Ortiz: 'Without my teammates I don't think I would have accomplished any of it'

Jul. 24—COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — There's no denying David Ortiz's place within the game.

One of the greatest clutch hitters in baseball history, Ortiz is a towering figure and all you have to do is take one look down Main Street in Cooperstown to see his influence.

This weekend the picturesque upstate New York hamlet is awash with Red Sox fans and Ortiz's countrymen from the Dominican Republic, who have come from far and wide to see their hero achieve baseball immortality.

But nobody reaches the top of the mountain without some help along the way, and it says a lot about Ortiz that so many of those people made the trip as well to see him across the finish line.

Pedro Martinez. Jason Varitek. Kevin Youkilis. Dustin Pedroia. Those and other former Red Sox greats, the people Ortiz won World Series championships alongside and who helped author some of the most iconic moments in Red Sox history, will be in the crowd as Ortiz is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Some of them are making a considerable effort to be there too. Varitek, notably, was excused from his duties as Red Sox game planning coordinator so he could make the four and a half hour drive out to New York.

"I try to always have my teammates' back," Ortiz said during his Saturday press conference in Cooperstown. "That's why you're going to see so many of them out there tomorrow."

Even as he achieved international stardom and became a larger than life figure, Ortiz never lost sight of the importance of bringing people together. He was often lauded for his leadership throughout his career, and Ortiz said that was always a point of emphasis.

"You got to be able to let them know that you're always going to be there for them," Ortiz said. "It's your second family, it's the people that you hang out with as much as you do with your family. So I always want to make sure that my teammates and everybody feels comfortable around me."

Think back to some of Ortiz's most iconic moments. Would Ortiz have ever had the chance to hit his famous walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS if Kevin Millar hadn't drawn that walk, David Roberts hadn't stolen that base and Bill Mueller hadn't gotten that hit a couple innings earlier in the ninth? What about his iconic grand slam in Game 2 of the 2013 ALCS? He couldn't have tied the game if the Red Sox hadn't loaded the bases first.

On the eve of his crowning achievement, Ortiz made sure that point got across as he paid tribute to those who made this weekend possible.

"A lot of people come to me and are like 'hey man, 2004, 2007, 2013, all those years you had great seasons and did this and did that,'" Ortiz said. "And I'm like yes I did it, but without my teammates I don't think I would have accomplished any of it."

Dominican pride

If there's one thing Ortiz is most proud of in being inducted into the Hall of Fame, it's that he gets to build on the Dominican Republic's growing legacy of baseball greatness.

This weekend Ortiz becomes the fourth Dominican-born baseball star to earn enshrinement in Cooperstown, and leading up to the ceremony he got to spend some meaningful time with all three of his predecessors.

Two of those, Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero Sr., were contemporaries and friends, but the third — Juan Marichal — was a trailblazer and an inspiration.

"He basically was the one who opened the door for Pedro, Vladdy and then myself, so quite honored to have him around, "Ortiz said of the legendary San Francisco Giants pitcher. "I call him a doctor, because he's such a great human being and we all love him. and we appreciated the work that he had done throughout the years, especially beginning his career as a Dominican fellow."

Ortiz said he spent Friday night with Martinez and Guerrero, who know better than anyone what to expect from the induction, and that having a friend and "big brother" like Martinez has made the experience all that more special.

"We have so many memories together, and last night, he was basically giving me a speech telling me what to do tomorrow and how I would handle the business," Ortiz said. "But the most important thing is he doesn't want me to lose my focus. He wants me to be me. Don't forget about where I come from and just have fun. That's what it's all about. At the beginning it's crazy but emotion is always going to be popping up. Just be me."

Minnesota roots remain strong

While Ortiz wrote his legend playing in Boston, he got his start playing for the Minnesota Twins and still values many of the relationships he forged back in those early days.

Now he's set to be inducted alongside two former Twins who helped him at the start.

