Big Papi isn’t going away quietly. The Red Sox hero added to his legend on Saturday with more milestones and more dramatics.
With Boston down by a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ortiz sent a Luke Gregerson pitch just over the reach of Houston left fielder Jake Marisnick. The ball went into the gap and Ortiz chugged around the bases with a triple.
Then, in the bottom of the 11th, Ortiz launched one against the tall center field fence at Fenway Park — enough to score Xander Bogaerts from second and give the Red Sox a 6-5 walkoff victory.
The double by Ortiz wasn’t just another game-winner. It made the third player in MLB history with 600 doubles and 500 home runs — joining Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron.
Ortiz also hit a home run in the third, his 10th of what is already been an epic final big league season.
