During his fourteen seasons with the Red Sox, David Ortiz built a reputation as the one player the team absolutely wanted at the plate with a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth or in extra innings.
That was first evident during the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Yankees, when Ortiz had two game-winning hits in less than 24 hours in two must-win games for the Red Sox. A few days earlier, Ortiz had sent the Angels home for the winter with an American League Division Series-clinching home run. In the 2004 post-season, Ortiz bagged three walkoff hits in a span of four home games.
Back in 2005 and 2006, when Ortiz came to the plate at Fenway Park with a chance to win the game, he never made an out. That is barely an exaggeration. When I compiled the data for the first version of this post (August 1, 2006), I noted that from the end of the 2004 regular season through July 2006, Ortiz came to the plate 19 times in a walkoff situation - and made only three outs. He had a .786 batting average (11-for-14) with seven home runs and 20 RBI!
His July 31, 2006 home run off Cleveland rookie Fausto Carmona (later known as Roberto Hernandez) may be my favourite non-playoff Ortiz walkoff hit. Big Papi was on an amazing streak of winning games and had hit an extra-inning game-winner only two days earlier. With Boston down by two runs and two men on in the ninth, I probably would have bet my year's salary on Ortiz winning the game if someone had asked. It felt like everyone in Fenway Park knew it would happen, including Carmona. Maybe especially Carmona. The Cleveland pitcher threw two balls to build a little tension and then - BAM! - Ortiz crushed a three-run homer to center. All I could do is stare at the TV and laugh.
Ortiz - being human - couldn't keep batting almost .800 in walkoff situations. And at times, he was (admittedly) no longer that guy, the slugger who made pitchers quake in their cleats, but his past heroics remained in the back of everyone's mind when he spat in his batting gloves, clapped those big mitts together, and dug in. For years, a game-winning hit always seemed (to me, anyway) extremely likely.
Of course, the walkoff opportunities listed below tell only a small part of Ortiz's story. But it is a huge part of Big Papi's legend, one that led to Ortiz being dubbed, officially, by the team, as The Greatest Clutch Hitter In Red Sox History.
2003-2016
PA AB H HR RBI BB Walkoffs
2003 7 6 2 1 2 1 2
2004 14 13 5 3 8 1 5
2005 5 3 3 2 5 2 3
2006 10 7 5 3 10 3 5
2007 7 5 1 1 2 1 1
2008 9 5 1 0 0 3 0
2009 3 3 1 1 1 0 1
2010 6 5 1 0 3 1 1
2011 7 5 3 0 0 2 0
2012 3 2 0 0 0 1 0
2013 8 7 1 1 3 1 1
2014 14 8 1 0 0 6 0
2015 6 3 0 0 0 3 0
2016 7 7 3 0 2 0 1
TOTALS 106 79 27 12 36 25 20 (.342 batting average)
Ortiz's Walkoff Opportunities With Boston (Game-Winning Hits in Red)
2003 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0615 Hou 10 -2- 1 2-2 Dotel BBI 12 --- 0 2-2 Bland 3U 0719 Tor 9 -2- 2 4-4 Acevado 4-3 0726 NYY 9 12- 2 4-4 Benitez Single 0823 Sea 10 1-- 1 6-6 Rhodes P6 0923 Bal 10 --- 0 5-5 Ainsworth Home Run ALDS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1004 Oak 10 12- 2 1-1 Mecir L6 2004 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0411 Tor 9 -2- 2 4-4 Kershner F8 12 1-- 0 4-4 Lopez Home Run 0415 Bal 9 --- 1 7-7 Ryan F8 0507 KC 9 --- 0 6-6 MacDougal K 0529 Sea 9 1-- 2 4-5 Guardado F8 0530 Sea 11 --- 1 7-7 Putz K 0611 LAD 9 -23 0 1-1 Martin Single 0923 Bal 9 12- 2 7-9 Ryan F9 ALDS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1008 Ana 10 1-- 2 6-6 Washburn Home Run ALCS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1017 NYY 9 123 2 4-4 Rivera P4 12 1-- 0 4-4 Quantrill Home Run 1018 NYY 10 --- 0 4-4 Heredia K 12 --- 1 4-4 Loaiza BB 14 12- 2 4-4 Loaiza Single 2005 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0602 Bal 9 12- 2 3-4 Ryan Home Run 0830 TB 9 --- 1 6-6 Borowski BB 0906 LAA 9 --- 1 2-2 Shields Home Run 0916 Oak 10 1-3 1 2-2 Cruz BBI 0929 Tor 9 12- 1 4-4 Batista