Big Night for Big Papi: Red Sox Honor Hall of Famer Ortiz

Newly inducted Hall of Fame designated hitter David Ortiz throws out the ceremonial first pitch while being honored prior to a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park in Boston on July 26, 2022. Charles Krupa/AP Photo

BOSTON—With three giant World Series banners laid across the outfield grass, three championship trophies on a table and his Hall of Fame plaque hanging behind him, David Ortiz basked in the welcome of the Fenway fans on Tuesday, two days after he was inducted in Cooperstown.

Thanking those who helped him throughout his career—many of them seated in folding chairs along the first- and third-base lines—Ortiz took the field to chants of “Papi!” and told the crowd before the slumping Red Sox played the Cleveland Guardians: “The good luck charm just arrived.”