7:10 p.m.: The Boston Children’s Chorus sang the national anthems of the Domincan Republic and United States. And that wrapped up the ceremony. Up next: Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels.
7:05 p.m.: David Ortiz finishes his speech by thanking the fans. And he threw out the first pitch to David Ortiz. It was a bit outside, but we’ll excuse the greatest DH of all time for that.
7 p.m.: David Ortiz said during his speech that he used to try to hit the retired numbers during batting practice. Now his No. 34 is up there, too.
6:55 p.m.: Pedro Martinez spoke on behalf of the 2004 champions, and Dustin Pedroia spoke for the 2007 and 2013 teams.
And now David Ortiz has the microphone.
Here are a few more images from the ceremony:
6:51 p.m.: The No. 34 has been revealed out in right field, and Pedro Martinez now is speaking.
The Sox also described the backstory as to why Ortiz picked the No. 34.
6:49 p.m.: David Ortiz is here, and he received quite the ovation. Big Papi’s family also is here.
6:42 p.m.: They now are going through all the other Red Sox retired numbers. And some of there players are here at Fenway Park.
6:40 p.m.: John Henry, Tom Werner, Sam Kennedy, Dave Dombrowski and Linda Pizzuti Henry are here from the Red Sox. There also are representatives from the Dominican Republic. And fellow Red Sox greats Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek also are here.
6:37 p.m.: The starting lineups have been announced. Now it’s on to the ceremony.
6:25 p.m.: The are setting up for the ceremony. We’re only a few minutes away.
6 p.m.: The Red Sox are starting to post some David Ortiz tweets and retweets before the ceremony.
5:55 p.m.: NESN.com also had a few David Ortiz stories earlier in the day. You can give them a read as we wait for the ceremony.
— Dominican Major Leaguers Recall David Ortiz’s Impact, Their First Meetings With Him
— Relive David Ortiz’s Most Memorable Playoff Heroics With Red Sox
— David Ortiz’s Career Worth Reflection As Boston Red Sox Retire No. 34
5:50 p.m.: In addition to this live blog, you also can follow NESN’s Courtney Cox (@coxcourtney) and Cameron McDonough (@Cam_McDonough) on Twitter. And we’ll have live updates on the main NESN handle (@NESN), too.
5:30 p.m. ET: BOSTON — David Ortiz will be the last Boston Red Sox player to ever wear the No. 34.
The former Red Sox designated hitter hung up his bat and cleats for good after last season, but he’ll be back at Fenway Park on Friday for what’s sure to be a very special night for the Red Sox, their fans and the man who helped bring three World Series to Boston.
The Sox will retire Ortiz’s No. 34 in a pregame ceremony before Boston hosts the Los Angeles Angels at 7:10 p.m. ET. But the stage already is set at Fenway.
The ceremony is scheduled to begin around 6:30 p.m., so make sure you keep it right here for live updates throughout.
Click for live stream of David Ortiz’s No. 34 retirement ceremony >>
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
