Boston Red Sox top-10 MLB All-Star Game performances
By Sean Penney
David Ortiz – 2004
Manny helped get things started for the AL squad in 2004 and David Ortiz helped cap off the victory.
Ortiz pinch-hit for Ramirez in the top of the fourth inning. He drew a walk and would come around to score on an Alex Rodriguez triple. That pushed the AL’s lead to 7-1.
The NL would rally back with a few runs of their own but Ortiz would ensure the lead stayed out of reach. In his next plate appearance, Ortiz blasted a two-run homer off Carl Pavano. Perhaps the right-hander should have seen that encounter with Big Papi as a warning to avoid the AL East. Pavano joined the Yankees the following season and his three years in the Bronx didn’t go well.
Ortiz added a walk to lead off the ninth before Eric Gagne retired the next three batters.
He finished 1-for-1 with a home run, two RBI and a pair of walks. That gave him a staggering 4.000 slugging percentage and 5.000 OPS, both of which still stand as single-game All-Star records.
Big Papi made 10 All-Star appearances in his career, all of which came with the Red Sox. 2004 wasn’t the only time he did some damage but it was his best performance in the All-Star Game. Unless you count the Home Run Derby, which he won in 2010.