Reliving David Ortiz’s ‘Our (Expletive) City’ Speech From 2013 Red Sox Season

Red Sox fans watched David Ortiz do a number of legendary things throughout his Hall of Fame career.

The man did it all in his 14 seasons with Boston, delivering three World Series titles, 23 walk-off hits, 483 home runs and an unlimited number of clutch moments. There wasn’t a single moment that meant more than what he did on April 20, 2013, however. Sure, he put together a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, but he could have earned a golden sombrero and none of it would have mattered.

Ortiz galvanized an entire city in the minutes prior to the Red Sox’s matchup with the Kansas City Royals on that day.

“This is our (expletive) city,” Ortiz exclaimed in front of a packed Fenway Park crowd, delivering a strong message in wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. “And nobody’s going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

Those words marked the beginning of Boston’s process toward healing from the tragedy, while signifying the start of the Red Sox’s journey toward winning the 2013 World Series. In the eighth inning of the ensuing game, legendary underdog Daniel Nava launched one of the most iconic home runs in franchise history to eventually give the Red Sox one of their many wins in that legendary season.

Those iconic words rang across the world in the following weeks and months, doing the impossible and making Boston fans out of just about everyone without a dog in the fight. In a career full of moments to be proud of, the mid-April speech undoubtedly stands out for Ortiz and those who benefitted from it in and around Boston.