Papi’s 3-Bagger Says it All

Sunday was a long, rainy day in Boston that resulted in 2 rain delays before the Sox were able to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0. The result was obviously a positive for the Sox club that appears to be gaining momentum, but it was 1 hit in the bottom of the 5th inning that rejuvenated my belief in this team’s character. David Ortiz ripped a liner into left-center field over Vernon Wells head and hustled hard right out of the box to leg out a triple. Ortiz could have easily pulled up at 2nd base and no one would have questioned it, but Papi is still fighting. By hustling out the triple, Ortiz motivated his teammates to give it continue to push hard, regardless of what the standings show.

Veteran leadership is crucial for the Sox as the season winds down and the team’s chances of making the playoffs drop each day they don’t gain a game. Ortiz has been a monster at the plate recently and has been leading the Sox team by example, both with attitude and hustle. With Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis going down with injuries, the Sox needed a leader on the field and Papi appears to have stepped into that role. He approaches the game the right way and because of that, is able to get some clutch hits when the team needs them the most.

Another motivator for the big man is his own career and his future in the game of baseball. His contract is up at the end of this season, with a team option for the 2011 season, so his future is uncertain. The way he has struggled to begin both the 2009 and 2010 seasons certainly raises some red flags in terms of his age, but his bat certainly is still filled with plenty of pop, given his 27 home runs this season. If the Sox pick up his 2011 option, then it will likely be his last year, because the Sox will likely not want to commit $12+ million to a then 36 year old player. Ortiz knows his career is winding down, so he wants to leave everything on the field.

All in all, I’m not sure Ortiz’s hustle and leadership will be enough to dig the Sox out of a seemingly monstrous hole in the AL East and AL Wild Card, but at very least he is playing for the 2011 option. There were thousands of people calling for Ortiz to be cut from the team back in April/May, but he has persevered and had a strong showing this season with the hopes that he has 1 more go at it on the Fenway Park grass next season. Ortiz is on fire right now, so enjoy it while it lasts.