The last time we heard from Ortiz was moments later in the Red Sox clubhouse, when he finished a rant against Scott with these words to reporters:
"Have a nice rest of the day, guys, because I won’t."
The same can’t be said for Ortiz’s day on Friday, when he rocked two titanic home runs and drove in four runs to lead the Sox to a 7-2 win over Detroit.
Both homers were absolute bombs, the first of which was placed in a standing-room-only section that usually only sees baseballs fly off the souvenir rack. It was a three-run shot in the first inning that measured out to 450 feet, the fourth-longest home run in the 11-year history of Comerica Park.
His next blast in the fourth soared a mile high before settling into the stands in right, 394 feet from home.
While it was clear that Ortiz was in a better mood after that performance, he stopped short of jumping through hoops.
"Right now, I’m just focused on seeing the ball and hitting it," Ortiz said. "I just keep on working and trying to stay positive. That’s all."
Boston manager Terry Francona has stuck with a platoon of Ortiz and Mike Lowell at the designated hitter spot for several weeks now. While the discussion surrounding the situation has reached cacophonous levels, the results of late have been entirely positive.
The tandem has combined to go .347 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 13 games this month while batting in the DH spot. But Lowell did most of that damage in a 4-for-4 effort against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last week, while Ortiz’s share has been solid – he is .333 (11-for-33) with five home runs and 11 RBIs this month.
Quietly, Big Papi has been finding his stroke. Quietly, that is, until Friday.
Ortiz’s first-inning shot off Tigers starter Max Scherzer gave the Red Sox a 5-0 lead, and for the first time all year Ortiz has exhibited the thunder he has been known for. It was his fifth home run of the season, but none of the others had the distance, or the swing.
"He generated obviously a lot of power, a lot of bat speed," Francona said. "He was real still, he was quiet at the plate. He was quiet with his feet. … When you do that, your head’s still, and it’s a little bit easier to hit."
His teammates have come to Ortiz’s defense this season, most notably second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who did so last week after the DH had a rough night against the Angels. On Friday, Pedroia didn’t need to offer up any defense for his much larger teammate.
"He can score runs in bunches with one swing of the bat," Pedroia said. "That’s huge for our lineup."
Indeed, the Red Sox are hitting .292 with 21 home runs in 13 games in May — a streak that has coincided with Ortiz's resurgence. They batted .259 with 27 homers in 23 games in April, when he was languishing well below .200 and offering up little in the way of power.
Those were tough times for Ortiz. Friday was further proof that better days lay ahead.
