David Ortiz

Early life

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.

Professional career

Minor leagues

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 (New Britain Rock Cats), to the Triple-A Salt Lake Buzz. At the three levels, Ortiz combined to hit .317 with 31 home runs and 124 RBI, earning a September call-up to the Twins' MLB club.

Minnesota Twins (1997–2002)

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 established himself as an MLB regular. However, Ortiz played primarily at designated hitter as manager Kelly stuck with the veteran Ron Coomer at first base. When Ortiz homered on June 9 against the Milwaukee Brewers, it was his first MLB home run in more than a year. On September 7, he hit his first major league grand slam at Fenway Park against Boston Red Sox pitcher Ramón Martínez, one of his childhood heroes from the Dominican Republic. As his playing time increased, his stats improved. Despite his slow start, he finished at .282 with 10 home runs and 63 RBI. His 36 doubles were second on the team to Matt Lawton's 44, despite Ortiz having almost 200 fewer plate appearances. Ortiz's .364 on-base percentage was fourth on the team among players with more than 100 plate appearances.

Boston Red Sox (2003–2016)

After his release from the Twins, Ortiz had a chance encounter with Pedro Martínez at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic, and Martinez remembered the home run he had given up to Ortiz in August 2002. Excited at the prospect of his friend joining him on the Boston Red Sox (who needed a first baseman), Pedro began calling several Red Sox team officials to request that the team sign Ortiz. On January 22, Ortiz signed a non-guaranteed free agent contract with the Red Sox that would be worth $1.25 million if he made the team. New Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein envisioned Ortiz as one of several candidates to fill a void at first base. Sabermetrics favorite Jeremy Giambi was widely expected to get most of the playing time, but also in the mix were primary third baseman Bill Mueller (who figured to DH at times), Shea Hillenbrand (who could play third base, first base, or DH), and Kevin Millar (who could play first base or outfield). The team's best hitter, outfielder Manny Ramirez, figured to DH at times also. When the season started, all of them made the team, including Ortiz, with the new designated hitter/first baseman taking player number 34 in honor of his mentor and friend on the Twins, Kirby Puckett.

Because of the logjam, Ortiz did not play steadily during the first two months of the season. He hit his first home run with his new team on April 27 at Anaheim, a go-ahead shot to break a 14th-inning tie in an eventual 6–4 win, but batted only .212 in April. By May, he had raised his average to .272. Ortiz became frustrated over his limited playing time, seeing a similarity to what had happened to him in Minnesota, especially considering that Giambi was only batting .125 on May 1. After expressing his frustration to the media, Pedro Martínez pulled his friend aside to defuse the situation, then asked manager Grady Little to ensure Ortiz always be in the lineup when he was pitching. As Ortiz's bat heated up in May, the Red Sox finally broke the logjam when they traded Hillenbrand to the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 29. On June 1, manager Grady Little benched Giambi, who was still hitting only .185. These two moves allowed Ortiz to become the everyday designated hitter. As a regular, Ortiz finally had the breakout year he had envisioned. After hitting .299 with 10 home runs in the season's first half, he turned on the power in the second half, hitting 21 home runs in 63 games. On July 26, he delivered a walk-off hit against the rival New York Yankees. He would add his first walk-off homer as a member of the Red Sox on September 23, against the Baltimore Orioles. He finished the season with 31 home runs, 101 RBI and a .288 average, finishing fifth in the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award voting as the Red Sox won the AL Wild Card and qualified for the postseason.

Alleged PED use

On July 30, 2009, The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that Ortiz was among a group of over 100 major league players on a list compiled by federal investigators, that allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during Major League Baseball survey testing conducted in spring training of 2003. The survey testing was agreed to by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association to determine the extent of performance-enhancing drug use among players before permanent testing was officially implemented starting in 2004. As part of the agreement, the results of the survey testing were supposed to remain confidential and no suspensions or penalties would be issued to any player testing positive.

On August 8, 2009, Ortiz held a press conference before a game at Yankee Stadium and denied ever buying or using steroids and suggested the positive test might have been due to his use of supplements and vitamins at the time. When asked which supplements he had been taking, Ortiz said he did not know. Ortiz was accompanied at the press conference by Michael Weiner, the general counsel of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Because the list of players was seized as part of a government investigation and is currently under court-ordered seal pending the outcome of litigation, Weiner said the players union was unable to provide Ortiz with any details about his test result, including what substance he tested positive for.

