Young Pitcher Slams David Ortiz For Acting Like He Is 'Bigger Than The Game'
On Sunday, David Ortiz hit a huge 3-run home run in the Red Sox 3-2 win over the Rays and took one of his typically slow home run trots. Only this time Ortiz' trot seemed even slower than usual and Rays pitcher Chris Archer was not happy about it after the game.
Ortiz took approximately ten seconds just to reach first base on his home run trot, in large part because he took a very casual, yet emphatic bat flip before beginning his track to first base.
It ultimately took Ortiz about 30 seconds to round the bases. Now consider that last week, it took Kristopher Negron of the Reds 16.1 seconds to round the bases on his home run.
The feeling is that Ortiz put a little more into this particular home run trot after being hit by a David Price pitch in May, which ultimately led to a benches-clearing incident. That pitch may have been in retaliation for Ortiz staring too long at a home run he hit off of Price during last year's playoffs.
After the game in May, Price was critical of Ortiz, saying that the Red Sox slugger often talks and acts like he is "bigger than the game." After Sunday's game, Archer had similar comments.
Even if we look past a young player ripping one of the great hitters of the last 20 years for doing something that is not that unusual for him (Ortiz has four home run trots over 30 seconds this season), and even if Ortiz does take his act too far on occasion, Archer is the wrong player to make these comments.
Archer is a player who shows a lot of emotion on the mound when he is pitching including one incident when he kissed his own bicep after striking out a Red Sox player last season.
Archer may have been right, but he looks like a hypocrite.
Here is the home run.