The Red Sox pay tribute to Dominican “Big Papi” at Fenway Park

The Boston Red Sox paid tribute on Tuesday at the legendary Fenway Park (USA) to Dominican baseball player David Ortiz, who on Sunday was inducted into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, the highest recognition a baseball player can get .

Three giant pennants were unfurled over the ball park, covering most of the playing field and referring to the three championships won by the Red Sox with the help of Ortiz (2004, 2007 and 2013), affectionately known by his fans. as “Big Daddy”.

Next to Ortiz, as happened on Sunday in Cooperstown, when he officially entered the Hall of Fame, was the Dominican Minister of Sports, Francisco Camacho, who highlighted in a conversation with EFE at Fenway Park that “Big Papi” is “a example to follow” for all young people who want to get closer to baseball.

DADDY, DADDY, DADDY

When Ortiz appeared on the diamond, the Fenway Park stands shouted “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy.”

The Dominican, in Boston, is recognized as the exorcist of the so-called “Curse of the Bambino”, which according to the most superstitious Red Sox fans could be the cause of the Boston team not winning a championship for 86 years.

The “Curse of the Bambino” is said to have begun in 1919 when the Red Sox sold the extraordinary Babe Ruth, El Bambino, to the New York Yankees.

In 2004, when the Red Sox were on the verge of elimination against the Yankees, a home run by Ortiz changed the fortunes of the Bostonians, who ended up winning the championship.

This Tuesday, Ortiz thanked the Red Sox organization for the treatment received during the years he played in this house and the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, but above all, “most importantly, the Red Sox fans around the world. world”.

“Without you, this would not have happened. You have been a motivation to improve every year,” he said.

Ortiz, 46, played 20 seasons in the Major Leagues, with the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox, and entered this year, in his first opportunity, in the Hall of Fame, the highest recognition for a player. of baseball.

MORE THAN A PLAYER

The Dominican, the fourth from his country to enjoy that privilege, is one of the most influential players in the history of American baseball, not only because of his extraordinary performance on the field, but also because of his innate leadership, his charisma and their work serving the community.

At Fenway Park he remembered his family and “all those people who have been here for a long time guiding us, motivating us to be better every day.”

“Thank you Boston, I will always love you,” said Ortiz, escorted by historical and active members of the Red Sox.

Initially hired by the Seattle Mariners, Ortiz landed in the Major Leagues with the Minnesota Twins, a franchise where he stayed for six years before joining the Red Sox.

The controversial decision of the Twins, who released him in 2002, changed the history of the 2000s and 2010s of American baseball and opened the glorious stage of “Big Papi” in Boston.

In his 20 years in the Major Leagues, the Dominican led the league in home runs in the 2006 campaign, with 54 homers, was twice the leader in bases on balls received (2005 and 2006), while leading the circuit in on-base percentage ( 2007), slugging (2016) and OPS (2016).

His career ended in 2016, but his legacy is eternal in Boston and, in particular, in the city’s Dominican community.

AN EXAMPLE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The Dominican Sports Minister, Francisco Camacho Rivas, assured Efe that Ortiz “is an example to follow.”

“In our neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic there are many David Ortiz who have the potential that Ortiz developed and who need support.”

Camacho Rivas is part of a delegation from the Government of the Dominican Republic, in which the administrator of the Reserve Bank of the Caribbean country, Samuel PereYra, also travels, “to give support in this historic event that four Dominicans have achieved: Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero and David Ortiz.

Inaki Estivaliz