Without David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez thinks the Red Sox would still have zero World Series wins since 1918. And, as Ortiz has alluded to before, the Red Sox would never have signed the famous slugger had it not been for a lucky coincidence in a Santo Domingo restaurant.
Martinez opened up about his strong friendship with Ortiz in a new piece for The Players’ Tribune on Wednesday. With Ortiz’s No. 34 jersey being retired by the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday, Martinez offered some perspective on how easily “Big Papi” might never have ended up in Boston.