BOSTON — To the surprise of no one who watched this World Series, David Ortiz was named the Most Valuable Player.
He was the best player on the biggest stage.
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Ortiz went 0 for 1 Wednesday with four walks, three of them intentional. The Cardinals wanted nothing to do with Ortiz, for good reason.
For the Series, Ortiz reached base 19 times in 25 plate appearances.
He batted .687 (11 for 16) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
In his career, Ortiz is batting .454 in the World Series (20 for 44 in 14 games). His nine career extra-base hits is second-best among active players. Derek Jeter has 13.
Maybe Ortiz said it best when asked about his production in the World Series
“I was born for this,” Ortiz said.
Not only did Ortiz lead this team with his bat but with his spirit. When he noticed his team dragging in Game 4 in St. Louis, he called for the players to gather around in the dugout.
Ortiz told his teammates to remember how good they are and be confident – like he is. His teammates listened.
“He is the leader on the team and it’s the World Series,” shortstop Stephen Drew said. “The guys might have been trying a little too hard. He wanted to get them to relax.”
At the time of the speech, Boston trailed 2-1 in the Series. The Red Sox didn’t lose again. Coincidence?
If a presentation speech was needed for the MVP, Jon Lester provided plenty of praise a couple days ago in St. Louis.
“I haven’t played with many superstars,” Lester said, “but this guy is the epitome of a superstar and a good teammate. I don’t think you could ever ask for more out of an individual than what he does on and off the field.
“The guy’s got a heart of gold and he goes out there every single night and competes.”
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or: kthomas@pressherald.comTwitter: @ClearTheBases
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