Red Sox legend David Ortiz says he tested positive for COVID-19: 'Man, this is no joke'

Ortiz was asymptomatic, but his brother 'had it real bad'

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees renewed their historic rivalry Friday night with the first of three games at Fenway Park (GameTracker). Red Sox legend David Ortiz appeared on the NESN television broadcast and revealed he recently tested positive for COVID-19.

Here is Ortiz discussing his positive test:

"Man, this is no joke. You don't realize how crazy this is until it hits home"

David Ortiz on his experience after him and his brother test positive for COVID-19...#RedSox | https://t.co/sl8J2jXXRR pic.twitter.com/ZmCptkcciq

— NESN (@NESN) September 19, 2020

"I just got my last test (Thursday), thank God I test[ed] negative," Ortiz said. "I had it asymptomatic, so it wasn't that bad. My brother had it really bad. He had to be in the hospital for about a week. He had to lose like 25 pounds. Man, this is no joke. You don't realize how crazy this is until it hits home. I learned so much about this COVID-19 while I was going through the process."

Ortiz, now 44, retired following the 2016 season. He was shot in the torso last July and spent several weeks in the hospital, and although he has since recovered, the damage from the shooting could have put him at risk of serious complications from COVID-19. 

There have been more than 30 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including nearly 7 million in the United States and more than 100,000 in Ortiz's native Dominican Republic. The virus has killed nearly 1 million people worldwide.