Red Sox History: 16-year anniversary of signing David Ortiz
Sixteen years ago today, Red Sox great David Ortiz began what would be an unforgettable career in Boston. Ortiz will go down as an all-time great.
Big Papi’s tenure in Boston saw him do just about everything there is to do in the game of baseball. Leading the Red Sox to three World Series titles over a ten-year span, David Ortiz has been as important to this franchise as just about anyone.
He was the key figure in ending the 86-year drought for a championship from this ball club and has helped carry them to a new level throughout the last two decades. Number 34’s fourteen seasons at Fenway will lie up there with the best in the team’s history. The fact that he began his career in Boston at the age of 27 makes the story all the more telling, as it’s when he came to Boston that his career in the majors really kicked off.
On this day in 2003, the Red Sox signed future legend David Ortiz to just a one-year contract worth $1.25m after Papi was released by the Minnesota Twins, where he spent the first six years of his career.
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Ortiz’s time in Minnesota was far from awful, improving every year and producing 75 RBI and 20 homers in what would be his final year in the Twin Cities, in 2002. His growth in Minnesota over his last few years there now makes it even more surprising that they cut him. Sure, they didn’t know how good he would turn out to be in the later years of his career, but he was producing for the Twins at the time. That fractional one-year deal would, however, turn out to be one of the greatest decisions in franchise history, for the Red Sox.
Ortiz’s debut season in Boston saw him hit triple figures in RBI (101), showing that he was for real. He finished 5th in AL MVP voting and gave the Red Sox the guidance they needed in their quest for that long-awaited championship, which came the following year.
The 2004 season, which will be remembered among the greatest in this franchise’s history, saw Ortiz show his superstar level talent, which brushed off on many other members of the roster, resulting in a World Series title. The star man, Ortiz, earned his first career All-Star appearance, as well as picking up his first Silver Slugger award. His heroics in the early days of his career in Boston, specifically in the 2004 World Series where he won the series MVP, formed a basis for both Ortiz and the Red Sox to become great in MLB for years to come.
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Remembering Ortiz’s career in Boston makes you realize how great he actually was for not just the team, but for the city as well. His connection with the fans, especially in 2013, will always remain unforgettable. His importance to the city of Boston lies the same today. The Red Sox have done well in filling in the holes in the roster that Ortiz leaves, bringing in the phenom which is J.D. Martinez, but I’m not sure we’ll ever see another David Ortiz for as long as the game’s played.