Ever since last November, when David Ortiz announced his intent to retire, the Red Sox coalesced around a singular goal.
“Everybody had it mapped out in their head in spring training what we wanted to do,” pitcher Clay Buchholz said, “knowing that David was not going to be here next year.”
While the Red Sox were able to give the 20-year veteran a division crown, they were unable to take it any further. And as a result, the career of one of the most beloved figures, sports or otherwise, to ever pass through this city came to a surprising, sudden ending.
Though the Red Sox were heavily favoured against the AL Central champion Indians, Boston’s vaunted offense – Ortiz included – never got it going in their American League Division Series. Despite inserting some drama late in Game 3 on Monday night, the Red Sox were swept in the best-of-five series, losing to the Indians, 4-3, in front of 39,530 at Fenway Park.
Boston led the majors in runs with 878 this season but scored only seven in the three games.
“What they did to us we expected to do to them because we feel we have a better ballclub,” an at-times-emotional Ortiz said. “But when it comes down to playoffs and short series, it’s not about who’s the best, it’s about who plays the best, and obviously they did.”
The Indians will face the Blue Jays in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series, which starts Friday in Cleveland.
In his final game, the 40-year-old Ortiz went 0-for-1 with two walks. He was 1-for-9 in the series.
After Travis Shaw flied out with two on and two out against Indians closer Cody Allen in the ninth, Fenway went quiet as the Indians – who advanced to the ALCS for the first time since 2007 and are managed by Terry Francona, who led the Red Sox to two World Series titles – celebrated their surprising sweep.
But soon the crowd began chanting “Papi! Papi!” and “We want Papi! We want Papi!”
Just over 10 minutes later, Ortiz emerged from the dugout, walked to the mound and doffed his cap, tears in his eyes.
“I definitely want to always show love to the fans,” Ortiz said. “Once I walked to the mound, I started looking around, the moment hits you, knowing you’re not going to be playing baseball [again]. It kind of hit me a little bit.”
Francona, who managed the Red Sox to titles in 2004 and 2007, remains close to Ortiz. “That was an honour to be on the field for his last game,” Francona said.
With the Red Sox, trailing 4-2 in the eighth, Ortiz came up with a runner on and two outs. Allen walked Ortiz on four pitches, then fell behind Hanley Ramirez 2-and-0 before he lined an RBI single to left to make it 4-3.
Marco Hernandez came in to pinch run for Ortiz, who left the field to a huge ovation. Xander Bogaerts then stung a liner but right at second baseman Jason Kipnis to silence the crowd, keeping it 4-3.
“I was cheering so bad once I got out of the game,” Ortiz said. “I was screaming at my teammates, ‘put me back in it. Make me wear this uniform one more day.’ Because I wasn’t ready for (it) to be over.”
Ortiz enters retirement after a career that could land him in Cooperstown, having hit 541 career homers and, this year aside, ranking among the sports all-time postseason performers.
“I can’t ask God for any more than he gave me,” said Ortiz, who signed with the Mariners as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 1992 and made his big-league debut with the Twins in 1997. “I just turned 17 years old and all I wanted to do was have fun at what I do ... I’m happy and proud of going home the way I am right now.”