Twins relive epic 'mistake' during Ortiz's final visit

MINNEAPOLIS - David Ortiz has been tormenting the Minnesota Twins for the last 14 seasons, since they infamously released him as an injury-prone designated hitter still finding his way in the major leagues.

The Twins paid their formal respects Friday in a brief pregame ceremony for the burly Boston slugger, marking the final visit to Minnesota as a player for the soon-to-be-retired Ortiz.

''You know he's getting old if he was a teammate of mine,'' said Twins manager Paul Molitor, who was 41 and in his second-to-last season when Ortiz made his debut for Minnesota in 1997 as a 21-year-old.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan shrewdly traded third baseman Dave Hollins to the Seattle Mariners in 1996 for Ortiz, but the deal was canceled out six years later when he was released. Ortiz entered the series with 20 home runs, 21 doubles, 52 RBIs and a .323 batting average in 67 career games against the Twins.

''Obviously it was a mistake on my behalf,'' Ryan said, ''and I've owned up to it way too many times.''

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Ortiz hit .288 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs for the Red Sox in 2003, and the rest was history with only a handful of rocky seasons along the way far overshadowed by three World Series titles. Ortiz was the 2013 World Series MVP, and he has hit 461 of his 519 career home runs for Boston.

''They wanted him to retire seven years ago, and now that he wants to retire, nobody wants him to retire,'' Hunter said. ''I definitely think to go out on top, that's the way to go.''

Ortiz has been critical of the Twins organization for an insistence then that he prioritize contact over power. He was hurt by the decision to dump him. Speaking in the dugout before the game, though, Ortiz was in a complimentary and reflective mood.

''I'm always going to really appreciate the fact that the Twins gave me the opportunity to come to the big leagues and experience what this is all about,'' Ortiz said.