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Pedro's lobster stew craving led to Red Sox signing Ortiz

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Pedro Martinez had a gut feeling about the Boston Red Sox signing David Ortiz prior to the 2003 season, but it wasn't his instincts that led to the signing, it was his hunger.

In a piece for The Players' Tribune published on Wednesday, Martinez described how a craving he had for lobster stew led to a chance meeting with Ortiz at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic in December 2002.

Martinez says that he argued with friends - who wanted something different for dinner - about where to eat, and if not for winning the debate, Ortiz may have never played in Boston.

Pedro writes that God whispered the words "Lobster, Pedro. Go to the lobster," before deciding to head to a restaurant known for its delectable lobster dish.

During the encounter, an upset Ortiz found out he had been released by the Minnesota Twins and mentioned it to Martinez, a fellow Dominican and local friend who at the time played for Boston.

Martinez wrote that he jumped for joy, immediately made a phone call to the Red Sox, and the rest is history:

So David was sitting there in Vesuvio barely looking at me, and he said, "I just got released by Minnesota."

You know what I did? I jumped in the air and clapped. We needed a first baseman in Boston, and I knew that could be David...

Ortiz wound up signing a non-guaranteed free agent contract with the Red Sox in January 2003 thanks to Pedro's recommendation and spent the next 14 years with the club, hitting 483 home runs and driving in 1,530 RBIs, which included three World Series titles.

The Red Sox will retire Ortiz's No. 34 during a pregame ceremony Friday at Fenway Park.

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