Red Sox fans attending Monday night’s series opener against Detroit were in for a treat with Manny Ramirez throwing out the first pitch to David Ortiz, who presented his former teammate with a plaque for his induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame. The 2004 World Series MVP was not in attendance for last month’s Hall of Fame ceremony at Fenway Park honoring Ramirez, Ortiz, Bill Dineen, Rich Gedman and former GM Dan Duquette.
Known for his clutch hitting and eccentric personality, Ramirez was a fan favorite throughout his eight-year run in Boston, winning World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. His 274 homers are the sixth-most in franchise history behind only Ted Williams, Ortiz, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans.
He also ranks seventh in RBI (868). Ramirez later joined Dave O’Brien, Dennis Eckersley and Kevin Millar (his teammate on the ’04 World Series team) upstairs in the NESN broadcast booth.
Just as he did over the weekend, Ortiz sat right next to the Red Sox dugout, where he proceeded to Facetime Millar between innings. Ortiz attended Saturday’s game to honor his friend and fellow countryman Albert Pujols in his final series at Fenway Park (assuming the Red Sox and Cardinals don’t meet again in the World Series).
If you missed it, Ramirez and Ortiz’s sons Manny Jr. and D’Angelo are actually teammates on the Brockton Rox, a summer league team playing just up the road in Plymouth County. And if that wasn't enough nostalgia for you, Roger Clemens’ son, Kody, was in the Tigers’ dugout Monday night, though he wasn’t in the starting lineup.
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