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David Ortiz Blasts 500th Career Homer

September 15, 2015

Courtesy: Creative Commons

David-Ortiz34By Max Wildstein 9/13/2015

Over his nineteen-year career, there have been many big blasts by David Ortiz. During the recent contest against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL, the Boston Red Sox star hit his 499th and 500th career home runs. His latest one put him in elite status, as he became only the 27th player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs over the course of their big league career.

The next feat for Ortiz will be moving up the all-time home run list for the Red Sox. Currently, the 39-year-old designated hitter ranks third in Red Sox ranks with 442 bombs, as his first 58 homers came during his six-year tenure with the Minnesota Twins from 1997-2002. He currently sits behind Ted Williams (521) and Carl Yastrzemski (452) on the all-time list in Boston.

Hopefully, Boston fans end up seeing Ortiz inch closer to the great Williams, as he is under contract with the team for the 2016 campaign, as his option vested during the 2015 season. If he does not retire, He could also play for the squad for the 2017 season, if he accomplishes a certain plate appearance total.

Over his career with the Red Sox, Ortiz has helped the storied organization win three World Series titles (2004, 2007, 2013), along with another nine All-Star game appearances. One of his best seasons in Boston came back in 2010, when he had a career-high 54 home runs, while driving in 137 runs and batting .287/.413/.636 over 686 plate appearances. Ortiz also finished third in MVP voting for the American League that year.

Maybe one of the most underrated signings in franchise history, the Red Sox signed the then 26-year-old Ortiz to a contract worth $1,250,000 back before the 2003 season. From then on, the slugger became a city hero and team leader.

In 129 games played this season for the Red Sox, the veteran has achieved a .275/.361/.556 slash line over 545 plate appearances, along with 34 home runs and 95 runs batted in. Over his entire major-league career, he has hit a milestone 500 home runs and driven in 1628 runs home.