, 20 home runs, and 88 RBI, ending his streak of 30 home run and 100 RBI seasons at nine. His season

25281-523: Was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way deal. The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Jason Bay and minor league infielder Josh Wilson , and the Pittsburgh Pirates got infielder Andy LaRoche and pitching prospect Bryan Morris from the Dodgers and outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Craig Hansen from the Red Sox. Ramirez had always worn uniform number 24, but the Dodgers had retired that number in honor of Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston . Ramirez instead chose to wear number 99 with

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