Why Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz really retired

No one can argue that the Boston Red Sox clubhouse hasn't been the same since David “Big Papi” Ortiz retired in 2016.

When Ortiz cleaned out his locker for the last time, he took a huge piece of the team's heart. A lot of the fun seemed to go out the door with Ortiz. He had become the soul and personality of the team.

There has never been and never will be another Big Papi.

David Americo Ortiz Arias was born on November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. On June 11, 2008, Ortiz became a United States citizen at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston.

Ortiz played in Major League Baseball for nearly 20 years, most of them as a designated hitter or at first base for the Boston Red Sox. He played his last game on October 2, 2016.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame states: “Ortiz became the 58th player elected to the Hall of Fame on its first ballot of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in 2022.” Ortiz was inducted on July 24, 2022 .

When Ortiz turned 40 in 2015, he announced that the 2016 season would be his last.

So why did Ortiz decide to call it quits while he was still in great shape? Severe foot pain.

Ortiz told MLB.com that he had been dealing with foot pain since 2012 that was so bad he could barely walk.

“I was done, man. I ran out of gas,” Ortiz told MLB.com.

“The reason I actually decided to retire at the top is because I was getting old, man,” he said. “These other players could be my children. That was something I was a little worried about.”

Ah yes. Age and foot pain. I can understand it.