David Ortiz just retired from the Boston Red Sox, so he has five years until he’s eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. But not being in the Hall of Fame didn’t stop the Seattle Mariners from retiring Edgar Martinez’s number, and it’s not going to stop the Red Sox from retiring Big Papi’s number.
Yes, the Red Sox have announced that they’re retiring David Ortiz’s No. 34 before the game against the Los Angeles Angels on June 23. There will be a ceremony, and then his number will reside on the right field facade forever.
Big Papi spent 14 years with the Red Sox, and his list of accomplishments is long. He hit .290/.386/.570 with 524 doubles and 483 home runs. If you count the postseason, he hit an even 500 home runs for Boston. His regular season home run total is second only to Ted Williams in Red Sox history. He helped lead the team to three World Series championships in 2004, 2007, and 2013. He’s hit ten walk-off home runs, more than any other Red Sox player ever. Plus, he has seven more walk-off hits. As a player, the man was the definition of clutch.
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David Ortiz waits to bat during Game 3 of the 2016 ALDS. (Getty Images)
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And that’s just a small sampling of David Ortiz’s amazing stats. He’s on the all-time Red Sox leaderboard in many, many other categories So it’s not hard to understand why the Red Sox want to make sure no other Red Sox player wears No. 34 ever again.
Big Papi’s number will be the tenth the Red Sox have retired. In 2016 they retired Wade Boggs’ number, and Pedro Martinez’s was retired in 2015. The Red Sox used to have a lot of rules regarding how and when they’d retire a player’s number. They had to be a member of the team for at least ten years, end their career with the team, and have been elected to the Hall of Fame. They’ve broken those rules a few times in the recent past, and they’re doing it now for Big Papi. But let’s face it: breaking the rules for Big Papi is worth it.
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