Fernandez wants to let Ortiz hit final All-Star HR
Jose Fernandez is a competitive guy but he'd be more than happy to be taken deep one time on Tuesday.
The Miami Marlins ace has never faced David Ortiz, but wants the chance to do so at Tuesday's All-Star Game in San Diego. Fernandez wants to do it so he can gift Big Papi a final All-Star home run before his retirement.
"I told him yesterday that I am going to throw him three fastballs down the middle," Fernandez told ESPN's Marly Rivera on Monday. "I want to watch him hit a home run."
Ortiz might be wise to accept the help Fernandez is offering. The 40-year-old will enter Tuesday's contest sporting a stellar .313/.389/.500 line over 10 career All-Star Games, but has lacked his usual power in past Midsummer Classics, owning just one home run in 18 career plate appearances.
So, Jose, will you at least challenge Ortiz slightly with your trademark 95-plus-mph heat that frustrates hitters on a nightly basis?
"No - 90 miles per hour," Fernandez said. "So there is no chance that he fouls them or misses them."
Even if he decides last minute to try hard and strike him out, facing Ortiz for the first and likely only time in his career would be a moment the 23-year-old right-hander would cherish.
"I would love to face David," Fernandez said. "It would be a dream come true for me."