David Ortiz has reached the 30 home run, 100 RBI plateau for a record 10th time as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
It only took David Ortiz one pitch to make history.
The superstar slugger for the Boston Red Sox took a massive swing at the first pitch that he saw in the first inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, depositing it over the right field fence to give his team an early lead.
Ortiz’s 30th home run of the season also brought his RBI total to an even 100 for the season, as his two-run blast also drove in Dustin Pedroia. This marks a significant milestone for Big Papi, setting a franchise record with his 10th career 30 home run, 100 RBI campaign.
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The previous Red Sox record for 30/100 seasons was shared with the legendary Ted Williams, but Ortiz has now surpassed the Splendid Splinter to stand alone at the top of the franchise record books. The only other hitters in major league history to have 10+ seasons with 30 homers and 100 RBI with the same team are Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Albert Pujols and Hank Aaron.
The 40-year old Ortiz is also the oldest player to hit at least 30 home runs in a season, surpassing Teddy Ballgame, who hit 29 homers in his final season at the age of 41.
No. 30 #BigPapi: https://t.co/JgWuqvGVwD pic.twitter.com/9YXOg92Cbe
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 25, 2016
Ortiz has feasted on Rays pitchers for years and seems to have a knack for setting milestones at Tropicana Field. Last year he hit the 499th and 500th career home runs of his career in the same game in Tampa. His 34 career home runs at the Trop are the second most that Ortiz has hit in a visiting ballpark, behind only the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
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It’s no surprise that Ortiz didn’t wait around to work the count, considering he entered the game hitting a scorching .542 with a 1.572 OPS when swinging at the first pitch. He was looking for the curve and knew exactly what to do with it. Ortiz has put four first-pitch curveballs in play this season, two of which have gone for home runs.
Ortiz now sits at 533 career home runs, one shy of Jimmie Foxx for 18th on the all-time list.
As impressive as this milestone is, Ortiz may not be done setting records. The current home record for a hitter over 40 years old is 34, set by Darrell Evans in 1987. The record for RBI by a hitter over 40 is 108, set by Dave Winfield in 1992. Ortiz has both of those records in his crosshairs.
It’s almost inconceivable that a player hitting as well as Ortiz has this season would even consider retiring, but his aching body is making the decision for him. Assuming he follows through on his intentions to retire, he’ll finish his career with a string of four consecutive 30/100 seasons. No other active player can currently match that streak.
As much as Red Sox fans wish that Ortiz could keep his storied career going beyond 2016, we’ve come to reluctantly except that this is the end of the line. While his bat seems capable of going for many more years, at least we’ll always remember Ortiz for going out with a bang instead of a whimper. This may be the best season anyone has ever seen by a hitter his age or one on the verge of retirement – and he’s not done yet.