David Ortiz plans to call it a career at the end of this season, but he certainly isn’t playing like someone who’s in the midst of a farewell tour.
The Boston Red Sox designated hitter entered Tuesday as the major league leader in doubles, slugging percentage and OPS — while also ranking near the top in a slew of other categories — and shows no signs of slowing down mere months away from his 41st birthday.
So why is Ortiz retiring when he’s seemingly still at the top of his game? San Francisco Giants right-hander Jake Peavy, a former teammate of Ortiz’s, was asked that question Monday and struggled to find an answer.
“I don’t know how he’s walking away,” Peavy said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “I want to give him four (balls) and send him to first. But he’s got some guys around him. The way he’s swinging the bat, he’s certainly not swinging like a guy who’s retiring. He’s swinging like the All-Star he’s always been.
“David’s as big-time of a player as I’ve ever played with. He has such a unique, larger-than-life personality. His preparation on a daily basis sets him apart. Certain guys are cut out for big moments. Number 34 is one of them.”
Peavy had a front-row seat to arguably the apex of Ortiz’s career. The two were teammates during the slugger’s absurdly productive 2013 postseason, during which he posted a 1.206 OPS in 16 playoff games and a superhuman .688/.760/1.188 slash line in the World Series.
Unless the Red Sox and Giants meet in this year’s World Series, Tuesday night likely will be the final time Peavy faces Ortiz. Peavy is set to take the mound for San Francisco in his first game back at Fenway Park since Boston traded him away in 2014.
Thumbnail photo via Richard Mackson/USA TODAY Sports Images
