David Ortiz

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

David Américo Ortiz Arias was born on November 18, 1975, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as the oldest of four children of Enrique (Leo) Ortiz and Ángela Rosa Arias. As a boy, he followed the careers of standout pitcher Ramón Martinez and his younger brother Pedro, attending games whenever he could and building a friendship with Pedro that would only grow over the years. Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espaillat High School in the Dominican Republic, and was a standout baseball and basketball player there. On November 28, 1992, Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners just 10 days after his 17th birthday, who listed him as "David Arias" due to not being familiar with Spanish naming customs. He made his professional debut in 1994 for the Mariners of the Arizona League, batting .246 with two home runs and 20 RBI. By 1995, he had improved those numbers to .332 with four home runs and 37 RBI. In 1996, he was promoted to the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers of the Midwest League, a Mariners farm team. He established himself as one of the Mariners' best hitting prospects, batting .322 with 18 home runs and 93 RBI. Ortiz also impressed both fans and Mariners' players like Alex Rodriguez with a strong performance in an impromptu home run derby—the result of a failed Mariners' promotion in which the Timber Rattlers were supposed to play an exhibition game against the MLB club in front of their home fans in Wisconsin, but the game was rained out. Also in Wisconsin, Ortiz met his future wife Tiffany; she led him to become a fan of the nearby Green Bay Packers NFL team, a devotion that would become lifelong. Baseball America named Ortiz the most exciting player in the Midwest League, as well as its best defensive first baseman for 1996. Despite his strong year in the Mariners' system, on September 13, 1996, Ortiz was traded to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named later to complete an earlier transaction for Dave Hollins. When he arrived in Minnesota, he informed the team that he preferred to be listed as "David Ortiz"—using his paternal family name rather than "Arias" which was his maternal family name. Referring to the switch, sportswriter Jay Jaffe called Arias/Ortiz "literally the player to be named later." Ortiz rose quickly through the Twins system in 1997. Though he started with the High-A Fort Myers Miracle, he quickly progressed through Double-A (N

In Their Own Story

The narrative of David Ortiz in Boston is anchored by his legendary ability to deliver when it mattered most. He is regarded as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, boasting 11 career walk-off home runs during the regular season and two more during the 2004 postseason. The first of those playoff walk-offs clinched the AL Division Series for the Red Sox, a pivotal moment in their run to end the championship drought. His impact was quantifiable: he posted ten seasons with at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, batting .300 or better seven times. He received the Edgar Martínez Award as the league's top DH eight times. Upon retiring, he ranked sixth in AL history with 541 home runs, fifth in doubles (632), and ninth in RBIs (1,768). In 2022, his contributions were permanently recognized when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Reader's Guide

Ortiz made his MLB debut for the Twins on September 2, 1997. He played in 15 games in September, batting .327 in 49 at bats. He recorded his first major league hit in his second game, on September 3, with an eighth-inning pinch-hit double against the Chicago Cubs. He hit his first major league home run on September 14 against the Texas Rangers, off pitcher Julio Santana, going 3-for-4 with two walks in the game overall. Ortiz hit one home run and had 6 RBI in his first season. In 1998, Ortiz entered the season with his sights set on playing as the regular first baseman for the Twins. However, Ortiz's playing style was somewhat different from the approach favored by manager Tom Kelly, which placed a premium on avoiding strikeouts, and great defense (which Kelly felt Ortiz still needed to work on). While Kelly worked with Ortiz on his defense, he hit well, batting .306 through May 9 before fracturing his wrist and going on the disabled list. He returned to the Twins in July following a rehab assignment to Triple-A and finished the season with the team. He ended his rookie year strong, batting .360 in September. All told, he hit .277 with nine home runs and 46 RBI in 86 games. In 1999, Ortiz figured to be a fixture in the lineup, but after a tough spring training which saw him bat only .137, he was sent down to the Triple-A Salt Lake Buzz as the sure-handed rookie Doug Mientkiewicz earned the first base job. It was becoming apparent that manager Tom Kelly preferred veteran players or those who fit into his small-ball and good defense philosophy, something Ortiz would later be vocal about after his days with the Twins. While Ortiz tore through minor league pitching to the tune of a .315 average with 30 home runs and 110 RBI, Twins first basemen would go on to hit just .245 with 11 homers and 69 RBI all season. Twins designated hitters did not fare much better, batting a combined .259 with 14 home runs and 82 RBI. Ortiz's strong season in Triple-A was too much for Kelly to ignore, and Ortiz again earned a September call-up in 1999. It did not go well for Ortiz, as he struck out 12 times in 20 at-bats, and did not register a hit. By 2000, with the Twins coming off three consecutive seasons of over 90 losses, Ortiz's bat could not be buried in the minor leagues much longer. After playing only sparingly during the season's first two months, by June 2000 he finally e

Did You Know?

• Ortiz had 11 career walk-off home runs during the regular season and two during the 2004 postseason, the first of which clinched the AL Division Series.
• He set major league records for career home runs (485), RBIs (1,569) and hits (2,192) as a designated hitter.
• Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners on November 28, 1992, just 10 days after his 17th birthday, and was initially listed as 'David Arias' due to unfamiliarity with Spanish naming customs.