Big Papi's signature moments: Every one of his 23 walk-off hits

BOSTON – After a game in 2005, just moments after David Ortiz hit one of his patented majestic walk-off home runs, Red Sox owner John Henry presented his big slugger with a plaque declaring him the “Greatest Clutch Hitter in the History of the Boston Red Sox.”

It was a hard concept to argue then. And there’s still not much of a debate even years after Big Papi took his final Major League swing.

An Ortiz specialty was to end games with one swing of the bat. He was the closer of hitters. In his illustrious career, Ortiz had no fewer than 20 regular-season walk-offs and three more during the postseason.

Since the Divisional Era started in 1969, Ortiz is one of just seven players to have as many as 20 walk-off hits during regular-season action. Dusty Baker (25), Albert Pujols (22), Andre Dawson (21) and Rickey Henderson (21) are the only four who had more.

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Without further ado, and in chronological order, here is a look at all of Ortiz’s walk-offs, starting with the three he hit for the Minnesota Twins.

April 4, 2000
Situation: Ninth inning, two outs, tied 5-5 against the Devil Rays

Result: In the second game of the season, Ortiz ripped a single off Rays closer Roberto Hernandez to give his Twins a 6-5 win. A platoon player at the time, Ortiz hit .282 with 10 homers and 63 RBIs that season. The legend of Big Papi was far from anyone’s mind.

July 31, 2002
Situation: 10th inning, one out, tied 1-1 against the White Sox

Result: Playing for a contending team on the night of the Trade Deadline, Ortiz created some momentum for the Twins heading into crunch time when he belted an RBI single to right off Roberto Osuna to cap a 2-1 victory at the Metrodome.

Sept. 25, 2002
Situation: 12th inning, one out, tied 5-5 against Cleveland

Result: For the first time in his career, Ortiz ended a game with a home run. His two-run shot to right against Cleveland’s Dave Maurer handed the Twins a 7-5 win and a 91-66 record en route to the American League Central title.

July 26, 2003
Situation: Ninth inning, two outs, tied 4-4 against the Yankees

Result: Fittingly, Ortiz’s first game-ending hit for the Red Sox came against the rival Yankees on a nationally televised FOX Saturday Game of the Week. Ortiz lofted one off the Green Monster with two outs against Armando Benitez to score Jeremy Giambi and give Boston a thrilling 5-4 win in a rivalry matchup. Ortiz wasn’t done tormenting the Yankees.

Sept. 23, 2003
Situation: 10th inning, no outs, tied 5-5 against the Orioles

Result: With the Red Sox inching closer to clinching a postseason berth, Ortiz set off joy at Fenway by lacing a solo shot into the Monster Seats against Kurt Ainsworth to put Boston in the winner’s circle, 6-5, over the Orioles.

April 11, 2004
Situation: 12th inning, no outs, tied 4-4 against the Blue Jays

Result: The day started with much fanfare over Curt Schilling making his first home start in a Sox uniform. But Easter Sunday ended with the spotlight on Big Papi, as he once again put one over the Monster for a two-run shot off Toronto’s Aquilino Lopez that sent the Sox past the Blue Jays, 6-4.

June 11, 2004
Situation: Ninth inning, no outs, tied 1-1 against the Dodgers

Result: The sting of Keith Foulke blowing a save against the Dodgers in the top of the ninth inning on a Manny Ramirez error was erased when Ortiz hammered a single down the line in right to lift the Red Sox to a tense 2-1 win. Ortiz celebrated the two-month anniversary of his most recent walk-off with yet another.

Oct. 8, 2004
Situation: 10th inning, two outs, tied 6-6 in Game 3 of AL Division Series against the Angels

Result: Welcome to the platform known as the postseason – the one in which Ortiz built much of his legend. Ortiz again used his favorite target – the Monster Seats – to end a game. And this time, he ended a series. His two-out, two-run homer off Jarrod Washburn sent the Red Sox to an AL Championship Series rematch against the Yankees.

Oct. 17, 2004
Situation: 12th inning, tied 4-4, no outs, Game 4 of ALCS against the Yankees

Result: Yes, Dave Roberts stole the base. And Bill Mueller had the hit that drove Roberts home to tie the score in the bottom of the ninth. But the road to the Red Sox becoming the first – and still only – team in MLB history to bounce back from a 3-0 deficit in a postseason series might never have happened if Ortiz hadn’t taken Paul Quantrill deep for a two-run walk-off shot to right to win Game 4 against the Yankees, 6-4. This was the hit that started to make Ortiz a legend on a national level.

