Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz hit a home run in the fifth inning against Matt Moore of the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, becoming the 27th person in Major League Baseball history with 500 career home runs.
David Ortiz hits 500th career home run
Ortiz in 2015 has his ninth season of 30 or more home runs.
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
It was his second home run of the game, both against Moore.
Big Papi is in a special class: http://t.co/LcYA44t63k #ThrillOfTheGame https://t.co/D4WpM8WWXX
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2015
Not much has gone right for the Red Sox this season, currently in last place in the American League East. But the 39-year-old Ortiz has been as steady as ever, hitting .273/.359/.555 with 34 home runs and 95 RBI in 2015 (as of his homer in the fifth).
The Minnesota Twins got a lot of things right in the first decade of the 21st century, winning six American League Central division titles in a nine-year span from 2002-2010. But after the first of those division wins, Minnesota's decision to not tender a 26-year-old Ortiz a contract, coming off a season hitting .272/.339/.500 with 20 home runs, was baffling.
Boston pounced on Minnesota’s mistake and signed the burly free agent slugger. All Ortiz has done in Boston is average 34 home runs and 107 RBI per year with a 147 OPS+ during his 13-year Red Sox tenure.
Ortiz is the fourth player to hit his 500th home run while a member of the Red Sox, more than any other franchise. He joins Jimmie Foxx (Sept 24, 1940), Ted Williams (June 17, 1960) and Manny Ramirez (May 31, 2008). Ortiz has hit 442 of his 500 home runs with Boston, third in club history behind Williams (521) and Carl Yastrzemski (452).
At 39 years, 298 days old, Ortiz is the fifth-oldest player at the time of his 500th home run, behind 41-year-old Williams, and a trio of 40-year-olds — Willie McCovey, Eddie Murray and Gary Sheffield.
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