Red Sox to retire Ortiz's No. 34 next season

David Ortiz will make Boston Red Sox history even after his playing days are over.

The Red Sox announced Sunday during a pregame celebration for Ortiz that they will retire his No. 34 next season. It will be just the second time a Red Sox player who is not in the Hall of Fame will have their number retired by the organization.

"We've become so spoiled from what he's accomplished," Red Sox manager John Farrell told reporters before the game. "Even in my mind, there's maybe an unfair expectation that when he doesn't hit a ball out of the ballpark in key moments, you're like, 'Damn why didn't he do it?' That's the expectation that he's created."

Ortiz will join fellow Red Sox legends Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, Johnny Pesky, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, and Pedro Martinez as players retired by the club.

"He changed the Red Sox," commissioner Rob Manfred said before the game. "He was a key part of the amazing three wins here. It changed the course of the franchise."

The 40-year-old Ortiz has spent the last 14 seasons with the Red Sox and ranks second in franchise history in home runs, third in doubles and RBIs, and fifth in games played. He's also won three World Series titles while playing in Boston.

"There may be no more important player ever in this organization," Farrell said.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)