David Ortiz reminds fans about ‘the real 34,’ a Hall-of-Famer who inspired his Red Sox jersey choice
Before David Ortiz became a Red Sox legend, he looked up to Kirby Puckett.
David Ortiz, who wore No. 34 for the Red Sox, is one of 11 players to have a jersey retired by the franchise.
Ortiz wore No. 27 during the early part of his career with Minnesota. Hall-of-Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett wore No. 34 for Minnesota then. He was the “real No. 34” in Ortiz’s eyes.
A year ago, former Twins pitcher Mike Trombley shared an anecdote about Puckett’s sense of humor on Twitter.
“In 1992, I was sitting at my locker staring at my first @MLB check,” Trombley wrote. “Kirby Puckett walked by and said ‘first big league check, huh?’ I nodded with a proud smile. Puck then reached into his pocket, pulled out a big roll of money, and asked “you want me to cash it for you?”
Ortiz posted the tweet on his Instagram story on Wendesday, adding “Haha 😂😂😂 that was him. The real 34 ❤️.”
Puckett retired two years before Ortiz made his debut with the Twins in 1997. Puckett was working for the Twins as an executive when he met Ortiz. After retiring from the Red Sox, Ortiz said he wore No. 34 in honor of Puckett.
“That was very emotional,” Ortiz said following his retirement ceremony. “When I saw [Puckett’s family] coming toward me, I thought about Kirby a lot because that was my man.”
“It was super nice to see his kids because I remember when they were little kids once I got to join the Minnesota Twins,” Ortiz said. “Kirby already was working in the front office. So, they used to come in and out to see him. But their dad was a very special person to me, and that’s why you saw me carry the No. 34 here.”
Ortiz also remembered Puckett during his Hall-of-Fame induction speech. Puckett died in 2006 following complications from a stroke. He was 45 years old.
“I miss him so much, Mr. Kirby Puckett,” Ortiz said. “He taught me so much about the game. And I mean, he gave me so much advice and he was so wonderful to me that when I went to Boston, I started wearing his number, No. 34. God bless you, Kirby, wherever God has you.”
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