Sunday, Oct. 2 was a celebration in the city of Boston. This celebration had nothing to do with any kind of political issue or holiday. No, this had to do with a man, a man who changed the face of Boston sports forever. This man will now walk away from the sport, team, and city he loves. This man’s name is David Ortiz, otherwise known throughout Red Sox Nation as “Big Papi.”
Ortiz played his last regular season game at Fenway Park against the Toronto Blue Jays in the final game of the season. For the most part, the game was meaningless for the Red Sox: they had already clinched the division. It was much more important for the Blue Jays, who were still trying to make it into the playoffs.
David Price took the mound for Boston, and Toronto countered with Aaron Sanchez. Toronto got on the board first, when Devon Travis hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, which was Price’s last inning pitched. Hanley Ramirez tied the game with a solo home run that just made it around the left field foul pole. This home run also broke up a no-hitter that Sanchez was carrying into the seventh inning. In the eighth, Troy Tulowitzki drove home Edwin Encarnación on a single to right center field which would prove to be the deciding run.
The Sox lost 2-1, keeping them the road team against Cleveland and in third place in the American League. Toronto had already clinched the first Wild Card spot with a Detroit Tigers loss that occurred in the middle of the Sox-Jays game, but the Jays still won the game for good measure.
However, the fans weren’t worried about a win when they took their seats; we all wanted to see the tribute they would have for Big Papi, the man who helped “Reverse the Curse” in 2004, and helped Boston win the Fall Classic two more times in his career. The tribute started with a video showcasing David Ortiz’s Children’s Fund, which aids children in the Dominic Republic receiving life-saving heart surgeries—563 children, to be exact. The Red Sox Foundation and a group of partners of the Red Sox each made a contribution of $500,000, amassing a total of $1,000,000, which would go to the Children’s Fund.
Ortiz was surprised with the arrival of fellow Red Sox teammates who had played with Ortiz during the years of World Series wins for the team. Some present included Manny Ramirez, Kevin Millar, and Pedro Martinez from 2004; Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, and Julio Lugo from 2007; and Jonny Gomes, Franklin Morales, and Craig Breslow from 2013. Ortiz greeted all of his former teammates the only way he knows how: with a big smile and a warm hug.
The celebration didn’t stop there. We then saw Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Robert DeLeo, and Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh, as they came out to announce that the bridge that leads from Kenmore Square to Fenway Park over the Mass Pike would now be named the “Big Papi” Bridge. In addition, the street that connects Maitland Street and Brookline avenue, temporarily named the Yawkey Way Extension, will now be called Big Papi Drive.
The ceremony took an emotional turn after that; Ortiz took the microphone with his father by his side, and was brought to tears when trying to thank his late mother, who all Bostonians know as the reason he points to the sky after every home run he has ever hit in a Red Sox uniform. When Ortiz regained his composure, he would then thank the Red Sox, the management, his teammates, and most importantly, the fans for all the success he has ever had. We were then all treated with renditions of the Canadian National Anthem, the Dominican Republic National Anthem, and the American National Anthem, while both the Dominican and American Flags hung from the Green Monster. After the anthems, we were joined by the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, who would throw out the ceremonial first pitch to start the game. 
David Ortiz will leave a lasting impact on everyone in Red Sox Nation. For the countless clutch hits, like his walk-off home run in game four of the 2004 ALCS to avoid elimination at the hands of the Yankees. The way he touched our hearts with his impassioned battle cry of “This is our f**king city!” after the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013, a year when he would lead the club to its third championship during his tenure with the Sox.
David Ortiz has become the heart and soul of not only the Red Sox, but Boston itself. He loves the city and its people. He took it upon himself to end the curse, and he did in 2004: he came up with whatever was needed against the Yankees. He felt the pain with all of Boston’s residents when we suffered the tragedy at the 2013 marathon. Ortiz became a part of the city’s sports scene in a way that very few others have. He enraptured us with his play, won our hearts with his kindness, and changed our city with his legacy of success and leadership. Above all else, Ortiz will leave behind a standard of what it means to be both a good ball player and a good person.
Thanks for the memories, Big Papi, and let’s hope you get a fourth ring this October!