Red Sox signed franchise icon David Ortiz 15 years ago

On this day in 2003 David Ortiz joined the Boston Red Sox. Let’s take a moment to appreciate what the man means to the city of Boston.

What does David Ortiz mean to you? I was too young to remember the beginning of the David Ortiz era in Boston. I was not watching when he led the Red Sox out of a 3-0 hole against the New York Yankees in 2004. I did not see him launch a team record 54 home runs in 2006. I have but a few vague memories of Ortiz leading the Red Sox to a World Series in 2007. The memory of Big Papi that I hold on to is different than the Big Papi memories most of Red Sox nation holds dear.

I remember a 33-year-old David Ortiz who, in 2009, seemed to be almost out of baseball. On May 31, 2009, Ortiz had a slash line of .185/.284/.287 in 208 plate appearances. The jeers came from every corner of Yawkey Way. He was too old; he was overweight; he couldn’t catch up with fastballs. Pundits everywhere were writing pieces about the end of the Ortiz era in Boston.

This was not the first time Big Papi’s days as a baseball player appeared numbered. Ortiz initially made his way to Boston as an outcast. The Minnesota Twins had just released him following the 2002 season and he had trouble finding a new home. No team gave Ortiz a serious look until Pedro Martinez convinced Red Sox brass that he was their guy. In the years that followed, a young Ortiz defied the odds and rose to stardom. He made the Twins and 28 other baseball teams look foolish. So maybe the baseball world shouldn’t have been surprised when an aging David Ortiz made all those pundits look foolish again.

The Big Papi I remember believed in himself even when no one else did. Not only was he not out of baseball after 2009; his best days were in front of him.

Ortiz accomplished a lot in his 14 years in a Red Sox uniform. In that time he rewrote the DH record book almost entirely and brought home three World Series trophies. But that is not why he holds a special place in our hearts. It is because David Ortiz is more than just a baseball player. He’s one of us.

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Boston is a city founded on resilience and built by immigrants. The largest ethnic group in Boston is, of course, Irish Americans; a group who came from a faraway land to escape poverty but found only hostility. Ortiz himself, of course, came to America in search of a better life. Baseball gave him that opportunity, but not without his fair share of adversity. He stared failure and rejection in the face many times on his journey to prominence and never wavered. When he was at his rock bottom, Big Papi always clawed his way back to the top. In the reflection of Ortiz, many Bostonians see themselves; their history, their struggles, and their perseverance.

And so, on the day following the Boston Marathon bombing, there was no more natural fit to take the mic and speak for the city’s residents. There was no one more qualified than the Dominican born slugger to say to the world “this is our f*cking city.” No one has ever been a greater embodiment of the spirit of Boston.

Ortiz wasn’t just one of the greatest hitters ever to wear a Red Sox uniform. He was the face of a franchise and an ambassador of a city nearly 2000 miles from his homeland. He was the man who made me love baseball.

Next: Ortiz has high praise for Rafael Devers

Fifteen years ago today the fortunes of a franchise were changed forever. On January 22, 2003, the Red Sox signed a recently released 27-year-old designated hitter to a non-guaranteed contract for $1,250,000. The rest is history.

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On this day in 2003 David Ortiz joined the Boston Red Sox. Let’s take a moment to appreciate what the man means to the city of Boston.

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