BOSTON — David Ortiz knew the Chicago Cubs didn’t want to pitch to him in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game at Fenway Park. Thus, Big Papi began to mosey on down to first base.
The issue, however, was that Neil Ramirez’s 3-0 offering didn’t even cross the plate before Ortiz started to leave the batter’s box. The video went viral and caused a stir, but Ortiz clarified Wednesday that he wasn’t trying to disrespect Ramirez and the Cubs.
“It wasn’t that I was trying to show up anybody, but I saw the manager going to the catcher, ‘Hey, don’t be stupid just stay away,'” Ortiz told ESPN.com.
Ramirez didn’t see the incident as a big deal. Instead, the 25-year-old soaked in the moment.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Ramirez said. “He’s earned the right to do something like that. I’m a big, Big Papi fan. In the heat in the moment I didn’t even realize he walked out early.”
It was pretty obvious the Cubs weren’t pitching to Ortiz. You could call it an unintentional intentional walk — if that makes any sense — because none of Ramirez’s pitches were close, especially the fourth one, which was about 18 feet off the outside corner.
“The first three pitches were way off,” Ortiz said. “Then I kind of looked over at the manager and I saw him pointing to his head, to the catcher, like saying ‘be smart.’
“They don’t want to pitch to me,” Ortiz added jokingly. “Not right there. That kid (Ramirez) is very talented. I saw him pitch (Tuesday) night, he’s got great stuff.”
Regardless of how you feel about the matter, it’s clear the Cubs enjoyed the last laugh by sweeping away the Sox.
