The Boston Red Sox slugger doubled in the second inning off Seattle Mariners right-hander Aaron Harang to become the all-time hits leader as a designated hitter, with 1,689.
Ortiz singled in the eighth inning Tuesday, part of a 4-for-5 night that included a home run, to tie Harold Baines atop the DH hit list.
The Safeco Field crowd gave Ortiz a hearty ovation when the announcement of the record was made on the scoreboard, and he responded by doffing his helmet.
Seattle fans appreciate a good DH, having watched franchise icon Edgar Martinez excel at the role for years before retiring in 2004. He ranks third on the DH hit list with 1,607.
Besides, Ortiz has a direct link to the club. He signed his first pro contract with the Mariners as a teenager out of the Dominican Republic in 1992, but Seattle traded him to the Minnesota Twins in September 1996 as the player to be named later in the deal for third baseman Dave Hollins.
At the time, of course, he had yet to become Big Papi, the beloved big man who is headed next week for his ninth All-Star Game. It wasn’t until he joined the Red Sox as a free agent in 2003 — the Twins nontendered him — that the Ortiz legend began.
At 37, it shows no signs of diminishing, which is why Red Sox manager John Farrell said before the game that he did not regard the DH hit record as particularly significant.
“It’s a number, and that number is going to continue to climb because he’s a hell of a hitter,” Farrell said. “What he means to this organization, to the city of Boston, is far-reaching beyond (Thursday night’s) box score.
“But it’s not a surprise. This is a damn good hitter that’s gotten better with age, particularly against left-handed pitchers. And I think before it’s all said and done, he’s going to be the standard by which all the DHs are compared to.”
In the third inning, Ortiz blasted a two-run homer to right that wasn’t greeted quite as warmly as the record-setter by the crowd, except for the sizable contingent of Red Sox supporters at Safeco.
The home run was Ortiz’s eighth hit in his last nine at-bats and lifted his batting average to .332. Before Saturday’s game, he’s hitting .323 and also has 19 homers and 64 runs batted in despite missing the first three weeks of the season recovering from a heel injury.
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