Yawkey Way Extension is now officially David Ortiz Drive.
The City of Boston renamed the street near Fenway Park in honor of the Red Sox legend on Thursday, the first in a series of events leading up to the retirement of his No. 34 before Friday night's game against the Angels at Fenway.
"This city means a lot to me," Ortiz said Thursday at the unveiling of David Ortiz Drive. "This city got me to where I am."
Next in the leadup to Friday's number retirement ceremony: a roast of Big Papi on Thursday night at Boston's House of Blues, featuring Bill Burr, longtime Red Sox teammate Dustin Pedroia, Sarah Tianna and Lenny Clarke. The roast will benefit the David Ortiz Children's Fund.
Ortiz hit 541 home runs in a 20-year Major League career, the last 14 seasons of which were spent with Boston. He helped the city shatter the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004, and he won two more World Series with the Red Sox in '07 and '13. He was named the World Series MVP in '13.
"To me, doing what I did on the field was important, but dealing with the community is even more," Ortiz said Thursday. "Thank you."