A-Rod: Ortiz needs to be around baseball 'the next 40 years'
Once fierce rivals, Alex Rodriguez now has nothing but love for David Ortiz.
After the Boston Red Sox were swept in the American League Division Series by the Cleveland Indians on Monday, Ortiz's storied 20-year career came to an end, much to the dismay of those in attendance at Fenway Park.
Rodriguez, who called an end to his own career back in August with the New York Yankees, had some positive words, however, for his retiring compatriot.
"Big Papi is a megastar," Rodriguez said, according to FOX Sports. "Not only here domestically but all over the world and he's done an incredible job with the Red Sox. To win three championships, what he's meant on the field, off the field for that community in Boston, what he's done back in our homeland, the Dominican Republic.
"He's a guy that we need to have him around the game the next 40 years."
Rodriguez and Ortiz were on opposite sides of the diamond for some of the most intense contests between the Yankees and Red Sox. Their rivalry reached a boiling point in recent years, however, when Ortiz felt Rodriguez's lawyer subtly accused the slugger of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
Despite the feud, the two reconciled their friendship prior to the start of the 2016 season.