Boston Red Sox fans knew the day would come soon, but it still came as a shock to some when David Ortiz announced Wednesday that he’d retire after the 2016 season. One of his closest friends, however, wasn’t surprised at all.
Former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez was at a charity event in Boston on Wednesday night, and he talked about the next chapter in Ortiz’s life. For Martinez, this was something Ortiz had previously discussed with him.
“I’m really close to David and I hear him every day saying this and that, maybe I should go, maybe I should not,” Martinez said, per CSNNE. “I just made sure I told him, I said, ‘David, the day you go away from the game, don’t do it like I did.’
“I went out thinking, I’m just going out to get a little rest and then I will decide along the way whether I come back or not. And I never had the chance to tell the fans, tell everybody, tell baseball how much I love them and how much I appreciate them.”
Martinez retired on Dec. 4, 2011, but that was after taking two seasons off. He said he would pitch in 2010 but never worked out a new deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, or any other team. Ortiz certainly is taking the opposite route as the Hall of Famer, but Martinez doesn’t know why his friend chose now.
“Only David knows inside how he feels and why he’s doing it,” Martinez said.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
