David Ortiz will be officially enshrined in Cooperstown Sunday, the culmination of a memorable career spanning 20 major-league seasons, most of them spent in Boston. Ortiz’s imminent Hall-of-Fame induction has, predictably, invited comparisons to other Red Sox legends including former Triple Crown-winner Carl Yastrzemski.
Comfortably on the Mount Rushmore of Boston greats, you could make the case for Yastrzemski as the most complete player the Red Sox have ever produced (for all his hitting accolades, Ted Williams was famously a non-factor in left field), balancing his three batting titles with seven Gold Glove nods. Nobody in the team’s 100+-year history has more hits than Yaz (3,419), yet the former American League MVP insists his accomplishments pale in comparison to Ortiz, a three-time World Champion and perhaps the most beloved player to ever don a Red Sox uniform.
“One of the best hitters the Red Sox have ever had. Probably the only guy that was a better hitter was Ted,” the 82-year-old said of Ortiz’s legacy. “Yes. He was a better hitter [than me].”
This weekend will be a celebration of all things Big Papi, honoring an iconic slugger who began his Boston career with little in the way of expectations, landing with the Red Sox (Pedro Martinez’s recruiting efforts shouldn’t be discounted) only after being unceremoniously dumped by Minnesota. The rest is history with Ortiz becoming one of the most successful hitters of his era and, more importantly, a symbol for the city itself, rallying Boston after the tragic events of the Marathon Bombing in 2013.
“I remember when we first got him, you kind of had doubts those first couple months, but he turned that around quick and became one hell of a hitter,” Yastrzemski told Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe. “I think Ted would be very happy with him because he’s done so much for the Red Sox. I know I am.”
While Yastrzemski won’t be making the trip to Cooperstown this weekend, he plans to attend a pregame ceremony for Ortiz Tuesday at Fenway Park. “Going into the Hall of Fame is a great, great thrill,” says Yaz, who, like Ortiz, got in on the first ballot. “David will always have that plaque. It’s just one hell of an honor.”
Though Ortiz was the more accomplished power hitter with 541 homers to Yastrzemski’s 462, their overall numbers are remarkably similar, boasting near-identical batting averages (.286 for Ortiz compared to .285 for Yaz). Of course, Ortiz is elevated by his three titles, leading the Red Sox to championships in 2004, ’07 and again in 2013, receiving series MVP honors for the latter. Regardless of where they belong in the team’s all-time hierarchy, both are prominent figures in Red Sox lore, essential to the history of one of baseball’s most storied franchises.
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