Nothing good comes from Boston Red Sox players giving New York Yankees fans ammo.
Pedro Martinez famously put his foot in ‘s when he said ” I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.” Yankee fans made sure to remind him that was the case the next time he pitched in Yankee Stadium.
David Ortiz is now playing with that same fire as he prepares for his final season. The longtime Red Sox slugger isn’t playing for a Derek Jeter-esque tour full of gifts and pre-game moments. He does, however, want one thing during his final Yankee Stadium appearance on Sept. 29. A standing O.
“You know what I want most of all?’’ Big Papi told The Post on Tuesday at JetBlue Park. “I would love it if the fans at Yankee Stadium gave me a standing ovation.’’
In truth, he might just get it. While there’s no love lost between the two franchises and Ortiz has made Yankee fans cry more than a few times, there’s a respect under the surface between the two. Fenway gave both Jeter and Mariano Rivera standing ovations when they played their final games there.
In a way the Yankees helped make Big Papi a superstar when he helped the Sox to their epic comeback in the 2004 ALCS.
“The Yankees were the team to beat back then,’’ Ortiz said when I asked him what that comeback did for him. “Being able to do what we did was something that was very special. It was career-lifting for me. People get to know you better, focus on you a little more. If you continue to be successful, you can build a career out of it.’’
Ortiz is also the rare player who has been dominant against the Yanks. He’s .306/.395/.565 hitter with 47 home runs in 224 games vs. New York. He has 12 home runs in 52 games at this newer version of Yankee Stadium.
The idea of Yankee Stadium chanting “Pa-pi! Pa-pi!’ might seem like sacrilige but it might just be the fitting way to end another era of rivalry between the two storied teams.
[NY Post]
