David Ortiz’s last hit wound up being a souvenir. Many in the crowd at Fenway Park on Sunday wished the ball had stayed on the field.
Ortiz went four for four with a solo home run and a double that sent a fan flying, while Jackie Bradley Jr extended his hitting streak to 27 games as the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 5-2.
Big Papi drove in three runs. His RBI double in the second put the Red Sox ahead 3-2, and when the ball bounced over Boston’s bullpen, a fan came charging from his seat and fell into a fence trying to retrieve it.
Photo: AP
The 40-year-old slugger was a triple short of a cycle when another ground-rule double bounced into the bullpen near the center-field triangle in deep center. He had thoughts of a cycle rounding first.
‘WHOA’
“It was not on my mind, but when I went around first base and saw everybody going crazy, I was like: ‘Whoa, I better get it going,’” Ortiz said.
Ortiz has never hit for the cycle.
“I was hoping a fan could slap it back in play,” Bradley said.
Indians coach Terry Francona knows Ortiz well from managing him in Boston from 2004 to 2011. He is certainly impressed by the star’s production this season.
“Wish he would have retired last year,” Francona said. “He is kind of on a different level right now. It looks like he is playing softball.”
RAISED AVERAGE
Ortiz raised his average to .329 with 11 homers and 37 RBIs.
The Red Sox won for the 10th time in 14 games.
Bradley singled in the fifth inning to extend his string. It is the longest hitting streak in the majors since Colorado’s Nolan Arenado had a 28-gamer in 2014.
Rick Porcello (7-2) went 5-2/3 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. Craig Kimbrel got three outs for his 12th save.
Danny Salazar (4-3) gave up four runs in 4-1/3 innings. He had not allowed more than three in all eight of his starts this season.
‘WHY IS HE RETIRING?’
“I was wondering: Why is he retiring?” Salazar said of Ortiz. “I know he has way more to give.”
Xander Bogaerts had three hits for Boston, extending his career-best streak to 16. Jason Kipnis had a two-run single for Cleveland.
Bradley extended his streak with a single to right. Dom DiMaggio owns the longest Red Sox hitting streak of 34 in 1949.
Bradley’s hit came after Ortiz connected for his 514th career homer, a drive into the Indians’ bullpen. This time, a fan tried to climb over a fence to catch the souvenir when it bounced on the bullpen roof.
Salazar was hit on a hard comebacker by Hanley Ramirez and stayed in the game.
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