Tony Oliva, who starred for Minnesota from 1964-76, and Jim Kaat, who pitched 15 of his 25 seasons with the Twins, are both set to be enshrined as Era Committee selections. Ortiz said both of the newly minted Hall of Famers offered him guidance early in his career and that the idea he's being inducted alongside this is surreal.

"Tony, he was always there with us spending time and telling us what to do, he always wanted the best for us," Ortiz said. "It's amazing and I'm very surprised that I'm going to go into the Hall of Fame exactly the same day as Tony and Jim Kaat. It's an honor."

"Yesterday we had a blast at dinner talking and remembering things, and also talking about Kirby, who was a big mentor to me," Ortiz continued, referring to the late Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. "I got to see so many of the Minnesota people that I dealt with when I first got to the big leagues and it was very emotional."

One for the booksAs a sportswriter, I can't say I have much in common with David Ortiz or any of the players enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. I am not one of the greatest baseball players to have ever walked the Earth, though I may have a strong case for being the worst baseball player to ever walk the halls of Austin Prep.

But I can relate in some way with another individual being honored in Cooperstown this weekend. Tim Kurkjian, the longtime ESPN baseball reporter, is this year's recipient of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award, and during his press conference Kurkjian was asked about the first interview he ever did with a big leaguer.

Even 42 years later, Kurkjian could remember it like it was yesterday.

"I think the first really big story I did was on Pete Rose in Philadelphia," Kurkjian said. "It was 1980 I want to say and it was a rain delayed game that night. The game restarted at like 1:30 a.m., in the rain in Philadelphia at the old Vet, and I'm covering this game and Pete Rose gets on base, he steals second, he steals third and he scores on a fly ball to win the game."

Kurkjian said afterwards he got to speak with Rose, who was then 39 and in his 18th big league season, and that Rose practically wrote his story for him. I was struck by that because I have a similar experience, only for me it was with David Ortiz.

Back in 2016, before I had any experience covering a professional club, I got what was at the time a one-off chance to go down to Fenway Park to write a story on Ortiz's retirement tour. I had never met Ortiz and frankly the idea of going up and talking to him was pretty intimidating at the time, but he couldn't have been more gracious and, as Kurkjian put it, he practically wrote my story for me.

Now I get to cover his Hall of Fame induction. If I go on to enjoy a fraction of the career Kurkjian's had I'll consider my time in sportswriting a smashing success, but no matter what happens next that's something I'll always appreciate.

Keane signs with YankeesIt's official. Sebastian Keane is the newest member of the New York Yankees.

The North Andover resident and former Northeastern University baseball star inked his deal on Friday night down in Tampa, where he will remain for the rest of the summer as he embarks on his professional career.

Keane will now spend the next few weeks working out and once the season is over he will return to Northeastern, where he will continue training while working towards completing his degree. Next year he'll report back to Florida for spring training and his first full year as a pro.

Manfred under fire for minor league pay commentDuring his press conference at the All-Star Game earlier this week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred raised eyebrows after he downplayed recent criticism that the league doesn't pay its minor leaguers enough to support themselves.

"I reject the premise that they're not paid a living wage," Manfred said.

Manfred pointed to recent increases in minor league salaries and the new requirement that clubs provide players housing, but even with those improvements most minor leaguers' salaries are still below the poverty line. Players who aren't on the 40-man roster or who haven't played in the big leagues earn between $500 to $700 per week and are only paid during the season, which equates to less than $18,000 per year.

Most players work secondary jobs during the offseason to supplement their incomes, and those who initially sign large signing bonuses often stretch that money out for years, either until they reach the big leagues or until they eventually retire.

The issue of minor league pay is one of several areas MLB has faced criticism in recent years. Earlier this week the league settled a $185 million class-action lawsuit by minor leaguers who alleged minimum-wage and overtime violations by teams. The settlement will distribute more than $120 million among more than 20,000 players and calls for MLB to allow teams to pay minor leaguers during spring training, extended spring training and in instructional leagues.

The league is also facing renewed congressional scrutiny over its century-old antitrust exemption, which among other things allows the league to set minor league salaries and clubs to control a player's rights for seven years in the minors and seven years once they reach the majors.

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.