David Ortiz exits to standing ovation at his final All-Star Game

As Ortiz explained in hindsight, this is the way things were mapped out from the outset.

All the while, he is slashing.332/.426/.682, leading the bigs in on-base percentage, slugging and doubles (34).

Be it space, closing historical ground in gulps with the likes of Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner and Mickey Mantle. Then I cut a hole in his sock because Big O (he wasn’t Big Papi just yet) put his socks on first. “I thought he was gonna end up playing with me this year”. Frank Thomas only played in 71 games in his curtain call season of 2008; Jim Thome only appeared on 58 lineup cards before walking away from the game in 2012; and Harold Baines only made 32 appearances before retiring at the conclusion of the 2001 season.

Former Minnesota Twin and long-time Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz received a standing ovation when he exited his final All-Star Game in San Diego. Respect? Oh yes, arriving as often as southern California waves. And what he wants is for the Boston Red Sox to be good, both this season and beyond. There have been 272 foreign-born All-Stars in the game’s history.

The NL’s first two pitchers, Johnny Cueto and Jose Fernandez, combined to allow seven hits and four runs in three innings.

Ortiz grounded out hard in his first at-bat in his finale.

Then again, the script’s still being written.

“I told them to enjoy because the more you come, things start to get a little tight”, Ortiz said. “It’s not like it used to be”.

“I remember when guys like Mariano and Jeter, those guys came up and spoke and I just like froze”, he said. “Now, the face of baseball is 21, 22, 23 years old”.

But there have been many examples, even some of them recent, of starting pitchers working Saturday or later and still pitching in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

“It made me happy because the preparation and consistency and focus that I see from them”.

In a packed press conference, Ortiz was prodded from every direction about the possibility he’d change his mind and return after this season.

If given the opportunity, Fernandez says he’ll groove in some meatballs around “90 miles per hour, so there is no chance that he fouls them or misses them”. He locked eyes with silver-topped ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez.

A top-notch teammate. David Ortiz would seem to be a prime candidate for a managerial position, should his retirement get boring – as he fears. In Big Papi’s final year, anything is possible.

“I know I’m going to go out there and try my best to impact the game”, Bryant said.

Ortiz, on the other hand, has already played in 81 of Boston’s 87 games this season.