Ortiz: 'I wish I could continue playing'

If it was just about playing, David Ortiz would spend the rest of his life in the majors.

But as the Boston Red Sox slugger labors to the end of his 20th big-league season, he knows now is the right time to retire, despite his historic numbers.

"I wish I could continue playing, but it takes a lot for me to prepare for the games every year," Ortiz told the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. "I've been dealing with things the last four years and it gets worse, you know what I'm saying? And so I have to put a lot of effort and a lot of work to play at my highest level out there. At some point, it wears you out."

While his feelings during the day Tuesday were those of a run-down veteran, later that night he became the best player ever at the age of 40.

After swatting a three-run homer against the Baltimore Orioles, Ortiz now has 36 blasts, 47 doubles, and 121 RBIs, while slashing .318/.403/.634 with a 1.037 OPS. Those figures, though, are what make it more difficult for him to walk away.

Though he believes he can still hit for years to come, his legs won't allow it.

"I don't know if I can play til 50," Ortiz said. "I play in a lot of pain. I've been taking a lot of anti-inflammatories and stuff to get through it. We have good doctors and training staff, and they work hard with all of us, but it is what it is. Like I say, I love this game and this game is my everything, but it's not forever."

Ortiz will close out his final season with Boston, which appears set for a postseason run. Until then, he'll continue to put on a show.

"The fans deserve that," he said. "The fans, man, they're very supportive and I hope every player wishes that in their last year they put up a good season for them."