One fan's Magnificent Seven in Red Sox history
By Rick McNair
This is our **** town!
Imagine Red Sox history without David Ortiz? Ortiz was a castaway from the Twins who signed with Boston with the assistance of Pedro Martinez. The list of offensive accomplishments is extensive, with several Silver Slugger Awards and numerous All-Star selections.
Ted Williams's farewell season was unique, but Papi exceeded that with his last year topping the AL in doubles (48), RBI (127), OPS (1.021), and slugging (.620). Ortiz also hammered 38 home runs and even stole two bases. The Red Sox finished first and then got blown out 3-0 by the Indians.
Ortiz was a clutch hitting machine, and it showed in the 2004 ALCS when Papi became MVP. In 2013 the Cardinals, for some bizarre reason, continued to pitch to Ortiz, who wailed their staff to a .688 tune and a WS MVP.
My most notable Ortiz moment was not with the bat but with the microphone as Ortiz spoke to the crowd so eloquently after the Boston Marathon bombing. There are times when even the coarse of language resonates.