Seton Hall
The recovery and legacy of David Ortiz
Date: June 13, 2019By: Ben Harris
Last Sunday night, former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot in his home country of the Dominican Republic as the result of an organized attack.
The baseball legend was simply sitting with some friends at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo, when a man got off a motorcycle, walked over to Ortiz, shot him in the back, and ran off on foot. Luckily, Ortiz survived the attack.
Santo Domingo police are reporting that the plot to shoot and kill "Big Papi" involved a team of alleged criminals. Six men have been arrested on charges including attempted murder and being accomplices to the attempted murder. The shooter, Rolfi Ferreira Cruz, has confessed to running up on Ortiz and pulling the trigger.
The driver of the motorcycle has been identified as Eddy Vladimir Féliz Garcia, and after the shot went off, Garcia was tracked down by locals and beaten severely for his actions. One suspect, Luis Alfredo Clase, who is nicknamed "The Surgeon", is still at large and is also the suspected paymaster for the group. The suspects were reportedly offered 400,000 Dominican pesos for the attack, which is equivalent to about $7,800 dollars.
After many confusing and conflicting reports, accurate updates on Ortiz's status were confirmed. After he was shot from behind, Ortiz was rushed to a local hospital and entered emergency surgery that lasted into early Monday morning. He had parts of his intestines and gallbladder removed due to damage. He also suffered from bleeding in his liver.
On Monday afternoon, the Red Sox sent their private plane to pick up Ortiz and his family and take them to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He had a second procedure on Monday night and was able to wake up and walk a little bit on Tuesday and Wednesday. He is steadily improving and expected to make a full recovery.
Big Papi means so much to the city of Boston and is respected immensely throughout the entire baseball community. His work both on and off the field as a player and a person is incredible. He was able to win three World Series championships in Boston, including the 2004 championship when the Sox "broke the curse". He also has donated and raised mass funds through his foundation, the David Ortiz Children's Fund, to assist in covering children's medical expenses.
Ortiz was also an activist and voice of courage for many in the Boston community during the tragic times surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This near-death experience for the 10-time All-Star has gathered a ton of support and well wishes from around the baseball world. Everyone wishes Ortiz a speedy and full recovery from this horrific attack.
Ben Harris can be reached at benjamin.harris@student.shu.edu.
