David Ortiz Honored In Spring Home Finale Red Sox Lose

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- David Ortiz should probably get used to this. On the occasion of his final spring training home game Monday, the retiring Boston Red Sox slugger was feted with a 10-minute pregame ceremony and showered with going-away presents, including a personalized golf cart... "Whenever somebody comes to you with a gift, it's always welcomed, right?" Ortiz said. "The Red Sox and the city of Fort Myers, I really thank them for being so nice." Consider this a prelude to the farewell tour that will follow Ortiz through his final season.

He likely will be honored in every ballpark across the majors in a fashion similar to New York Yankees icons Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In the Fort Myers version, Ortiz's No. 34 was painted along both foul lines and a "THANK YOU DAVID" banner was posted on the replica Green Monster. The Red Sox and Lee County commissioner John Manning presented Ortiz with a seat from each of Fort Myers' three ballparks -- Hammond Stadium (Minnesota Twins), City of Palms Park (the Red Sox' former... FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Red Sox celebrated David Ortiz's two decades of spring training in Fort Myers with a pregame ceremony before his final home exhibition game, a 5-3 loss to the Orioles on Monday.

Ortiz announced on his 40th birthday in November that this will be his final season. He trained in Fort Myers first with the Minnesota Twins and then since 2003 with the Red Sox. Ortiz went 0-for-3 and left after the sixth inning in a golf cart decorated with his number 34 and the flag of the Dominican Republic on its roof. The cart was driven by a pair of former Red Sox starts: Hall of Famer Jim Rice and Luis Tiant. "Very nice, very nice," Ortiz said. "I've been coming to Fort Myers for a long time.

To get to the point where you can get to say goodbye as a player, it's really good. "It's crazy. I wasn't expecting any of it but it happened. Whenever somebody comes to you with a gift, it's always welcomed, right? The Red Sox and the city of Fort Myers, I really thank them for being so nice." BOSTON (AP) — Get ready for the ultimate Big Papi walkoff.

David Ortiz is retiring after the season, but not before he takes a farewell tour of the major leagues that should allow him to fill a couple of closets with gifts from opponents who... But even as his longtime opponents try to fete the foe who upended so many ninth-inning leads, the Red Sox designated hitter says he also wants to thank the fans — including those who... “Whatever team you’re cheering for — you’re supporting me because you are a baseball fan,” Ortiz said this spring as he looked ahead to his farewell tour. “So I’m going to show my appreciation to everyone.” Ortiz announced on his 40th birthday in November that 2016 would be his final season. Since then, the Red Sox have been planning a going-away party befitting the player who helped end their 86-year dynasty of disappointment and lead the franchise to three World Series titles.

The festivities started this week in Fort Myers, Florida, where a street outside the team’s spring ballpark was named “David Ortiz Way.” After his final home spring training game, Ortiz was chauffeured off the... David Ortiz's last at bat in Florida, in Spring Training, was one he'll remember, as will legions of Red Sox fans, as Big Papi homered. It was Ortiz's 1st homer of the Spring. The Red Sox ended up losing to the Twins by the score of 7-4, as reliever Tommy Lane was lit up in the 7th inning, as he gave up 5 earned runs on 4... Clay Buchholz pitched well in his final Spring Training start, going 4 innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 earned run on a homer and walked 2 and struck out 2. Buchholz is scheduled to pitch the 2nd game of the season against Cleveland on Wednesday, April 6th.

Travis Shaw, named the starting 3rd Baseman on Thursday, March 31st was 1-2 scoring a run. Pablo Sandoval was 0-2. The Red Sox have 2 more Spring Training games, against Toronto in Montreal, on Friday April 1st at 7 PM and Saturday, April 2nd at 1 PM. Those games and all 162 regular season games starting with Monday, April 4th's game at Cleveland will be broadcast on AM 1370 WDEA. FORT MYERS, Fla. — In his final spring training at-bat, David Ortiz hit his first home run of the spring in the Boston Red Sox’s 7-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Ortiz announced on his 40th birthday in November that this will be his final season. He played in 342 Grapefruit League games in Fort Myers, Fla., over 20 seasons with the Twins and Red Sox. With two outs in the fifth, Ortiz launched a ball over the right field wall. [mlbvideo id=”569037683″ width=”640″ height=”358″ /] Two batters earlier, Twins center fielder Byron Buxton sprinted backward and dove to catch Josh Rutledge’s drive to the warning track for an out. Send this article to your social connections.

Send this article to your social connections. FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Boston celebrated David Ortiz’s two decades of spring training in Fort Myers with a pregame ceremony before his final home exhibition game, a 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Ortiz announced on his 40th birthday in November that this will be his final season. He trained in Fort Myers with the Minnesota Twins and then since 1993 with the Red Sox. Gift #1: @davidortiz now has his own road at @FenwaySouth!

David Ortiz Way! #ThanksPapi 💪 pic.twitter.com/0yIRC5tamL FORT MYERS — The 40-year-old was ready to say goodbye. "I’m not going to miss spring training much,” David Ortiz said Monday afternoon. “I’m not a big fan of spring training anymore. But I really like Fort Myers.”

Ortiz fittingly went 0-for-3 in his final game at JetBlue Park on Monday, lowering his spring average to .171. In his 20th major league season, Ortiz is nursing a career .220 batting average and .675 OPS in spring training. But he had a special moment on the field Monday afternoon when the Red Sox and Lee County commissioner John Manning honored Ortiz with a ceremony and a few going-away presents that ended with... The Florida licence plate attached read, “BIG PAPI.” The golf cart is painted red and blue with No. 34 on the side and the Dominican flag on the roof.

Some players were riding it around the Fenway South complex after the game. David Ortiz will never play another spring training game, but his name will live on at his team's facility after he retires from baseball. The Red Sox slugger officially kicked off his farewell tour Monday when he was honored in a ceremony ahead of his final home spring training game in Fort Myers, Fla., against the Orioles. To commemorate his career, the team presented him with a David Ortiz Way road sign and announced it will name a street at JetBlue Park after him. He also received a seat from each of the three ballparks he played at during spring training throughout his career. MORE: Papi's most memorable moments | PHOTOS: Ortiz always goes big

The team further showed its gratitude by painting the grass in foul territory with Ortiz’s No. 34 and hanging a sign over the faux Green Monster that read, "THANK YOU, DAVID." Today marks @davidortiz 's final #SoxSpring game at @FenwaySouth ! #ThanksPapi 💪☀️🌴 pic.twitter.com/dRxDt3I38Z

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