BOSTON — There were numerous special moments during David Ortiz’s number retirement ceremony Friday, but one of the most emotional for Big Papi was when the family of the man who inspired him to wear the No. 34 in the first place stepped onto the field.
Before Ortiz ever wore the No. 34, it belonged to former Minnesota Twins great Kirby Puckett. And Ortiz, a former Twin himself, was inspired to wear that number because of the late Puckett, who died in 2006.
And on the night when Ortiz’s number officially was retired at Fenway Park, members of Puckett’s family were there, too.
“That was very emotional,” Ortiz said in a press conference after the ceremony. “When I saw them (Puckett’s family) coming toward me, I thought about Kirby a lot because that was my man. It was super nice to see his kids because I remember when they were little kids. once I got to join the Minnesota Twins, Kirby already was working in the front office. So, they used to come in and out to see him. But their dad was a very special person to me, and that’s why you saw me carry the No. 34 here.”
Ortiz said he had “no idea” when he chose the No. 34 that he one day would be standing where he stood Friday night. But that wasn’t why he made the decision to don that number in the first place.
“When I chose to wear that number, I was proud of wearing it because of the person that I was wearing it for,” Ortiz said. “It was somebody that was very special to my career even if it was early in my career. Whoever played with Kirby, whoever worked with Kirby, whoever was around him when he came to work in the front office, they had nothing but love for him.
“When I first started wearing that jersey, that number, I was just happy and proud to be because of him. Never thought about how my number would be hanging up there with all those legendaries.”
But that’s exactly where it is, just like Puckett’s No. 34 at Target Field.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
