David Ortiz receives Greatest Red Sox Clutch Hitter Award

[riverside sluggers]

this was a given Someday he will get this award for best clutch hitter ever in all of MLB history...

 

'Greatest Clutch Hitter' proves it

After Ortiz's game-winning homer, he's honored by Henry

By Ian Browne / MLB.com

 

At the end of the night, a plaque that David Ortiz carried with him to yet another hero's news conference said every bit as much as the latest majestic home run the big designated hitter hit to end a game at Fenway Park. Just 15 or 20 minutes after Ortiz had sent everybody home with a soaring walk-off blast that snapped a tie with one out in the bottom of the ninth and delivered the Red Sox a 3-2 victory over the Angels, principal owner John W. Henry and president/CEO Larry Lucchino took a trip downstairs and brought a gift to the gregarious slugger. It was a large plaque that said: "The Greatest Clutch Hitter in the History of the Boston Red Sox, David Ortiz, #34."

 

And who could argue? The gift could have just as easily been delivered last October, when all Ortiz did was lift the Red Sox on his big shoulders and help the fabled franchise win its first World Series championship in 86 years. "The truth of it was apparent a while back and I asked vice chairman Phil Morse to design it," Henry said in an e-mail following Tuesday's game. "He produces just wonderful mementos such as that. We had been waiting for an appropriate time to present it to him. I said tonight to Larry after the home run, 'Let's do it.' He had been keeping it in his office.

 

"I just couldn't wait any longer. I do wish Phil had been here, but it was the moment. I'm very happy to publicly declare what almost all of us in New England already know -- David Ortiz is the greatest clutch hitter to ever wear the uniform of the Boston Red Sox. I said 'almost' because beginning tomorrow the debate will begin!" But, at this hour, it's hard to make much of a case for anyone else. It was the sixth time (including postseason) Ortiz has ended a game at Fenway Park with a home run. The Angels were also victims in clinching Game 3 of the 2004 American League Division Series.

 

"It's incredible how he does things the way he does them," said veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who worked a complete game to earn the win. "He's Mr. Clutch. He proved that last postseason. He did it again tonight for us." This one came off a relief pitcher with nasty stuff in Scot Shields. And this one came on a night the Red Sox extended their lead over the Yankees to four games in the AL East. Ortiz's capper came on a 3-2 pitch and served as redemption after he had stranded runners on second and third with no outs in the seventh. Ortiz's 38th homer of the season smacked a railing that hovers above the runway between the bleachers and box seats in right field.

 

"It's a good feeling, especially when you have a guy like Wakefield out there performing the way he did tonight," said Ortiz. "You want to do something for the guy. I felt terrible the one inning that I struck out with men on second and third. When the game gets on the line, you get another chance, you have to bring everything you have." Back on Aug. 20 in Anaheim, Shields had baffled Ortiz on a curveball to strike him out in a crucial situation. So in the final at-bat on Tuesday, Shields began the at-bat with some more tough offspeed stuff.

 

Papi of walk-offs

Since joining the Red Sox at the start of the 2003 season, David Ortiz has hit six walk-off homers (including postseason). A glance at those six memorable shots:

Date Pitcher Inning Final

9/23/03 Kurt Ainsworth 10th Sox 6, Orioles 5

4/11/04 Aquilino Lopez 12th Sox 6, Jays 4

*10/8/04 Jarrod Washburn 10th Sox 8, Angels 6

*10/17/04 Paul Quantrill 12th Sox 6, Yanks 4

6/2/05 B.J. Ryan 9th Sox 6, Orioles 4

9/6/05 Scot Shields 9th Sox 3, Angels 2

 

But Ortiz kept fighting off the pitches, eventually giving Shields little choice but to bring the heat, which Ortiz promptly pummeled to the delight of the packed house of 35,061 at Fenway. How many more times can Ortiz deliver in such a fashion? Not enough for it to ever get old.

 

"You never get tired of it," said manager Terry Francona. "That's what he's done so many times, and it's a pleasure to revisit it. He's got power to all fields. He knows if he squares the ball up, he can hit a homer to left-center to right, it doesn't' matter. He puts the barrel on the bat, and man. ... We've seen it so many times. I hope we see it a bunch more."

[BrentD22]

He was my hero! I was at the game last night and it was actually kind of boring until the 7th or 8th being a tie game. The crowd wasn't into it ect. Then Pappi woke up that sleeping crowd to a huge ovation! I almost knocked over like 10 people when I jumped off of my seat.

[yankeessuck013]

Slowly, but surely the MVP award is slipping away from Arod and into Ortiz's hands. Walk off hrs against a play-off contender will do that. Especially when Arod goes 0-4 with 3 k's against Tampa.

[Optimist]

Never mind, not even worth it.

[noonanberg]

It really never does cease to amaze that Ortiz keeps doing this. Just out of curiousity, and I'm sure Ortiz isn't really that close, but what is the record for most walk- off HRs, career or season? Or even the most GW hits, which Ortiz also has many of. I say name an award after the guy, if not an MLB award, then a team award (when he retires of course) for most GW hits or GW HRs every year.

[jebargit]

Ortiz is what is good about baseball. He seems to really enjoy the game and the fans who adore him. Manny on the other hand....

[AnibalJonJon]

Ortiz will retire as the best bosox slugger ever, GIVE HIM HIS MONEY HENRY!!!!!

[See Red]

He deserves it. I will always remember his HR in Game 4 of the ALCS -- I still get goosebumps just seeing replays of it.

 

And Yankeessuck had a good point. This is how MVP awards are won and lost. Remember, Vlad won it because of how he carried his team on his back, last year.

 

Look at the numbers -- .313 when it's close and late. .348 with runners in scoring position. .385 with runners in scoring position and two out.