FORT MYERS, Fla. — Boston celebrated David Ortiz’s two decades of spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., with a pregame ceremony before his final home exhibition game, a 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.
Ortiz announced on his 40th birthday in November that this will be his final season. He trained in Fort Myers with the Minnesota Twins since 1993 and then with the Red Sox.
Ortiz went 0 for 3 and left after the sixth inning in a golf cart decorated with his No. 34 and the flag of the Dominican Republic on its roof. The cart was driven by a pair of former Red Sox stars: Hall of Famer Jim Rice and Luis Tiant.
Xavier Avery, Nolan Reimold and Francisco Pena homered for the Orioles, with Avery connecting on Rick Porcello’s second pitch of the game.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images