Ortiz ties Foxx with 534th career home run
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz continued his magical farewell tour with another majestic moment Sunday, launching the 534th homer of his career during the fourth inning of Boston's nationally-televised game against the Kansas City Royals.
With the home run, Ortiz tied Jimmie Foxx for 18th on the all-time list and moved within two of another Hall of Famer, Yankees legend Mickey Mantle.
Ortiz's milestone blast to straightaway center off Yordano Ventura ricocheted off the "Boston Scientific" sign above the Red Sox bullpen, more than 420 feet away from home plate.
It was the 31st longball of the season for the the 40-year-old designated hitter, who earlier this week became the oldest player in major-league history to reach the 30-homer plateau.
The dramatic moment between the two playoff-chasing clubs was broadcast as ESPN's Sunday Night game, and came barely an hour after Ortiz told The Associated Press he's "worn out" from his season-long farewell tour. Not that he's showing it.
Ortiz's solo shot, which cut the Royals lead to 2-1, improved Big Papi's slashline to .320/.408 and an MLB-best .636 slugging percentage. On Wednesday, the retiring slugger recorded his team-record 10th season with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs.
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)