David Ortiz Reveals the Secret Behind His Legendary Clutch Moments for Red Sox

David Ortiz put together quite the collection of signature moments throughout his 14-year career as the Red Sox's designated hitter. From spearheading Boston's historic 2004 ALCS comeback against the New York Yankees with walkoffs on back-to-back nights, to his 8th inning, game-tying grand slam against the Detroit Tigers in the 2013 ALCS that sent Torii Hunter flying into the Fenway Park bullpen, "Big Papi" is one of, if not the, greatest clutch hitters Major League Baseball has ever seen.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated as part of his partnership with Topps, promoting their Bowman Baseball 2025 collection, Ortiz credited his upbringing for developing his clutch gene.

"I think it's all come from where I come from," said Ortiz. "I grew tough, man, I grew up, you know, in a country where, back then more than now, [there] used to be a lack of opportunity ... I grew up in a family that basically [taught] me how to take advantage of opportunity because they don’t come from bunch, you know? So I always took my job very serious, I always tried to be a step ahead of things."

The eldest of four siblings from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Ortiz devoted himself to baseball from an early age. Just after turning 17, he signed his first professional contract with the Seattle Mariners. Before that, he played Winter Ball —an experience he says helped him perform in the biggest moments:

"The being clutch part of the game is very well associated with playing Winter Ball in the Dominican," Ortiz continued. "I mean, it's not the same to have friends and family expecting you to come through, watching you play baseball, then just having random people [in the MLB] ... Your family, your friends, your close people, they come to watch you play. The word on the street is that you are the bada—, so you want to show them that you are the bada—.

"So it was like, after every pitch, after every at bat, you want to improve, you want to get better, you want to take things to the next level. You carry yourself under that responsibility as a player, and at the end of the day, you start creating a habit. And I was building that up without even knowing, just based on my discipline and this and that, and it works."

Said habits helped the slugger turn into one of the most reliable hitters the game has ever seen. Across his three postseason runs that ended in World Series championships, Ortiz hit .353+ in all of them while tallying 13 home runs and 42 RBI. He also became a fan favorite in Red Sox lore.

"Every time I was driving to Fenway Park I wanted people to be happy, based on the money that they’re spending at the stadium," said Ortiz of the work he put into his craft. "I knew the impact that I had on the lineup at the time, and I basically carried myself at that level, based on the expectation, based on knowing the type of fans we have. I mean, you're going with your wife and kids to Fenway Park, it costs you some money. I want that money to be worth it ... I want you guys to go home with the impression, 'Man, Papi probably went 0-4 today, but he busted his a—. He tried hard.'"

"It wasn't about me. It was about all of us, you know? ... Those are the little things that I was always paying attention to."

Newsflash: paying attention to those little things paid off. In 2022, Ortiz became the first designated hitter in MLB history to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.