On the same day, both Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association issued statements pointing out that because of several factors, any player appearing on the list compiled by federal investigators in 2003 did not necessarily test positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Among those factors were that the total number of players said to be on the list far exceeded the number of collected specimens that tested positive. In addition, there were questions raised regarding the lab that performed the testing and their interpretation of the positive tests. Also, the statement pointed out that certain legal supplements that were available over the counter at the time could cause a positive test result.

On October 2, 2016, at a press conference at Fenway Park, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said it was "entirely possible" Ortiz did not test positive during the MLB survey drug testing in 2003. The commissioner stated that the alleged failed test should not harm Ortiz's legacy, and that there were "legitimate scientific questions about whether or not those were truly positives". Manfred added "Those particular tests were inconclusive because "it was hard to distinguish between certain substances that were legal, available over the counter, and not banned under our program." He also said "Ortiz has never been a positive at any point under our program" since MLB began testing in 2004 and that it is unfair for Hall of Fame voters to consider "leaks, rumors, innuendo and non-confirmed positive test results" when assessing a player.

Career statistics

Sources:[1][2]

Ortiz was productive in the postseason. In 85 postseason games including 3 World Series (2004,'07,'13) he batted .289 (88-for-304) with 22 doubles, 2 triples, 17 home runs, 61 RBI, 59 walks, .404 on-base percentage, .543 slugging percentage, and .947 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Analyst career

In October 2017 Ortiz joined MLB on Fox as a part-time sports analyst for the coverage of the 2017 World Series. He returned in late 2019 as a full-time studio analyst following the June 2019 shooting.

Television work

In 2026, Ortiz competed in season fourteen of The Masked Singer as the alien-like "Googly Eyes". He was the first to be eliminated in the season premiere alongside Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley as "Croissants".

Business

Ortiz has received about $4.5 million in endorsements over the years. In April 2007, sporting-goods company Reebok debuted the Big Papi 10M Mid Baseball cleat, which Ortiz first used during the 2007 MLB All Star Game in San Francisco, California.

In October 2009, Ortiz opened a nightclub called "Forty-Forty" in his native Dominican Republic. In April 2010, rapper and producer Jay-Z and his business partner Juan Perez sued Ortiz for trademark infringement, alleging that the name of Ortiz's nightclub was stolen from Jay-Z's chain of sports clubs in New York. In March 2011, Ortiz reached a settlement deal with Jay-Z and Perez.

In 2021, Ortiz, among other high-profile athletes and celebrities, was a paid spokesperson for FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange. In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds. Ortiz, alongside other spokespeople, is currently being sued for promoting unregistered securities through a class-action lawsuit.

In July 2022, Ortiz launched his "Papi Cannabis" line of cannabis products in collaboration with the company Rev Brands. Ortiz stated: "Cannabis has helped me relax, sleep better, manage stress, and heal physically after a lifetime of playing ball, and I look forward to sharing Papi Cannabis and my personal journey to help people understand its benefits."

Podcast

In 2018, Ortiz hosted a podcast, David Ortiz: The Big Papi Story alongside Michael Chiklis. The series had four episodes and discussed Ortiz's life and career.

Charity work

In 2007, Ortiz founded the David Ortiz Children's Fund to support a range of his favorite causes and to help children, from Boston to the Dominican Republic and beyond. In 2008, Ortiz allowed his likeness to be used on a charity wine label, called Vintage Papi, with proceeds going to the Children's Fund. In 2016, Ortiz joined UNICEF Kid Power as a brand ambassador Kid Power Champion for a global mission in Burkina Faso. A 2017 roast of Ortiz raised $335,000 for his Children's Fund.

Personal life

Ortiz's nickname "Big Papi" originates from his habit of calling people (and teammates) whose names he could not remember "Papi." The nickname was given to him by Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy.

On June 11, 2008, Ortiz became a United States citizen at John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

Ortiz is a fan of the Boston Celtics and convinced Dominican NBA player Al Horford to sign with the Celtics in 2016.

Family

Each time Ortiz crossed the plate after hitting a home run, he would look up and point both index fingers to the sky in tribute to his mother, who died in a car crash in January 2002 at the age of 46. Ortiz also has a tattoo of his mother on his biceps.

