David Ortiz

David Ortiz was born in Saint Domingo, Dominican Republic to Enrique and Angela Rosa. His father played baseball for years in Dominican pro and semipro leagues and became a source for inspiration for Ortiz.

Ortiz was the eldest of the four children and was the most easy going and calm person in the family. He attended the Estudia Espallat High School and there he championed the game of basketball.

In 1992, he was signed on by the Seattle Mariners and he played for them until 1996 and then got traded off to Minnesota Twins. He was listed as ‘David Arias’ before, which was later changed to ‘David Ortiz’.

In 1997, Ortiz made his debut in the Major League, playing for the Minnesota Twins but he suffered from many injuries. He experienced serious knee problems, which finally led to his release by the Twins in 2002.

Ortiz signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2003. He mostly did pinch hitting for them but sometimes played as a DH. He proved his real mettle when he was made a permanent DH by Gary Little.

In 2004, Ortiz hit 41 home runs and had 139 RBIs while batting .301 with an OPS of .983, which helped him finish second in the American League and he led Red Sox to their first World Series championship.

In the same year, he hit his 100th career homerun but was also deferred for three games since in the game against the Angels he threw on the field many bats that could have hurt the umpires.

In 2005, Ortiz led the American League in RBIs by finishing second in homeruns and third in OPS. He was presented with a plaque by Red Sox ownership, calling him ‘the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox’.

Ortiz is a nine-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion and he holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54 and also an all-time leader in MLB history.