David Ortiz Archives – Page 12 of 13

Game 33:
Notes and milestones

May 7, 2014 Leave a Comment

A few milestones worth noting after Tuesday’s extra-innings Red Sox win over the Reds. First, though, a little about the Cincinnati team.

You might think of the Reds as “the other red socks.” The club, which was once called the Red Stockings, joined the National League in 1890, though for six seasons (1954-59) they were known as the Redlegs. Cincinnati has made 15 playoff appearance (most recently in 2013), won 5 World Championships (the last in 1990), and 9 National League Pennants (the last in 1990).

It’s a bizarre quirk of scheduling that Tuesday’s game vs the Reds was just the 7th regular season matchup between the clubs in history. It’s the club the Red Sox have faced the least in the regular season. The two teams last met at Cincinnati in 2008. They’re last series at Fenway was in 2005, which the Red Sox swept. Since that series all 28 other MLB teams have visited Fenway, most on multiple occasions.

Including Tuesday’s win, the Red Sox are 6-1 vs the Reds in regular season play. Of course all of this dances around the series that mattered most between these clubs: the 1975 World Series, which the Reds won in 7 games. [Read more…]

Slamming out a win

May 4, 2014 Leave a Comment

Who knew the first two games vs the vaunted Oakland Athletics would have the Red Sox looking so good?

Solid performances on Friday and Saturday were highlighted with grand slams by Dustin Pedroia on Friday and Jonny Gomes on Saturday.

Pedroia’s milestone

The slam on Friday was especially gratifying. It marked the 100th career home run for Pedroia as well as his 500th, 501st, 502nd, and 503rd career RBI. The 100+ home runs and 500+ RBIs puts him in elite company with only 26 other Red Sox players ever to cross both milestones in their careers in Boston.

And it came at a great time. Though he had been 22-for-79 (.278) with one grand slam in his career with the bases loaded, Pedroia was 0-for-2 this season in those situations and hadn’t had any home runs yet, his last having come September 17, 2013 vs the Orioles.

Pedroia became the 3rd player in club history to reach his 100th career HR with a grand slam. The others were Mo Vaughn on August 3, 1995 and David Ortiz on May 28, 2004.

The slam came on an 0-2 count, making it the first such grand slam in all of baseball this season on such a count. In 2013 there were only two 0-2 grand slams: one by the Tigers Andy Dirks and the other by Will Middlebrooks. Before Middlebrooks, you have to go all the way back to April 10, 1998 for an 0-2 grand slam by a Red Sox player. That one was by Mo Vaughn.

And finally, there’s this: By getting to career home run No. 100, Pedroia joins Carl Yastrzemski as the only players in Red Sox history with 100+ home runs and 100+ stolen bases. Yaz had 452 home runs and 168 stolen bases. Pedroia stands at 100 home runs and 121 steals. [Read more…]

Grand slam report

April 26, 2014 Leave a Comment

Saturday’s grand slam by Red Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski (the 8th of his career and the Red Sox’ first of 2014) got me thinking about these grandest and rarest of home runs.

MLB Home Runs 2000-14 Since 2000 through April 25, 2014 there have been 71,540 home runs in all. 41,325 (58%) have been solo shots. 20,350 (28%) have been for two runs. 8,087 (11%) have brought in 3 RBI. But only 1,778, a mere 2.4%, have been grand.

The most slams since the start of the 2000 season by any team is 97 by the Yankees, followed by 84 by the White Sox, and 81 by the Red Sox. The fewest have been by the Royals (42) followed by the Pirates (44) and the Diamondbacks (45).

The Tampa Bay Rays have allowed the most grand slams since 2000 season began (79) followed by the Cubs (77) and Orioles (76). The Giants have allowed the least (30), followed by the Dodgers (31) and the Phillies (45). The Red Sox have allowed 65 grand slams since 2000, 10th-most in baseball.

Alex Rodriguez has hit the most grand slams since 2000 (18—and 24 in his entire career) followed by Carlos Lee (15) and Richie Sexson (130). Both David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have had 11, tied with Jason Giambi for 9th most. Trot Nixon shows up tied at No. 23 on the list with 8 and Mike Lowell is tied at No. 31 with 7.

On the other side, old friend Ryan Dempster has allowed the most in that time (11) followed by Kyle Lohse (10) and Brad Penny, Cliff Lee, and Kevin Millwood (8 each).

The home of the White Sox and not the Rockies, has been the site for the most grand slams since 2000. US Cellular Field has seen 93. Fenway Park is next (77) with Rangers Ballpark and Coors Field in third place (74 each).

