Yankees will honor rival David Ortiz in final Yankee Stadium trip
David Ortiz has long been a thorn in the side of the New York Yankees, yet they will pay respect to the Red Sox slugger in his final trip to Yankee Stadium this season.
In a display that will likely net some outrage among fans, the Yankees will honor Red Sox slugger David Ortiz this coming season in his final trip to Yankee Stadium.
“I am sure we’re going to do something,” principle owner Hal Steinbrenner said (nypost.com). “We have not formally, minute by minute, figured out exactly what we’re going to do yet. He’s a great player, great part of that franchise. Everything you like to see in a player.”
The Red Sox final visit to the Bronx this season -- Ortiz's last as a player -- will be Sept. 27-29. Those are the Red Sox's last three road games before returning home for a three-game set to end Ortiz's regular season career against Toronto.
While this might not sit well with some fans, it bears mention that the Red Sox honored both Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter in Fenway Park. For the most part, opposing fans hate each other a lot more than opposing players do, as the latter stand together as members of an exclusive fraternity.
Ortiz, 40, enters his final season a career .284/.378/.547 (139 OPS+) with 2303 hits, 584 doubles, 503 homers, 1641 RBI and an outstanding postseason dossier that includes three World Series rings, an ALCS MVP and a World Series MVP.
