Ortiz knocked in five runs Tuesday night and then smacked his 10th career grand slam in a 12-5 rout of Kansas City on Wednesday, landing in a very exclusive club in dramatic fashion.
Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Jim Rice and Bobby Doerr, as well as longtime right fielder Dwight Evans, are the only others to reach that mark in a Boston uniform. Ortiz is not taking that for granted.
"This is my ninth year here and to get in the mix with guys that played their whole careers [as a Red Sox], it's a compliment," said Ortiz, who reached the 20-homer mark for the 10th straight time in his career with the shot over the bullpens in right.
Boston manager Terry Francona, who reached the 1,000-win milestone on this homestand and has seen several players hit magical marks of late, is almost getting used to this sort of thing.
"Good players that have played for a long time, good things are going to happen," Francona said. "He'll slide right by and start working on the next 1,000."
Wherever Ortiz ends that pursuit, he knows he will be able to look back on his Red Sox career with pride. Efforts like the ones he put forth Tuesday and Wednesday are a big reason why.
"It's not something you think about now," Ortiz said. "When I'm done I'll look back and think, I did OK while I was there."
