Stop What You’re Doing and Watch These David Ortiz Highlights
Thanks to his on-field heroism during his decade-plus run in a Sox uniform, David Ortiz has become one of Boston’s most beloved athletes. The man has so many highlights, compiling them would be an epic task — fortunately for fans, one Youtube user has already done the work.
In a 21-minute catalogue of greatness, Youtube user Ryan Schwark has strung together dozens of Big Papi’s best moments from his 18-year career.
And it’s every bit as awesome as it sounds.
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The first highlight included in the compilation is Ortiz’s first-ever homer, hit way back in 1997 for the Minnesota Twins. This clip is notable as much for what it portended as for its featuring a Not-So-Big Papi.
By his first Red Sox homer a few clips later, Ortiz has already become the Big Papi we’ve come to love since he arrived in 2003.
Audible on that clip is Jerry Remy referring to Ortiz as a “big, strong lefty hitting only .188.’’ That average would soon rise. Side note — kudos to the editor for keeping the original audio: this is a compilation that should be watched with game sound on.
The highlight video really hits its chill-inducing oeak at around the 3-minute mark, when Papi’s 2004 playoffs highlights start coming. And if you haven’t relived these moments in a while, this video makes for a great opportunity.
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The faint opening strums of Dirty Water after Ortiz’s walkoff hits in ALCS Games 4 and 5 were, for this writer, particularly satisfying.
The next ten years are dotted with big milestones and towering homers, but the next payoff comes at about 15:30, when Papi’s 2013 postseason begins — and it’s every bit as unbelievable now as it was a year ago.
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The video is strictly gameplay — Papi’s colorful post-bombing speech isn’t included — but it still serves as an excellent reminder of his Red Sox greatness, and it’s a trip well worth taking if you’ve got 20 minutes to spare.
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