There’s something fun about looking up old games and seeing contributions from guys who weren’t stars — or banes-of-existence — yet, and knowing what was to come. When it comes to David Ortiz, maybe “fun” isn’t the way to describe it, but 25 years ago the big lefty made his first impact in a career-defining rivalry with the Yankees, even if we didn’t know it at the time.
May 2: Yankees 1, Twins 8 (box score)
Record: 23-7, .767 (2.0 game lead)
Five years before joining the Red Sox, Papi was already helping Boston in the AL East standings.