David Ortiz To Be Honored At Spring Home Game Mlb Com

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 2:08 AM

david ortiz to be honored at spring home game mlb com

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 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." The Boston Red Sox are doing everything in their power to make sure David Ortiz's final home spring game at JetBlue Park is a memorable one. Big Papi is entering his 20th and final big-league season, and will be honored in a number of creative ways at the ballpark ahead of Monday's tilt with the Baltimore Orioles.

His No. 34 has been painted on the field, Dominican-themed bases will be used, and a banner thanking the slugger for his services is hanging in the outfield. We're ready to say #ThanksPapi at @FenwaySouth! 3️⃣4️⃣ 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/QOhD72Qeeh The nine-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion also had a street named after him at Fenway South, and received seats from JetBlue Park, Hammond Stadium, and City of Palms Park. 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... David Ortiz, the beloved former Red Sox slugger, is in Boston once again. After a long and successful career in the majors, Ortiz has returned to the city where he made his mark as one of the most successful baseball players of all time. Ortiz is set to be honored by the Red Sox this week in a special ceremony, and his presence in Boston is already generating a lot of excitement.

Fans from all over the world are eager to see Ortiz back on the field and celebrating with his former team. As questions swirl about whether or not Ortiz is already in Boston, it’s clear that the city is buzzing with anticipation for his return. David Ortiz has been selected for the Hall of Fame. He is one of only four players in history to hit 500 home runs and win three World Series rings. It was during this time that the Boston Red Sox won three titles with David Ortiz. His daughter, Alex Veda, performed the national anthem prior to the ceremony’s start.

The most well-known member of the Red Wings was David Ortiz, who was responsible for Boston’s magical comeback from a three-run deficit in the ALCS against the Yankees. After the Red Socks defeated the Yankees 6-4 in Game 4, Joe Buck told them, “We’ll see you later today.” At 1:22 a.m., Davids Ortiz hit a two-run shot into the Yankee reliever, putting... David Epstein was already on our radar, according to Theo Epstein. According to reports, when Ortiz was released, he bumped into Pedro Martinez at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic. He broke the curse of the Bambino for the following season. According to Sam Kennedy, CEO of the Red Socks, it is Kennedy’s opinion that he is the most important player in the team’s history.

According to Ortiz, the people of Boston have never come back stronger and more united than they are today. The Boston Red Socks will retire David Ortiz’ jersey number 34 before a game on June 23 in honor of his contributions to the franchise. If David Ortiz changed his mind about retirement and decided to return to the Red Lobsters, he would have about five months to make a decision. David “Big Papi” Ortiz, who won three World Series rings and was named the Series Most Valuable Player in 2001, is an MLB studio analyst. He contributes to MLB Network’s coverage of the regular season, the All-Star Game, and the MLB playoffs. 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 who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2016, primarily for the... After playing parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, 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... In his first five seasons with the club, he averaged 41 home runs and 128 runs batted in (RBIs), leading the American League (AL) twice in the latter category and setting the team's single-season... 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... 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 the...

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,[2] he had 11 career walk-off home runs during the regular season and two during the 2004 postseason, the first of which clinched the... In 2022, Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. David Américo Ortiz Arias 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 a friendship with Pedro that would only grow over the... Lawmakers in New York state passed a resolution on Monday to honor an unlikely MLB great: David Ortiz.

Of the Boston Red Sox. You know, the same David Ortiz who hit three home runs in Boston’s improbable victory in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees. The resolution was introduced by state senator Luis Sepúlveda, who represents a district in the Bronx in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. The bill seeks to honor Ortiz “for his contributions to baseball, in conjunction with the 20th Anniversary of the 2004 World Series.” It notes his role in helping the Red Sox win three World... So why did Sepúlveda and the State of New York choose to honor Ortiz? The resolution points out that he is involved in several philanthropic efforts in New York and in his native Dominican Republic.

(More than 20% of Bronx residents are of Dominican descent.) It notes that Ortiz has leveraged “his celebrity status to raise awareness and substantial funds for various causes, thus directly benefiting children and communities... Ortiz isn’t the first Yankees rival to be honored at the state capitol in Albany. In 2015, former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martínez was honored by the Assembly as part of Dominican Heritage Week. Martínez actually appeared in person in the Assembly chamber to be presented with an award for his humanitarian efforts and contributions to Dominican-American culture. Honoring Martínez made a little more sense than Ortiz, considering Martínez played four seasons for the New York Mets. Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know.

He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

David Ortiz To Be Honored At Spring Home Game Mlb Com

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