David Ortiz

David Ortiz
Designated hitter
Born: November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo ,  Dominican Republic
Strikes: Left	Throws: Left
Debut in Major League Baseball
September 24,  1997  with the  Minnesota Twins
Last MLB assignment
October 2,  2016  at the  Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics (until end of career)
Batting average	, 286
Home runs	541
Hits	2,472
Runs Batted In	1,768
Teams
Minnesota Twins (1997-2002) Boston Red Sox (2002-2016)
Awards
3 × World Series winners ( 2004 , 2007 , 2013 ) 7 × Silver Slugger Award (2004–2007, 2011, 2013, 2016) 10 × All-Star ( 2004 - 2008 , 2010 - 2013 , 2016 ) Most Runs Batted In the AL (2005, 2006) Most home runs in the AL (2006) Roberto Clemente Award (2011) 1 × World Series MVP ( 2013 ) 2 × AL Hank Aaron Award (2005, 2016)
Last update: February 5th, 2019

David Américo Ortiz Arias , nickname Big Papi , (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo , Dominican Republic ) is a former Dominican-American baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Until the end of the 2016 season he played for the Boston Red Sox as a designated hitter , but was also used as first baseman at times . In 2013 he received the World Series MVP Award when he won the title .

biography

Minor Leagues

After graduating from Estudia Espallat High School in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992 and played as David Arias in the Mariners' farm system . In 1996 he was transferred to the Minnesota Twins and initially played in their farm system using the name David Ortiz . On September 24, 1997 he first played for the Twins in the MLB. The 1998 season he spent mostly with the Twins, while in the following season he completed 130 games for the Triple A team of the Twins, Salt Lake Buzz, and was only used in 10 games for the Twins.

Minnesota Twins

From the 2001 season Ortiz was a regular for the Minnesota Twins, but could not really convince due to repeated injuries. Although he reached a batting average of .272 in 125 games in 2002 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs , he was fired by the Twins in late 2002.

Boston Red Sox

In early 2003, Ortiz signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox, where he is predominantly used as a designated hitter and only plays as a first baseman in interleague games in National League stadiums . With the Red Sox he was able to win the World Series in 2004 and overcome an 86-year-long drought for the team. Overall, he reached a batting average of .400 in 5 home runs and 19 RBIs in this year's play-offs . His walk-off home run against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) secured the Red Sox entry into the World Series and made Ortiz the MVP of the ALCS.

In 2005 Ortiz convinced with a new career record of 47 home runs and that year in the AL only Alex Rodríguez had to admit defeat, who had achieved one more home run. The same happened to Ortiz when voting for the MLB Most Valuable Player Award of the AL: He came in second behind Rodriguez. In 2006, however, he was able to beat 54 home runs and led the AL with a lead of 10 home runs on runner-up Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox . In the history of the Red Sox, he broke the record of 50 home runs in one season held by Jimmie Foxx .

In the 2007 season Ortiz again contributed decisively to winning the World Series by the Red Sox. In the regular season he hit 35 home runs, scored 117 RBIs and a batting average of .322. In the postseason he climbs to .370 on 3 home runs and 10 RBIs.

In 2008 Ortiz, who is called Big Papi by the fans , was initially plagued by an injury and had to sit out for a few weeks. In just 109 games, his batting average was just .264 on 23 home runs and 89 RBIs. The 2009 season also started badly for Ortiz: After 34 games, his batting average was just .208 and he had to accept 30 strikeouts . The first home run he did not succeed until May 20, 2009, which ended a series of 149 at bats without a home run (the longest of his career). In the course of the season, however, he was able to improve, so that it was enough for a total of 28 home runs and 99 RBIs. He also scored his 300th home run on July 9, 2009.

In the 2010 season Ortiz started again weakly; in April there was only one home run and 7 RBIs for him. Since then, however, it has increased significantly. His achievements in May 2010 (10 home runs, 27 RBI, 1,211 OPS) earned him the title of Player of the Month in the AL. In July he was elected to the AL All-Star Team for the sixth time . In the All-Star Game , he was able to win the Home Run Derby. At the end of the season, the batting average was .270 with 32 home runs (5th place in the American League) and 102 RBIs.

On November 18, 2015, Ortiz announced on The Players' Tribune that he would end his professional career as a player at the end of the 2016 season.

This was extremely successful for him and the Red Sox. The team won its division, the American League East, with a win-loss ratio of 93-69, which qualified it directly for the playoffs. There, however, it was defeated by the later finalists Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series with 0 to 3. David Ortiz played his last Major League game on October 10, 2016 in Fenway Park in Boston , which was lost 3 to 4. Then "Big Papi" was given a special farewell by the fans. Ortiz played his last regular season game on October 2 in a 1 to 2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays .

Ortiz ended his final season with a .315 batting average, 38 home runs and 127 RBIs. He was also appointed All-Star for the tenth time .

Shortly after Ortiz's resignation, it was announced that his uniform number 34 will no longer be used by the Red Sox.

Doping allegations

On July 30, 2009, the New York Times reported that Ortiz and his then teammate Manny Ramirez , along with about 100 other MLB players, tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in 2003. At a press conference, Ortiz denied taking steroids and attributed the positive test results to dietary supplements or vitamins he had consumed.

Private life

Ortiz has three children with his wife Tiffany: Jessica, Alexandra and D'Angelo. On 11 June 2008 he was in Boston the citizenship of the United States awarded.

Career highlights

• 3 × winners of the World Series ( 2004 , 2007 , 2013 )
• 10 × All-Star ( 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007 , 2008 , 2010 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2016 )
• 5 times among the top 5 in the voting for the MVP (2003: 5th place; 2004: 4th place; 2005: 2nd place; 2006: 3rd place; 2007: 4th place)
• MVP of the World Series in 2013
• MVP of the ALCS (2004)
• Hank Aaron Award 2005, 2016
• 4 × Silver Slugger Award (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• 5 × Edgar Martínez Award (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• Most Extra Base Hits in the AL (2004, 2005, 2007)
• Most home runs in the AL (2006)
• Most RBIs in the AL (2005, 2006)
• Most home runs in a Red Sox season (2006: 54 home runs)
• Most home runs in away games in an AL season (2006: 32 home runs; together with Babe Ruth )
• First player in the history of the Red Sox with 40 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons (2004–2006)
• Six seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBI (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010)
• 3 × AL Player of the Month (09/2005; 07/2006; 05/2010)

Web links

Commons : David Ortiz  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikiquote: David Ortiz  - Quotes

• Player information and statistics from MLB  or  ESPN  or  Baseball Reference  or  Fangraphs  or  The Baseball Cube  or  Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} David Ortiz Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com . www.baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
2. ↑ 2005 American League Batting Leaders - Baseball-Reference.com . www.baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
3. ↑ 2006 American League Batting Leaders - Baseball-Reference.com . www.baseball-reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
4. ↑ Big Papi ends long homerless drought . www.mlb.com. Retrieved on October 1, 2010.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ↑ Ortiz and Ramirez Are Said to Be on 2003 Doping List - NYTimes.com . www.nytimes.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
6. ↑ Ortiz: I never used steroids - The Boston Globe . www.boston.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
7. ^ Ortiz, pride of Sox Nation, joins US as a citizen - The Boston Globe . www.boston.com. Retrieved October 1, 2010.