NEW YORK -- The Yankees put the heat of their long-standing rivalry with the Red Sox aside for a few minutes on Wednesday night with a thoughtful ceremony to honor David Ortiz, who was playing his 117th and final game in the Bronx.
Ortiz's former teammate and current Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury came on to the field along with retired pitcher David Cone to present the slugger with a custom-created leather-bound book.
The contents consisted of hand-written letters to Ortiz from current and former Yankees greats.
One of those greats was retired closer Mariano Rivera, and he came out to present Big Papi with his second gift from the Yankees, a commissioned oil painting in which Ortiz was illustrated doffing his helmet at Yankee Stadium.