Baseball great David Ortiz is apparently retiring after the 2016 season. When he does, MLB will be saying goodbye to one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time.
“Big Papi” may have 503 career home runs in the regular season, but it’s his postseason heroics that have made him the star he is today. The nine-time All-Star was part of three World Series-winning teams in Boston—and his clutch-hitting proved to be a big part of those achievements.
Let’s review his eight biggest hits:
2003 ALDS Game 4; 8th inning game-winning double: Boston was facing elimination down 2–1 in the series to the A’s and trailing 4–3 in the eighth with two on and two outs when Ortiz—in his first season with the Red Sox—mashed a double off Oakland closer Keith Foulke to right field to score two. Boston would win the game and eventually take the series with a Game 5 victory.
2004 ALDS Game 3; 10th inning walkoff two-run home run: Ortiz capped his 4-for-6 performance with a series-clinching two-run blast off Angels pitcher Jarrod Washburn to propel the Red Sox into their second straight ALCS clash against the New York Yankees.
