There are few clutcher players in the history of Major League Baseball than David Ortiz.
The Boston Red Sox legend was officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his career accolades, including three World Series titles, seven Sliver Slugger awards and 10 All-Star appearances.
Ortiz has 23 career walk-off hits, and in an interview with Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Bob Costas, he explained what his mindset was behind those clutch performances.
“Easiest way to explain it is I got nothing to lose,” Ortiz said on MLB Network. “I guess I realized, at one point, I was doing something I knew was going to put my family in a better situation, better lifestyle. I was all in.”
Ortiz’s highlight moments came in the postseason, and he had the stats to back them up with the most hits (80), doubles (19), home runs (17), RBIs (57), walks (59), intentional walks (11), total bases (154) and extra-base hits (38) in Red Sox postseason history.
“Every team has their key players… and I guess I was one of those guys,” Ortiz said. “I’ll tell you what, I want to win. I want to win so bad. That’s all I care about, winning. I guess I was too cocky about it.”
Ortiz added, “I always thought about going to the World Series and losing. I always had a nightmare about it. You go through the season beating the opposition, then you get to the World Series, and then you have to pack to go home because you lost. I used to have nightmares about that. I’m not saying that’s why I was so good in World Series, but that was part of my fear. I can imagine how that feels.”
Red Sox fans are surely glad those nightmares never became a reality, and Ortiz can look back on those moments with fondness as he is enshrined in Cooperstown.
