BOSTON — David Ortiz stepped up to the microphone, wiped the tears from his eyes and waited for the sold-out Fenway crowd to shout “Papi!” a few more times.
The Red Sox waited at the top of their dugout. The Los Angeles Angels tipped their caps. Friends and family and dignitaries from two countries lined the infield. Three World Series trophies glistened in the twilight sun.
Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez, Wade Boggs and Jim Rice — whose numbers preceded Ortiz’s to the Fenway facade — were the only ones who could know how he felt.
“It’s an honor to get to see my number right next to all those legends,” Ortiz said before his No. 34 was unveiled along the right-field roof boxes on Friday night.
“I remember hitting batting practice on this field; I always was trying to hit those numbers. But I never thought about having my number up there,” he said. “Every player that is up there did things that are very, very special for this ballclub and this community.”
Ortiz retired last season as one of the most productive offensive players in franchise history, and the single-most important player to wear a Red Sox uniform in a century. With three World Series titles — including the 2004 championship that ended an 86-year drought — Ortiz dragged the ballclub out of its dynasty of disappointment and gave a fresh generation of Bostonians reason to fall in love with the Red Sox anew.
But it was Ortiz’s defiant speech after the Boston Marathon bombings that cemented him as a civic hero and helped prompt the Red Sox to retire his number less than a year after he retired. As a nod to his foul-mouthed challenge to those who would test the city’s resolve, Ortiz took the microphone on Friday with the welcome, “This is his (pause) city.”
“There wasn’t an empty seat,” Ortiz told reporters afterward. “It made me feel like one of the important games we had where the fans wanted to be there from the very beginning and show love and support. It was pretty amazing.”
Ortiz is the 10th Red Sox player to have his number retired, and he was joined by four of the others, plus family representing the ones who couldn’t be there. Also recognized during the ceremony were representatives from the Dominican Republic, the city of Boston, and family of Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, from whom Ortiz adopted both his No. 34 and his ever-present smile.
“Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to give Boston the greatest gift ever: my compadre, David Ortiz,” said Martinez, who helped convince the Red Sox to sign Ortiz in 2003 and then joined with him the next year to win the title. “You are a great ambassador of the game. I don’t have enough words to say today how proud I am, and how proud of a papa I feel today. “Yes, he is ‘Big Papi.’ But I feel like ‘Grampa.’”
Current second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Ortiz’s teammate on the 2007 and ‘13 World Series champions, came out of the dugout to be enveloped in a giant bear hug.
“You’re not our teammate, you’re not our friend. You’re family,” Pedroia said. “And it will be like that until the day you die.”
With that, Ortiz broke out the handkerchief.
“Man, the little guy made me cry,” he said. “Wow.”
Much like it was last season, when Ortiz went on his farewell tour, the ballpark was decked out in his honor, from a five-story silhouette hanging from the concourse ramp outside to the No. 34 mowed into the outfield grass. Fans were given posters with the No. 34, and it was painted onto both on-deck circles.
After both the Dominican and U.S. national anthems — each accompanied by a giant flag covering the Green Monster — Ortiz took a ball from ex-teammate Tim Wakefield and threw (somewhat wildly) to former catcher Jason Varitek.
The beloved slugger shook hands with virtually everyone on the field as he left it, accompanied by video from the careers of the other 10 players with their numbers retired. (Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 has been taken out of service by every team in baseball.)
Although the Red Sox have offered Ortiz a spot in the organization, he told reporters that he has stayed away from the team since his retirement to avoid being a distraction.
“I told myself, ‘Give everybody their space,’” he said. “But it’s going to happen.”
Boston 9, L.A. Angels 4 — Hanley Ramirez and Sandy Leon hit two-run homers and the Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-4 on Friday to cap a night in which David Ortiz’s number became the latest retired at Fenway Park.
It was the 250th career home run for Ramirez, a good friend of Ortiz who was also born in the Dominican Republic. Leon finished with three hits and four RBIs.
The homers helped provide a nice cushion for Rick Porcello (4-9), who gave up four runs and struck out eight in 6 1/3 innings to earn the victory. It was the 13th straight start Porcello has gone at least six innings.
Alex Meyer (3-4) allowed five runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Los Angeles scored three runs in the seventh, but cooled off after Porcello left.
Boston got out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, scoring on an RBI double by Xander Bogaerts and then getting two more runs off wild pitches by Meyer.
Ramirez gave Porcello a 5-1 lead in the fourth with his two-run shot to right field.
This could serve as a needed confidence boost for Porcello, who had been 0-4 with a 7.92 ERA in his previous five starts, allowing 47 hits and 27 earned runs.
He had command of his pitches early, holding the Angels scoreless until the fourth, when a catching error by Leon at home allowed Albert Pujols to cross the plate.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: INF Josh Rutledge was a pregame scratch with left hip soreness. Dustin Pedroia, who was only expected to play on an emergency basis, returned to the lineup a day earlier than expected after missing three straight games with a bruised back.
UP NEXT
Angels: RHP JC Ramirez will be making his 14th start of the season and seventh on the road in 2017. He made four relief appearances last season against Boston. He’s tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in two career games at Fenway.
Red Sox: LHP David Price held the Angels to eight scoreless innings the last time he faced them in late July last season. He is 5-5 with a 3.26 ERA over 13 career starts against Los Angeles.
Sox claim Fister
The Red Sox claimed right hander Doug Fister off waivers in a move to provide depth to a rotation that has struggled with injuries.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced the move Friday. Manager John Farrell said Fister is slated to make his first start in Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels. Boston is hoping he can provide help with starters Steven Wright out for the season after left knee surgery and Eduardo Rodriguez rehabilitating a right knee injury.
Fister, 33, was released from his minor league contract with the Angels at his request on Thursday. He was pitching with their Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, but had a clause in his deal to opt out if he wasn’t added to the major league roster by June 21.
He spent the 2016 season with the Astros, going 12-13 with a 4.64 ERA.
The Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Jhonny Peralta, 10 days after he was released by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Friday that Peralta will play third base for Triple-Pawtucket and is expected to report on Monday.
The Red Sox were seeking to add depth while Pablo Sandoval is dealing with an inner ear infection that sent him to the disabled list this week.
Peralta, 35, is a three-time All-Star. He hit .204 in 21 games with the Cardinals this season and is guaranteed $10 million as part of a $53 million, four-year contract he agreed to before the 2014 season.