Ortiz and his ex-wife, Tiffany, have three children. He also has a son, David Andres (also known as David Ortiz Jr.), with Fary Almanzar, who lives in the Dominican Republic. Ortiz and Tiffany finalized their divorce in 2023.

Ortiz proposed to his girlfriend Maria Yeribel in March 2025. The couple have a son who was born in 2024.

Ortiz's daughter graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2023. She sang the national anthem before the 2016 Red Sox home opener on April 11, 2016, and she did the same before her father was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the 2022 induction ceremony on July 24, 2022. Another son, D'Angelo Ortiz, played baseball at Westminster Christian School in Palmetto Bay, Florida, and he graduated in 2022. After playing baseball at Miami Dade College, he was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft. In August 2024, David Jr. was signed as an international free agent by the Texas Rangers.

Politics

In a September 2016 interview, Ortiz commented that remarks about Mexican immigrants made by then-candidate Donald Trump during his campaign in that year's United States presidential election "didn't sit well with me", calling them a "slap in the face" to Latinos. In 2025, Ortiz made his first-ever political endorsement, encouraging Boston voters to re-elect Michelle Wu as mayor in the city's mayoral election.

June 2019 shooting

On June 9, 2019, Ortiz was shot and severely wounded while at the Dial Bar and Lounge in East Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Authorities stated that Ortiz was "ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle" and shot him in the back. Ortiz underwent a six-hour operation where a portion of his intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder, were removed; liver damage was also reported. He underwent a second surgery in Boston on June 10 and was released from the hospital on July 26, following a third surgery.

Restraining order

A restraining order was issued on May 21, 2020, against Ortiz by Fary Almanzar Fernandez, who is the mother of Ortiz's oldest son. Ortiz was ordered to refrain from "annoying, intimidating or threatening his former partner in person or by phone." According to Ortiz's former partner, he "intimidated and threatened" her.

Career highlights

Records

Red Sox single-season home-run leader (54; 2006)

Tied with Babe Ruth for AL single-season home run record in road games (32; 2006)

Tied for all-time postseason consecutive on-base streak; 10 in 2007 (Billy Hatcher in 1990)

Tied World Series record with on-base streak of nine in a row

Twice set single season record for home runs by a designated hitter: first in 2005 (43), then again in 2006 (47)

First player ever to hit two walk-off home runs in the same postseason (vs. Angels, 2004 ALDS; Yankees, 2004 ALCS)

First player in Red Sox history to hit 40 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons (2004–2006)

Ten seasons of 30 or more home runs (2003–2007, 2010, 2013–2016; most in Red Sox history)

Ten seasons of 100 or more RBIs (2003–2007, 2010, 2013–2016; most in Red Sox history)

Ten seasons of 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBIs (2003–2007, 2010, 2013–2016; most in Red Sox history)

Distinctions

27th member of the 500 home run club

Fourth player with 500 or more home runs and 3 World Series championships (Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson)

One of five players in MLB history with 500 or more home runs and 600 or more doubles (Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera)

Third player with 85 extra base hits or more for four consecutive years (Lou Gehrig, 5; Sammy Sosa, 4)

Third player in Red Sox history with three seasons of 40 or more home runs (Carl Yastrzemski and Manny Ramirez)

17 career postseason home runs (tied for 15th all-time in MLB history)

61 career postseason RBI (tied for fifth all-time in MLB history)

Most home runs by a player in his final season (38)

Other accomplishments

Ortiz's home run total increased each year from 2000 to 2006, starting with 10 home runs, and ending with 54

Hit 11 career regular season walk-off home runs (tied 8th all time with Tony Perez and Ryan Zimmerman), and one of two players (the other being Bernie Williams) with two in the postseason (2004 ALDS, 2004 ALCS)

Five-time top five MVP vote-receiver (5th, 2003; 4th, 2004; 2nd, 2005; 3rd, 2006; 4th, 2007)

National Baseball Hall of Fame

Ortiz became eligible to appear on the 2022 ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ortiz was included on the ballot when it was announced on November 22, 2021. That ballot is also the first for Alex Rodriguez, and the 10th and final ballot for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, and Sammy Sosa. Various sportswriters viewed Ortiz as being likely to receive the 75% of votes required for induction, in his first appearance on the ballot. On January 25, 2022, Ortiz was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 77.9% of the vote; he was the only player voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (six more inductees were selected by the Golden Days and Early Baseball Era committees). He was formally inducted on July 24, 2022.