Papi beats Yankees again: 'That's why they don't pitch to me'
The New York Yankees can't wait for David Ortiz to hang up his spikes. Until then, Big Papi's more than happy to keep teeing off on New York's pitchers.
Ortiz did it once again to the Bronx Bombers on Friday, as his two-run blast off Dellin Betances lifted the Red Sox to a 4-2 victory at Fenway Park.
The Yankees should probably know by now what Ortiz is capable of in these situations.
"That's why they don't pitch to me late in the game much," Ortiz told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "Hey, man, it's home. When you're playing at home, the adrenaline is flying all over the place when you're playing against the Yankees. It's something, whenever something like this happens, you enjoy it, you know?"
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Ortiz's dominance of the Yankees stretches far beyond the many magical October moments. His career regular-season numbers against the team are mind-boggling.
Big Papi's career vs. Yankees*
| GP | Avg. | OPS | HR | RBI | 2B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225 | .307 | .964 | 48 | 160 | 72 |
*Includes 1998-2003 with Minnesota
After being on the other end of his heroics for 13 years, all the Yankees can do at this point is give Ortiz credit.
"For him to hit that ball the way he did, he's been great his whole career," Betances said. "All I can do is tip my cap to him. It kind of (stinks) we lost."
Ortiz's retirement isn't coming fast enough for the Yankees, though, as they still have to face him 18 more times before the 2016 season ends.