Biography of Red Sox Star David Ortiz
David Ortiz started his Major League Baseball career in 1992, at the age of seventeen, when he was selected by the Seattle Mariners as an amateur free agent. In 1996, the Mariners traded him to the Minnesota Twins where he would make his major league debut the following year on September 2, 1997.
Struggling with injuries and slumps, David Ortiz had a difficult time staying in the majors until the 2002 season when he began to break out as an elite baseball player. In 2003, the Twins traded Ortiz to the Red Sox because they were afraid his injuries would end his career early.
During his first year with the Red Sox, Ortiz batted .288 with 31 home runs and 101 RBI. He compiled these numbers despite only playing 128 games during the 2003 season. He finished fifth in the American League MVP race.
In 2004, Ortiz dominated opposing pitchers as he batted .301 with 41 home runs and 139 RBI. He turned in career highs in every major statistical category during the 2004 season. The 2004 post-season showed the nation what kind of player David Ortiz was much more than the regular season ever could have when his clutch performances kept the hopes of Red Sox Nation alive.
During the American League Division Series, Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in extra innings against the Angels to seal the series victory for the Red Sox. The series victory over the Angels sent the Red Sox on to the American League Championship Series where they would meet their hated rivals, the New York Yankees.
After losing the first three games of the series, the Red Sox seemed like they had lost any chance of making it to the World Series. Game 4 went into extra innings where David Ortiz hit a walk-off home run in the 12th inning to give the Red Sox their first win in the series.
The Red Sox were trailing 4-2 in the 8th inning of Game 5 when Ortiz hit a home run to start the Red Sox rally. The game went extra innings once again where Ortiz would drive in the game-winning RBI in the 14th inning. The Red Sox went on to win Games 6 and 7, and David Ortiz was named MVP of the 2004 American League Championship Series.
In the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, David Ortiz hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat in Game 1. The Cardinals never recovered as the Red Sox swept the series, winning their first World Series in 86 years.
Since joining the Red Sox, David Ortiz’s career has taken off. He has been an All-Star every year since 2004. He has also finished in the top 5 in MVP voting each of the last three years.
