David Ortiz speaks ahead of Hall of Fame induction: "Baseball is what I am"
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Prior to this weekend, David Ortiz had never stepped foot inside the walls of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, he'll be there forever.
The Red Sox legend will have his plaque unveiled on Sunday as he is inducted into the Hall, the highest and most prestigious honor a ballplayer can achieve.
Before his big day, Ortiz sat down for a one-on-one conversation with WBZ-TV's Dan Roche at the Otesaga Hotel. And ahead of receiving his tremendous honor, Ortiz reflected on what baseball means to him.
"Definitely, I mean, baseball is what I am," Ortiz said. "Baseball is what got me where I'm at. So there's no way I can say that baseball is not -- baseball is part of what I am, and it's gonna be until the last day I live. There's something that comes along with baseball that not many of us have, which is a way to connect with people. And I know how to connect with people and I think I'm good at it. And when I connect with people, I want to give them hope. Because hope can change things in a heartbeat. It doesn't matter how bad you're struggling at anything in life. When people give you hope, that mean things are gonna get better. That's all we want to hear. So those lines, along the side with those plaques, they were absolutely right. They were absolutely right."
Those lines to which Ortiz is referring are from Dennis Eckersley and Ortiz's former teammate, Pedro Martinez, in a video that plays at the Hall of Fame. Pedro said he wanted to be seen as a sign of hope for future generations, showing that anyone from anywhere can make it into the Hall of Fame. Eckersley said, "Baseball, it's in your soul, man. You just know it. It's in your soul."
Both Martinez and Eckersley pitched for the Red Sox, though of the two, only Martinez is wearing a Red Sox hat on his plaque. Ortiz will be joining a short list of Red Sox to earn their enshrinement in Cooperstown.
"I don't think there's no words to describe the feeling, because you're talking about my team, my home, my city. I'm representing them. And we're representing them here, because they well deserve it," Ortiz told Roche. "Being able to wear that Red Sox cap into the Hall of Fame, it's quite an honor."
Ortiz also said he's excited to share in the joy of his day with Red Sox fans as well as fans from his native Dominican Republic.
"You never know -- Dominicans, we are loud, but let me tell you, that crowd in Fenway is very, very loud, too. And that comes from Americans, so I think they're gonna be combined together, screaming out there," Ortiz said of the anticipated celebration. "Because this is their victory, you know what I'm saying? It's one of their kids that made it into Cooperstown, and they should be proud and enjoy. It's their day. And to all those Bostonians and my Dominican fellows, thank you for the support throughout the years. I don't think I would have made it without the support coming from y'all. And see you Tuesday at Fenway. We're gonna continue celebrating over there, in our house."