Oct. 18, 2004
Situation: 14th inning, tied 4-4, two outs, Game 5 of ALCS against the Yankees

Result: He did it again? Oh my goodness. A day after Ortiz staved off elimination for the Red Sox by ending a game with one swing, he did the same thing. This time, he fought off a pitch on his hands from Esteban Loaiza with two outs in the bottom of the 14th inning and looped it into center for a single as Johnny Damon scampered home from second to send the historic series back to Yankee Stadium.

June 2, 2005
Situation: Ninth inning, two outs, trailing 4-3 against the Orioles

Result: With the Red Sox one out from defeat, Ortiz swatted a three-run rocket to center against one of the nastiest lefty closers in the game in B.J. Ryan. The final score at Fenway: Boston 6, Baltimore 4.

Sept. 6, 2005
Situation: Ninth inning, one out, tied 2-2 against the Angels

Result: A towering drive to right-center for a finishing solo homer against a tough pitcher in Scot Shields prompted Henry to present Ortiz with a plaque declaring him as the best clutch hitter in the history of the Red Sox just minutes after the game. Henry had been holding onto the plaque for a bit, and he found the right moment to give it to him.

Sept. 29, 2005
Situation: Ninth inning, one out, tied 4-4 against the Blue Jays

Result: In Game No. 159, with the Red Sox still fighting for the AL East title, Ortiz rose to the situation by mashing a single to left to bring home Damon. Not only that, but Ortiz tied it up in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot over the Green Monster.

June 11, 2006 (Game 1)
Situation: Ninth inning, two outs, trailing 4-2 against the Rangers

Result: This was some way to start a day-night doubleheader. With the Sox one out from defeat, Papi mashed a three-run blast off Akinori Otsuka to put his team in the winner’s circle in dramatic fashion.

June 24, 2006
Situation: 10th inning, one out, tied 3-3 against the Phillies

Result: With Alex Cora on board with a single, Ortiz did his thing, making Tom Gordon his latest walk-off homer victim in a 5-3 victory.

June 26, 2006
Situation: 12th inning, two outs, tied 7-7 against the Phillies

Result: Two days later – but just one game later – Ortiz put Fenway Park in a state of delirium again against the Phillies, lining a single to left to cap an 8-7 win.

July 29, 2006
Situation: 11th inning, two outs, tied 6-6 against the Angels

Result: After three walk-off hits in June, Ortiz carried his momentum into July by beating J.C. Romero with a single to left.

July 31, 2006
Situation: Ninth inning, one out, trailing 8-6 against Cleveland

Result: This one didn’t look good when Cleveland entered the ninth with a two-run lead. But the Red Sox had last ups. Most importantly, Big Papi had last ups. And he sent everyone at Fenway home happy with a three-run blast to center against righty Roberto Hernandez.

Sept. 12, 2007
Situation: Ninth inning, one out, trailing 4-3 against the Devil Rays

Result: Ortiz basically beat Tampa Bay by himself on this night. With the Red Sox down 4-0 in the third, the left-handed-hitting slugger hit a three-run homer to make it a game. The score stayed that way until the ninth, when Ortiz laced one down the line in right to end the festivities with a two-run shot.

Aug. 26, 2009
Situation: Ninth inning, one out, tied 2-2 against the White Sox

Result: With his first walk-off hit in nearly two years, Ortiz lifted a solo shot to right against Ramon Pena to cap a 3-2 triumph.

July 31, 2010
Situation: Ninth inning, one out, trailing 4-2 against the Tigers

Result: Tigers manager Jim Leyland thought he had a good lefty-lefty matchup to contain Ortiz with reliever Phil Coke on the mound. Ortiz had other ideas, going the other way for a thrilling bases-clearing double to left that ended the game. It was his third career walk-off on Trade Deadline day.

June 6, 2013
Situation: Ninth inning, no outs, tied 3-3 against the Rangers

Result: With first base open, Rangers manager Ron Washington certainly made an interesting decision, walking Dustin Pedroia to face Ortiz. It didn’t work too well for Texas, as Ortiz ripped a three-run shot for a 6-3 Boston win.

May 14, 2016
Situation: 11th inning, two outs, tied 5-5 against the Astros

Result: Ortiz had one of the best final seasons by a star in MLB history, and it wouldn’t have been complete without one last walk-off hit. That happened when he clocked a double to center against Michael Feliz to score Xander Bogaerts. Given that it was his 600th career two-bagger, Ortiz added excitement to the moment when he took the base off the field with him.