Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz made appeared at Fenway Park on Thursday for his induction to the Red Sox Hall of Fame.
In a sit-down interview with Tom Caron, the greatest designated hitter of all time levied serious praise for the New England fanbase.
“When it comes down to being a sports fan, New England has the greatest fans of all time,” Ortiz said, as seen on NESN’s pregame coverage. “The way that I look at it, they are expecting you to come through. And, as an athlete, when you know that fans are expecting you to come through every day, you got to tell yourself, ‘I gotta get prepared for this. I gotta focus, I have to be disciplined, I know what it takes to be good at any type of sport.’ So when you have that commitment with the fans, you get the memo, you understand.”
Ortiz played in Boston for 14 seasons, and credited the fanbase for keeping him motivated regardless of his emotions heading into the game.
“Man like I said, I think I was lucky enough to play in this town, because not everybody gets the opportunity to play in this town,” Ortiz said. “The fans are incredible here. I was so well-motivated by the fans here on a daily basis.”
Ortiz will be welcomed into Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame in July.
