Ortiz - Big Papi: the legend and legacy of David Ortiz

Two men who know Papi best (Pedro Martinez and John Henry) reflect on his tenure in Boston

A few teams traded or cut David Ortiz adrift before the Red Sox landed him, unheralded, in late 2002

From 2003 through 2013, Ortiz delivered seemingly scripted heroics, bringing Boston a trio of titles

Ortizs charismatic approach to the game enabled him to quickly become the face of the franchise

A defiant declaration illustrated Papis penchant for drawing people together and made him a civic icon

A pure DH has never made the Hall of Fame, but Ortizs case is the most compelling one yet

The farewell tour included the usual goodbye gifts, as well as an unusually robust final-year stat line

A compendium of meaningful figures, random stats, and data from 14 seasons in Boston and beyond

David Ortizs two-run homer on April 12, 2016, produces a standing ovation.

Copyright 2016 by The Boston Globe

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher, Triumph Books LLC, 814 North Franklin Street; Chicago, Illinois 60610.

This book is available in quantity at special discounts for your group or organization. For further information, contact:

Triumph Books LLC

814 North Franklin Street

Chicago, Illinois 60610

www.triumphbooks.com

@TriumphBooks

Printed in U.S.A.

ISBN: 978-1-62937-347-8

This is an unofficial publication. This book is in no way affiliated with, licensed by, or endorsed by the MLB, David Ortiz, or the Boston Red Sox.

BOOK STAFF

EDITOR Janice Page

ASSISTANT EDITOR Ron Driscoll

WRITER John Powers

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Ryan Huddle

RESEARCHERS/PROOFREADERS

Paul Colton, Richard Kassirer, Ted Kehoe, James Matte, Joe Moore, James Page

Ortiz gives Pedro Martinez a hand as Martinez leaves a game in June 2003, and the pair embrace after completing their stunning 2004 ALCS comeback at Yankee Stadium.

BY PEDRO MARTINEZ

I call David my compadre, my godbrother.

We shared the same agent [Fernando Cuza] when he was coming up in the minor-league system. We both grew up southwest of Santo Domingo, and I was always looking out for him because he was younger.

David is a unique kind of person and player, and hes never changed. One day, I dropped by a restaurant in Santo Domingo and I saw him receiving a phone call. I thought I was going to get the same David I was accustomed to seeing, with a huge smile, but instead he was a little bit sad and disturbed.

I asked him, Why are you so down? When he told me the Minnesota Twins had released him, I said, Great. He said, My daughter was born two weeks ago and I just got released. How can that be great?

It was one of the few times I ever saw David serious toward me. I told him it was great because now I can get you to the Red Sox. From that moment, I kept trying to reach Theo Epstein, until I finally got ahold of him at 2:30 in the morning. I couldnt be prouder of having the opportunity to influence the Red Sox to bring him in.

Davids attitude, the way hes performed in the big games, anything I can say will fall short. What David has done is unbelievable. Since he got to Boston, David was destined to have those opportunities, to carry the entire team to a championship.

Its the same with his attitude in the clubhouse. He learned a lot from me: Always treat everybody with class and respect. I went out there really determined to win and to try to do things right. David learned from that, he learned a lot from Manny Ramirez about hitting, and hes very grateful to have learned so much from all of us.

Even though we didnt pull it off in 2003, everything was in place for us to come back in 2004. The entire team had a never-give-up attitude and a lot of it had to do with David he was always positive, always fighting.

I look at 2013, and people say that team overachieved. I dont see it that way I would say they did what they set out to achieve. Boston is electric; its a place that can influence anybody coming in to play. The beards that those guys grew reflected the harmony they had in the clubhouse. The bombing in Boston unified the entire nation along with David and the players to go out and achieve that 2013 World Series. Everything was destined to happen and David was at the center of it.

They say its hard to play in Boston, but it all comes with the attitude. David and I are very similar were very outgoing, were very happy campers, but we compete with the best of them and we are very serious about it when it matters. The things David was able to do identified him with Boston. Its a very good marriage between David and the fan base and the passion they have about their team.

I am extremely fortunate to have shared with David what looks to me like our destiny. We were destined to be together, to be in the right place at the right time, to share the same success. David and I were very fortunate to have come out of probably the roughest area that you can think of when it comes to poverty both of us went through it, and I consider both of us blessed because we came out successful.

I cant wait to be sitting behind David five years from now, giving that [Hall of Fame] speech. David can also be very emotional I cant wait to see how much joy he is going to show. To see him on the same team with me and the greats of the game, a team that no one will be able to separate us from thats one I am looking forward to.

I will be a proud older brother.

BY JOHN HENRY

W hen we took over stewardship of the Boston Red Sox in early 2002, many of the building blocks for success were in place: the games most beloved ballpark, the most knowledgeable and by far the most passionate fans in baseball, a strong group of talented players, and a stirring rivalry with our closest geographical opponent.

But there were significant challenges. Our rival, the New York Yankees, had gone to the World Series four consecutive years, winning three times. The Sox hadnt won a World Series since 1918, and in 2001, won just 11 of their last 34 games.

Even so, we set out on what felt like a quixotic, epic quest to take on the Yankees and bring the World Series back to Boston not once but repeatedly. That was our promise.