Special slams

Fans will remember a special game on July 29, 2003 when Red Sox Bill Mueller hit two grand slams in the same game, one from each side of the plate. The rare feat of two grand slams in one game has happened just 13 times in history, most recently on July 27, 2009 by Josh Willingham of the Nationals. Four Red Sox have had two grand slams in a single game, the most of any MLB club.

Another special game came on June 12, 2010 when Red Sox Daniel Nava became one of just four MLB players ever to hit a grand slam in his first at-bat. The others are Bill Duggleby (1898), Jeremy Hermida (2005), and Kevin Kouzmanoff (2006).

Though I’ve focused on games from 2000 to present day, I’d be remiss not to recognize Lou Gehrig, whose 23 grand slams was the all-time record until A-Rod achieved Slam No. 24.

Two current day managers are noteworthy for slams. White Sox skipper Robin Ventura is one of the 13 to have two grand slams in a single game. Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is unique for his grand slam proclivity, hitting 6 for the Yankees in the 1987 season. Mattingly’s 6th and record-breaking slam came off of Red Sox pitcher Bruce Hurst. Despite that power burst, Mattingly went on to play for 8 more seasons with no additional grand slams. In 2006 the Indians’ Travis Hafner would tie Mattingly’s mark for most slams in a single season.

More exciting than the slam

As exciting as the grand slam is, how about the walk-off grand slam like the one Jose Abreu hit on Friday to give the White Sox a thrilling victory over the Rays? Well, since the start of the 2000 season there’s been just 67 of those. What’s more, with Friday’s walk-off grand slam the Rays have now tied the Mets with the dubious distinction of allowing the most of them (6). The Red Sox have allowed 3.

Walk-off grand slams may be the rarest of home runs but the Nationals have managed to stroke 5 of them since 2000, more than any team in baseball. The Braves, Dodgers, Indians, Marlins, and White Sox have all had 4. The Red Sox have had one.

Individually, Alex Rodriguez has the most walk-off grand slams (3). Pitchers Francisco Cordero, Joe Borowski, and Francisco Rodriguez have allowed the most (2).

Forget the rest, tell me about the Sox

Diehard Red Sox fans know the club’s all-time grand slam leader is Ted Williams, who else could it be? Williams had 17 over his career. David Ortiz is 2nd with 10 followed by Rico Petrocelli (9). Bobby Doerr, Trot Nixon, and Jim Rice each had 8.

For a single season the Red Sox leader is Babe Ruth with 4 in 1919. Last season Mike Napoli had 3, joining nine other Red Sox greats like Manny Ramirez, Mo Vaughn, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, and Jimmy Foxx (who had 3 grand slams in both 1938 and 1940 seasons).

The Red Sox have four pitchers in club history with grand slams: Wes Ferrell (1936), Lefty Grove (1935), Ellis Kinder (1950), and Babe Ruth (1919).

Ortiz contract keeps him focused on his health

March 25, 2014 Leave a Comment

RSNStats, for one, is glad our long national nightmare is over. David Ortiz has a contract extension and options that will, as Owner Henry says, gives us all “near certainty that David Ortiz will finish his career in a Red Sox uniform, which is something we have all wanted and that we are all proud of.” Henry went on to call Big Papi exactly what he is, “[an] ambassador of our game…as he continues on this road to Cooperstown.”

Ortiz Games PAs More details from the extension are coming out. Basically, after a guaranteed 2014 and 2015, the 2016 season starts at $10 million but increases based upon his number of plate appearances. If he makes 425+ plate appearances in 2015 he qualifies for a 2016 contract worth $11 million. It goes up from there:

475 plate appearances – $12 million
525 plate appearances – $13 million
550 plate appearances – $14 million
575 plate appearances – $15 million
600 plate appearances – $16 million

Over the past four seasons Ortiz has averaged 129.5 games and 548.5 plate appearances.

WEEI has more details about how the extension works. For those who can’t get enough, here’s more from the Interwebs: Gordon Edes on ESPN’s web site talks about the contract and David’s lack of Spring Training production. NESN has some quotes from Big Papi on the hunger to win is still there for him. New York Daily News says David has now joined the “pantheon of Boston’s most-beloved sports stars, a group that includes the likes of Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Tom Brady and Ted Williams.”

Yankees at Red Sox, September 13, 2013

November 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

A few shots from a cloudy Saturday. Yankees at Fenway, September 13, 2013. It was the middle game of a sweep of New York. Red Sox won this won 5-1.

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