Before Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz gets inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, he received some words of wisdom on how to handle the day from a longtime friend and former teammate.
Pedro Martinez understands the magnitude of this moment much better than others as the sensational right-handed pitcher was enshrined in Cooperstown in 2015.
And now with Ortiz on the precipice of joining Martinez in the Hall of Fame, Martinez tried to tap into his own experience when passing on some advice to Big Papi.
“Last night, he was basically giving me a speech, telling me what to do tomorrow,” Ortiz told reporters during a media availability session Saturday. “But the most important thing is he just don’t want me to lose my focus. He wants me to be me, don’t forget about where I come from and just have fun. That’s what it’s all about. At the beginning it’s crazy, but emotion is always going to be popping up, but just be me.”
Unlike Martinez, Ortiz headlines this year’s Hall of Fame class as he was the only player selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to receive the honor. The other six inductees were elected by the Era Committee.
Maintaining focus certainly isn’t something Ortiz lacked during his playing career, as he always seemed to rise to the occasion for the Red Sox.
Ortiz will look to showcase the composure that allowed him to thrive in pressure-packed situations during the Hall of Fame ceremonies, which begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
