On Sunday, former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. On Tuesday, he returned home to Fenway Park to be celebrated by the fans and teammates who he impacted throughout his legendary career.
Among the former Red Sox representatives were general manager Theo Epstein, managers Terry Francona and John Farrell, and former players Jim Rice, Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez and Ellis Burks. Baseball Hall of Famer and fellow Dominican Republic native Vladimir Guerrero was also on hand to take in the festivities.
The Red Sox filled the outfield with Ortiz’s three world championship flags from 2004, 2007 and 2013.
“The good-luck charm has arrived,” Ortiz said as he walked up to the microphone to address the crowd. “I want to thank all the fans, all the Red Sox fans worldwide, because without you guys, trust me, this would never (have) happened.”
Following his speech, Ortiz threw out the first pitch to former teammate Jason Varitek after being presented the ball by former teammates Tim Wakefield, Trot Nixon, Alex Cora, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts.
As Ortiz made his way to his seat for the game, he stopped for a cart ride.
The Red Sox will take on the Cleveland Guardians on David Ortiz Night, with full coverage of the game on NESN 360.
