David Ortiz and David Price mend fences and hug it out
It looks like two of the biggest names in the Boston clubhouse are going to get along just fine.
David Ortiz welcomed pitcher David Price to the organization Sunday with a hug and a ‘I got your back.’ The moment was caught on video and should put an end to any hard feelings between the two from the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
In the 2013 American League Division Series, Ortiz hit two homers in a game against Price when he was pitching for Tampa Bay and Ortiz probably took a little bit too much time admiring the second standing in the box. The first time Price faced Ortiz in 2014, he hit him with a fastball. You can see that part of the history in the viideo above.
[2016 Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is open for business. Sign up now]
Price signed a seven-year $217 million deal with Boston this offseason and could be the new face of the franchise with Ortiz approaching retirement at the end of this season. So much time has passed since that feud that it probably wasn’t hard for these two to hug it out, but this wasn’t just some insignificant beef. There were genuine hard feelings. Here is what Ortiz had to say on the night he got hit back in 2014 via Boston.com
“First at-bat of the season against him, he drilled me,” Ortiz said. “That’s means it’s a war. It’s on. Next time he hits me, he better bring the gloves on. I have no respect for him no more.
“You can’t be acting like a little girl out there all the time, you give it up, that’s an experience for the next time, but you gonna be acting like a little bitch, every time you give it up, bounce back like that and put your teammates in jeopardy… oh yeah, I was going to let him know…
“I respect everybody in this league, and I get a certain respect from everybody. If you’re mad because I take you deep twice, I’m gonna let you know. I got almost 500 homers in this league, that’s part of the game son.”
[Pablo Sandoval’s weight is already the talk of spring training]
Baseball players burying the hatchet on past feuds when one joins the team of disliked rival always has been a part of the game because of trades. It’s even more the case with so many players moving around in free agency in the modern game.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
The StewPod: A baseball podcast by Yahoo Sports
Subscribe via iTunes or via RSS feed
– – – – – – –
Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
