David Ortiz

David Ortiz

David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. He also played for the Minnesota Twins. During his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, he was a ten-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion, and a seven-time Silver Slugger winner. Ortiz also holds the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54, which he set during the 2006 season. Originally signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992, Ortiz was traded to the Twins in 1996 and played parts of six seasons with the team. Ortiz was released by the Twins and signed with the Red Sox in 2003, where he spent the remainder of his career. In Boston, Ortiz established himself as "one of the greatest designated hitters the game has ever seen". He was instrumental in the team ending its 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004, as well as during successful championship runs in 2007 and 2013; he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2013. Ortiz finished his career with 541 home runs (which ranks 17th on MLB's all-time home run list), 1,768 runs batted in (RBIs, 22nd all-time), and a .286 batting average. Among designated hitters, he is the all-time leader in MLB history for home runs (485), RBIs (1,569), and hits (2,192). Regarded as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, Ortiz had 11 career walk-off home runs during the regular season and two during the postseason.

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