Throughout his 14-year run with the Boston Red Sox, Hall of Famer David Ortiz was public enemy No. 1 when it came to the New York Yankees and their fans.
That was brought to a whole new level back in 2004 when Ortiz spearheaded a Red Sox attack that overcame a 3-0 deficit against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
This helped Boston overcome the curse of Babe Ruth as the team ultimately took out the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first World Series since back in 1918.
Fast forward two decades, and the New York State Senate thought it made sense to honor Ortiz with a resolution focusing on his impact on baseball as we prepare for the 20th anniversary of the aforementioned ALCS.
We’re not kidding, Yankees fans. It was introduced by State Senator Luis Sepulveda (D-Bronx).
“Senator Luis Sepulveda is honored to host Major League Baseball Hall of Fame David Ortiz, affectionately known as ‘Big Papi,’ at the New York State Senate today. In recognition of his illustrious career and contributions to baseball, David Ortiz will be present on the Senate floor,” the resolution read.
Say what?
This is all sorts of weird.
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Why Is New York Honoring David Ortiz?
Jon Campbell of Gothamist attempted to explain it away to an extent.
“You might be wondering why Albany lawmakers are honoring a sports rival who does not hail from New York. The resolution cites charitable work Ortiz has done in the state, including participating in the Maestro Cares Gala, the Derek Jeter Celebrity Invitational and the C.C. Sabathia PitCCh In Foundation Charity Softball Game at Yankee Stadium,” note on New York honoring Ortiz.
We get it. Ortiz has done some great stuff off the field. A lot of MLB players have. Does this mean you have to honor a sworn enemy? No. No, it doesn’t.
After all, Ortiz hit .303 with 53 homers and 171 RBI during his career against the Bronx bombers.
Also, let’s not forget this one moment.
Come on!
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