It did not take long for David Ortiz and David Price to go from bitter rivals to trusting teammates.
The Boston Red Sox slugger and the former Tampa Bay Rays ace shared a hug shortly after the latter arrived in Fort Myers, Fla., for his first Red Sox spring training, allaying any fears that their longstanding feud would continue now that they play for the same team.
"I got your back. Let's roll…" – @davidortiz to @DAVIDprice24https://t.co/eXHs9bn7Ae
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 22, 2016
But for Price, who signed a seven-year contract with Boston in December, the moment that truly solidified his newly forged friendship with Ortiz actually came a short time after that embrace.
“The biggest thing, and this is the first time I’ve said it, was probably a week or two after that hug,” Price told Bleacher Report’s Bill Speros. “We had a day game. I’m home. It’s probably 9Â o’clock at night. David just sends me a text.
“He’s asking me: ‘How are things going? Is there anything (I) can do to make it better?’ He wanted to know if there was anything he could do to make this process go more smoothly. That text he sent me that night, while he’s at home with the family. To do that, it was special.”
To Ortiz, the decision to leave his history with Price in the past was a no-brainer.
“There’s no way you can win by yourself,” Ortiz, who plans to retire after this season, told Speros. “I can’t pitch. I have no clue about pitching. David is our ace. I want him to do well. I want him to feel comfortable. …
“That incident happened between me and David one time. But I did my homework. I asked around about David. Everybody loves him. We got to know each other. He’s a super nice guy. You see everything he does. You look at his Twitter account. There’s no way you can have any issues with that guy.”
To read more on the Boston stars’ budding bromance, click here.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