Single 2006 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0611 Tex 9 12- 2 2-4 Otsuka Home Run 0624 Phi 10 1-- 1 3-3 Gordon Home Run 0626 Phi 9 --- 0 6-6 Cormier 4-1 11 -2- 1 6-6 Gordon BBI 12 12- 2 7-7 Condrey Single 0729 LAA 9 -2- 1 6-6 Rodriguez BBI 11 12- 1 6-6 Romero Single 0731 Cle 9 12- 1 6-8 Carmona Home Run 0812 Bal 10 1-- 0 7-7 Chen BB 0909 KC 10 -2- 1 4-4 Sisco 6-3 2007 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0701 Tex 9 1-- 2 1-2 Gagne P3 0713 Tor 9 12- 1 5-6 Accardo F8 0815 TB 9 -2- 2 5-6 Reyes BB 0912 TB 9 1-- 1 3-4 Reyes Home Run 0916 NYY 9 123 2 3-4 Rivera P6 ALDS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1005 LAA 9 -2- 2 3-3 Rodriguez BBI ALCS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1013 Cle 10 --- 0 3-3 Mastny 6-3 2008 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0429 Tor 9 --- 2 0-0 Halladay BB 0430 Tor 9 --- 0 1-1 Downs Single 0801 Oak 10 --- 1 1-1 Street P5 12 --- 0 1-1 Embree K looking 0909 TB 9 1-- 1 4-5 Percival F9 0910 TB 10 -2- 0 1-1 Bradford BBI 12 1-- 0 1-1 Howell 1-3 SAC ALDS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1005 LAA 10 --- 1 4-4 Rodriguez BB ALCS Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 1016 TBR 9 --- 1 7-7 Howell K 2009 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0424 NYY 11 --- 0 4-4 Marte K 0703 Sea 10 --- 0 5-5 Jakubauskas 6-3 0826 CWS 9 --- 1 2-2 Pena Home Run 2010 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0416 TB 9 --- 0 1-1 Cormier 3-1 11 123 0 1-1 Cormier FC/3-2 0717 Tex 9 -2- 1 1-2 Lee 4-3 11 -23 0 2-2 Ogando BBI 0731 Det 9 123 1 2-4 Coke Double * 0821 Tor 9 1-- 1 4-4 Carlson 361 DP 2011 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0504 LAA 10 --- 2 3-3 Bell Walk 0519 Det 9 1-- 0 3-3 AlbuequerqueSingle 0621 SDP 9 1-- 0 4-5 Bell 563 DP 0725 KCR 9 1-- 1 1-1 Crow Single 11 -2- 2 1-1 Holland BBI 13 1-3 2 1-1 Coleman 4-3 0807 NYY 10 --- 1 2-2 Hughes Ground Rule Double 2012 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0416 TB 9 -2- 2 0-1 Rodney BBI 0504 Bal 10 1-- 1 4-4 Ayala 3-1 12 1-- 2 4-4 Patton 3U 2013 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0606 Tex 9 12- 0 3-3 Kirkman Home Run 0721 NYY 11 --- 1 7-7 Warren 4-3 0729 TB 9 -2- 2 1-2 Rodney BBI 0731 Sea 9 1-- 2 4-4 Furbush P5 12 --- 2 4-4 Farquhar F9 15 1-- 0 4-4 Luetge 3U 0801 Sea 9 12- 0 6-7 Perez K 0918 Bal 10 1-- 0 3-3 Hunter 653 DP 2014 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0405 Mil 9 --- 2 6-6 Smith 6-3 0420 Bal 9 --3 1 5-5 Matusz BBI 0421 Bal 9 -23 1 5-7 Hunter BBI 0501 TB 9 -2- 2 1-2 Balfour 1-3 (G1 of DH) 0501 TB 9 -2- 0 5-6 Balfour 3U (G2 of DH) 0506 Cin 9 1-- 2 3-3 LeCure BB 12 --- 0 3-3 Andrusek Single 0530 TB 10 --- 0 2-2 Oviedo 4-3 0615 Cle 10 --- 1 2-2 Allen K 0706 Bal 9 --- 2 6-6 Brach BB 0710 CWS 9 --- 1 3-3 Surkamp 3U 0819 LAA 9 -2- 2 3-4 Street BBI 0905 Tor 9 -2- 0 6-6 McGowan BBI 10 12- 1 8-8 Janssen E4 2015 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0503 NYY 9 123 2 5-8 Miller L8 0520 Tex 9 -2- 2 1-2 Tolleson BBI 0613 Tor 10 --- 1 4-4 Loup K 0816 Sea 9 -2- 2 7-8 CSmith BBI 11 1-- 1 8-8 Rasmussen K 0908 Tor 9 --- 1 1-1 Sanchez BB 2016 Date Opp Inn MOB Out Score Pitcher Result 0411 Bal 9 12- 0 7-9 Britton 463 DP 0418 Tor 9 1-- 2 3-4 Storen K looking 0514 Hou 9 1-- 2 4-5 Gregerson Triple 11 -2- 2 5-5 Feliz Double 0623 CWS 9 --- 0 7-7 Robertson Double 0722 MIN 9 123 0 1-2 Kintzler 423 DP 0726 DET 9 1-- 1 8-9 FRodriguez 463 DP
* Ortiz hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth the day before, but the Tigers led 6-1, so the Red Sox still trailed by one run. They lost the game 6-5.
As I noted in the comments to the 2006 post, this doesn't count the many home games in which Ortiz tied the score or gave the Red Sox the lead in the 7th or 8th innings and it doesn't count any road games at all. These are only walkoff situations at home. For example, games he could only tie in the bottom of the 9th (or extra innings) are not included.
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