Why Boston Red Sox Star David Ortiz Really Retired

No one can argue that the Boston Red Sox clubhouse has not been the same since David "Big Papi" Ortiz retired in 2016.

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

There has never been nor will there ever be another Big Papi.

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

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

The National Baseball Hall of Fame says, "Ortiz became the 58th player elected to the Hall of Fame on his first Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot" in 2022. Ortiz was inducted on July 24, 2022.

Upon turning 40 in 2015, Ortiz announced that the 2016 season would be his last.

So why did Ortiz decide to hang it up while still at the top of his game? Severe foot pain.

Ortiz told MLB.com that he'd been dealing with foot pain since 2012 that was so bad he could hardly run.

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

"The reason why I actually decided to retire on top is because I was getting old, man," he said. "These other players, they could be my kids. That's something I was a little concerned about."

Ah, yes. Old age and foot pain. I can relate.