Two innings after blasting a solo shot to the bullpen, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound slugger stepped back into the batter's box. Instead of adding to the bashing, David Ortiz stunned the crowd at Fenway Park by laying a gentle bunt down the third base line.
Little did the designated hitter know that his bunt would result in another key run in Boston's 5-0 blanking of Seattle. Ortiz advanced to third and eventually crossed home plate after Will Middlebrooks unloaded an RBI single.
"It's part of the game — keep it simple," Ortiz said. "You've got to play the game the way it's supposed to be. I never see the ball coming out of that guy anyway. I've got to make chicken soup out of chicken you-know-what."
Whatever he attempted, it worked. Ortiz' bunt single marked the first by a Red Sox player this season and his first since 2010.
The bunt — and the victory — was needed to cap the team's homestand and five-game winning streak. Ortiz said he was pleased with the momentum the Red Sox were building heading into Tampa Bay.
"You guys, you've got to take it easy," Ortiz said. "We are human here. We come and play the game. We try to do the right thing. We've got a personal life, too. We are human, just like everyone else."
It was another memorable moment in Ortiz' satisfying season. With his eighth home run of the season, which he hit in the third inning, Ortiz notched his 386th career homer, moving into 56th place on baseball's all-time list.
But the bunt was the highlight. Even Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia got a chuckle from seeing the designated hitter leg out the single.
"He lost all that weight, and he's got some speed now, so he's feeling good right now," Saltalamacchia said. "That's how we like it."
It was a rare sight, for sure.
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