David Ortiz Talks Tigers Family, 2013 Grand Slam
By Will Burchfield/Follow Will @Burchie_kid
DETROIT (CBS DETROIT) - It was well past midnight, and a tired David Ortiz just wanted to get some rest.
But here came a swarm of reporters buzzing up to his locker, eager to ask him about this, that and the other thing.
It is the 40-year-old slugger's final season and he is in great demand wherever he goes. His habituation to all the attention was clear in the way he maneuvered the media on Saturday night, in the way he answered questions on his own terms.
Regarding his homerun, a moon-scraping drive down the right field line, did Ortiz know it was gone the moment he hit it?
"Hanging breaking ball, of course I know. Next question," he replied.
Regarding his newest record - most homers in a season by a player 40 or older - does he have any thoughts?
"40 is just a number. Next question."
Regarding his success at Comerica Park, where Ortiz has driven in 60 runs in 58 career games, does he have an explanation?
"I don't know, I guess I can hit. Next question."
Regarding the Tigers' pregame ceremony for Ortiz, which featured a tribute on the scoreboard, was Big Papi moved by the appearance of Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez?
Ortiz looked up. He broke from routine. He answered from the heart.
"Those guys are brothers to me, those guys are family. It was so great to see them out there, and what they said on the board is something that means a lot to me. Even not playing next year, I'm always going to keep it that way with [Cabrera and Martinez], and whenever they need me I'll be there."
It was a welcome moment of reflection in a robotic interview. And it spoke to the depth of Ortiz's friendship with Miggy and V-Mart, two foreign stars who have come of age in Big Papi's wake. Martinez and Ortiz were teammates for two seasons in Boston, of course, but their bond doesn't seem forged through wearing the same jersey.
At the risk of forcing a narrative, it is founded on mutual respect and hardened by the challenges all three of them have overcome.
Ortiz, of course, broke his "brothers'" hearts with his famous grand slam in Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS. The Tigers, ahead 5-1 in the 8th inning, were four outs away from heading back to Detroit with a commanding 2-0 series lead. Then Ortiz pummeled a Joaquin Benoit changeup over the right field wall, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Asked about that homer on Saturday night, Ortiz said it ranks among the most memorable moments of his career.
"It was good, I mean, kind of got us on the move, got us some momentum going on and took us through the playoffs," he said.
Then Ortiz excused himself from the media scrum, parting the sea of reporters like a motorcycle through city traffic. A couple of them lobbed out hopeful questions as he made his way to the exit, but Ortiz, ever in charge, had already decided the interview was over.
Then he turned around at the door, flashed that trademark grin and said "It's 1 a.m., man! I gotta be back here in eight hours. It's time to go home."