David Ortiz could have had Saturday off. Needless to say, he didn't opt for that.
Big Papi clouted two HRs—his 499th and 500th—leading the Red Sox to
a 10-4 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays. The milestone achievement was appreciated—even in the antiseptic confines of a bad dome—as fans of both teams gave Ortiz an extended celebratory fete. Both historic clouts came off of left-hander
Matt Moore—the 500th being a line shot to right-center field on a 2-2 pitch. In the long history of major league baseball, only
Albert Pujols and Ortiz hit their 499th and 500th home runs in the same game. Papi's feat overshadowed another good pitching performance by
Rick Porcello—who went seven solid innings and gave up just three runs on five hits, while striking out eight. Before he was pulled from the game for a pinch-runner, Ortiz went 3-4 with four RBIs. Other multiple hit Red Sox players were:
Mookie Betts (2) and
Dustin Pedroia (2). All in all, a win and history.
