David Ortiz to Yankees fans: I was born to play against the Yankees
It's Big Papi's final series in Yankee Stadium, beginning Tuesday
By
Matt Snyder
•
1 min read
The Red Sox are on the verge of clinching the American League East title and it is overwhelmingly likely to happen in Yankee Stadium. They are visiting their rivals to the south Tuesday for the first game of a three-game series with the Boston magic number at one.
In related matters, this will be the final series in Yankee Stadium in David Ortiz's career.
In advance of that, the man known as Big Papi has a lengthy entry over on The Players Tribune that is well worth a read for anyone interested.
The part that most stands out to me is the following:
Some players are born to be Yankees, you know what I'm saying?
I was born to play against the Yankees.
Ortiz talked at great length about his respect for Yankees greats Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter and those two lines above seem pretty fitting in the same piece. It probably sounds corny, but those two players definitely seem to fit the "born to be Yankees" mold that Ortiz discusses.
When Ortiz first digs in the batter's box Tuesday, it's very likely he'll be showered with boos. The Yankees fans have one last series to boo him relentlessly, even if it's with the utmost respect. They shouldn't hold back. That's part of what makes the rivalry so great. Plus, he enjoys it:
Yankee fans, I got one final thing to tell you.
Thank you. For real. You pulled the best out of me.
When you boo me, it's one of the best feelings in the world.
You do you, Big Papi.
