Big Papi: Price is all right with me
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic — Red Sox Nation probably hasn’t forgotten the image of David Ortiz calling out David Price during the 2014 regular season, with Big Papi declaring “war” with the lefthander after Price drilled Ortiz. But it is an incident that is water under the bridge now that the two players are Boston teammates, at least according to the Red Sox slugger.
After he kicked off his eighth annual charitable Celebrity Golf Classic event at the Dominican Cap Cana resort Thursday, Ortiz said he will embrace his new teammate with a blank slate.
“Everything’s fine, man. I think everybody’s got their moment on the field, but now we’re teammates. We’ve got to turn the page. He’s gonna help me the most to win ball games. That’s what matters,” Ortiz told a small group of reporters.
Ortiz said he hasn’t texted Price since the pitcher inked a seven-year, $217 million deal earlier this week. In fact, the slugger said he’s given Price the silent treatment since the 2014 plunking, which came as a result of Ortiz socking two homers off Price in the 2013 playoffs when Price was with Tampa Bay. Price was angered then that Big Papi took his time circling the bases.
After Ortiz got drilled in the May 2014 game (Price was still with the Rays then too), Ortiz fumed, “It’s on. Next time I see (Price), he better put his gloves on. I have no respect for him anymore.”
Thursday in the Dominican, Ortiz played peacemaker, but acknowledged that the Red Sox reached out to him before signing the lefthander to the record deal.
“Since that incident happened, we pretty much kind of shut it down. He’s not a bad guy. I know him from before. Things happen in the game. That doesn’t mean that’s how you are,” said Ortiz. “We all have the purpose of what we want to do on the field. You make up your mind from there, but that doesn’t dictate what kind of person you are. If you go around the league you hear a lot of people saying good things about him. I know that we had our moment. It’s time to turn the page.”
Ortiz wouldn’t say specifically who in the Sox front office contacted him about Price.
“At some point the Red Sox asked me about (Price). I told them I got no problem with him. All that matters to me is winning. And I know that him being on our side, we’re going to win ball games,” said Ortiz.
As for ramping up the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry once again with Boston’s signing of Price and stud closer Craig Kimbrel, Ortiz simply said that his swan song season is “gonna be interesting,” while former Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino — who once referred to the Yankees as the “Evil Empire” — said “the rivalry will get hot this year.”
“I think the Yankees and the Blue Jays and the Red Sox are going to be locked into a pretty good pennant race,” said Lucchino, who is attending Ortiz’s charity event. “I shouldn’t eliminate those other two teams (Baltimore and Tampa Bay) but that’s kind of how I feel.”
Ortiz, meanwhile, said he told his team’s front office this winter that the club should not go into next season without bolstering the pitching corps. The Sox have taken two big steps and Ortiz is pleased.
“We have already an ace (Price). We have a closer (Kimbrel). Power pitching is what matters the most,” said Ortiz. “I told them power pitching is the name of the game and they’ve got to do something about it. There you go.”