TORONTO -- At 40 years old, David Ortiz hammered his 40th career homer at Rogers Centre in the ninth inning on Saturday. For a few minutes, it looked like his dramatic, go-ahead shot would lead the Red Sox to victory over the Blue Jays.
However, Toronto turned the tables with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to hand Boston a 10-9 loss.
Ortiz's prowess in Toronto remains impressive and record-setting. His 40 homers at Rogers Centre are the most by any active visiting player at any ballpark. Alex Rodriguez comes closest, with 38 at Angel Stadium.
"Yeah, David had come up so big," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He's had a lot of success against [Gavin] Floyd in the past, and it showed up again today. He gives us that injection of life once again and we're one swing of the bat and one strike away from shutting it off, but it didn't happen."
Big Papi holds the all-time record for most homers by a visitor at Toronto. A-Rod is second with 36.
In fact, Ortiz is the all-time leader for visiting players at four ballparks. His 33 at Tropicana Field lead the way there. Perhaps more surprisingly, Ortiz's 21 homers at Comerica Park and 19 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington also place him first all-time among visitors.
Albert Pujols and A-Rod hold the record for visiting home runs at five different venues.
Nobody seems to enjoy silencing a home crowd more than Ortiz. The Blue Jays are one of many teams counting on the slugger sticking with his decision to retire after the season.
"Everybody was so excited on the bench," Hanley Ramirez said of Ortiz's latest clutch blast. "After we lost that lead, to have him come through in that situation, that was huge."
Babe Ruth holds the record for home runs as a visitor at any venue, clocking 68 at Shibe Park. Ruth smoked 60 at Tiger Stadium and 59 at Sportsman's Park.