Every time he takes an Edwhiff of the bat, it's after he fouls a pitch off – usually straight back. He was the first baseball player we ever saw sniff a bat and, at first, we thought he would be the only one. However, whenever he leaves baseball, we'll always remember him sniffing bats. The #Edwing, his laid-back stance and his massive (and timely) home runs have turned him into a fan favourite. I’ll be trying to do the best I can.Edwin Encarnacion's walk-off home run in Tuesday night's wild card game has cemented his place as one of the greatest Blue Jays ever, and there's a lot to remember him by.ĭespite his low-key demeanour and absence from almost any interview, Encarnacion stands out. I love and respect this game, and I think wherever I’m going to be pitching, wherever I’m pitching for the rest of my career, anywhere. “I think a lot of people notice, see when I pitch that, I like to compete, I give my heart out there and I give everything that I have every time that I’m out. Pedro Martinez wrote on Twitter earlier this season how he’d like to see Fernandez join the Sox. Now the Red Sox know how to make Papi even happier: make Fernandez a teammate. It’s something that made me really, really happy.” “He comes to me the other day and told me, ‘Hey, I have one jersey that I want to have in your house, it’s yours. his whole history behind where he comes from, his family and everything, I was watching that at my house and I was crying like a little baby, man. “(New York Yankees closer Aroldis) Chapman told me the same thing and I’m like, ‘You throw 104 dude, what else can you throw?’ Yesterday we talked about it, me and my boy (Fernandez) were talking about it, when I first met him, what he told me kind of impact me. “Pitchers always say that I’m going to throw you a fastball when I see you,” Ortiz said. Ortiz knows Fernandez’ story, of how the pitcher made it to the U.S. The first heater was a ball, the next two were fouled off.īut most of what made Ortiz facing Fernandez special had nothing to do with the at-bat. Ortiz did eventually see some fastballs, as promised, three in a row at 95 mph each after the first-pitch changeup off the plate. The fact that he was looking at me, smiling, we both knew what was going on.” “I couldn’t believe that I was actually pitching to him. “I’m nervous,” Fernandez said of how he felt. They had never even faced each other in spring training. They’ve talked before, but this week they were better able to connect.įernandez had never had a shot at Ortiz, though, before last night. As Fernandez told the Herald in June, Ortiz is his favorite player. The real love affair, though, was between Ortiz and Fernandez. I don’t think about that, and after the season, I’m going to see what’s going to happen.” “But I feel great because people like David Ortiz are thinking about me like that. . . “And sorry Blue Jays, but who better than Encarnacion to do that?” “The Red Sox know that they need to reinforce the middle of the lineup,” Ortiz said. Ortiz gave an official endorsement for his replacement at DH: Encarnacion, a free agent this offseason. He’s got it all mapped out - for the Sox, too. He talked about his impending retirement, envisioning the beaches he’ll roam. It’s not a good look if at season’s end there wasn’t substantial pitching added as a future Hall of Famer requested in his final, monstrous year.īut Ortiz isn’t only focused on this year. Now, though, there’s a hint more pressure. We’re paraphrasing, but we’re not kidding - and probably in at least a small way, Ortiz isn’t either. The message: Go out and trade for Fernandez, please I actually thought he would be here already We do need some pitching.Īnd, oh yeah, next year, Encarnacion should replace me. His message had some magnitude, but Ortiz so casually dropped it into the middle of a long press conference in the bowels of Petco Park while the American League’s 4-2 win was still underway. Then Big Papi turned around and threw a little curveball of his own - to the Red Sox front office. Last night’s seven-pitch, third-inning at-bat ended with a walk on a curveball inside, and Ortiz was replaced upon reaching first base by the Toronto Blue Jays’ Edwin Encarnacion. It was a surprise, because Fernandez has said since last month he would throw Ortiz a fastball if they ever met in the All-Star Game - just to see how far Ortiz could hit it. SAN DIEGO - Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez slipped in a first-pitch changeup to boyhood idol David Ortiz in the Red Sox slugger’s final All-Star Game plate appearance.
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