MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — David Ortiz has made his final visit as a player to Minnesota, where the Boston slugger began his decorated major league career as a 21-year-old.
Former Twins teammates LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter and Corey Koskie were at the ballpark Friday to help honor Ortiz, whose plan is to retire after this season. The Twins infamously released him in 2002, before he blossomed with the Red Sox into one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball.
Ortiz has been critical of the Twins organization for an insistence then that he prioritize contact over power. He was hurt by the decision to dump him.
Speaking in the dugout before the game, Ortiz was in a complimentary mood. He said “Minnesota has always been a great place to be.”
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