Yet while we've all been seeing signs that David Ortiz was back to his former, intimidating self, it wasn't official until one singular moment from Wednesday evening's game: the intentional walk.
With first base open following an RBI single from Dustin Pedroia, manager Bob Geren instructed reliever Brad Ziegler to throw four wide ones to Ortiz. In doing so, the A's skipper only strengthened the case that David Ortiz is truly back.
"That was good," Terry Francona said of Ortiz's two-run homer on Wednesday, which gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the fifth. "That was a very good at-bat. It's been good to see."
The evidence, of course, has been mounting for a while, and the numbers are impossible for anyone to deny. He batted .363 in May, mashing 10 homers, driving in 27 runs and posting a 1.211 slugging percentage. The calendar page turned to June, and it didn't really matter. After an oh-fer on Tuesday, Ortiz went 2-for-2 on Wednesday with a double, a homer, two RBIs and two walks, one of which was (most importantly) intentional.
What it said was that the A's recognized that Ortiz was killing them, so in a two-run game, in the bottom of the seventh, it's best not to mess with him. And they were right — Kevin Youkilis followed with a fielder's choice before J.D. Drew popped out to end the inning.
The on-field results have certainly helped the cause, and it's even brought about a more jovial Ortiz off the field. Just a couple of weeks after a Boston Globe feature said Ortiz no longer blared his music in the clubhouse or flashed his trademark smile too often, he was, according to the Globe's Peter Abraham, blasting music — on a day when he was not even penciled into the starting lineup.
Ever the steady voice, Francona was not willing to make the jump that an intentional walk necessarily means Ortiz once again instills fear in opponents.
"Sometimes, the situation of the game dictates doing that," Francona said of the free pass. "I agree, he's swinging the bat great, but also open bases, force-outs … who's pitching, there's a lot that goes into that."
Francona, as we all well know, likes to keep things as "normal" as possible, never getting too high or too low so that his players never get too up or down based on his demeanor. You can bet that nothing has made him happier over the past month than watching Ortiz regain his swagger, even if the manager's kept his own emotions in check.
An equally positive sign for Ortiz came in his reaction. When Heidi Watney asked him if the intentional walk showed that Ortiz has "come back to full form," Ortiz simply looked disappointed that he was robbed of a chance to hit. There was a time not too long ago when that confidence — at least to the outside observer — was missing from Ortiz. It now appears to be back in full form.
Yes, there's a long way to go in this season, and another extended slump could definitely change Ortiz both on and off the field. As of right now, though, Big Papi is back, in every way possible.
