Tony Mazz Breaks Down When David Ortiz Became Great
BOSTON (CBS) -- Once David Ortiz figured out how to turn on that inside heat, Roger Clemens knew he had to start making adjustments. As it turned out, Roger wasn't alone.
On the day that David Ortiz turned 40 years old and announced that the upcoming season would be his final year in the big leagues, Tony Massarotti took some time to discuss how and when Ortiz achieved greatness. And it started with Roger Clemens and that inside fastball.
"I remember a game in July of 2003 where the Red Sox played the New York Yankees. Roger Clemens was the pitcher. It was his first career home run against Clemens that David Ortiz hit," Massarotti said. "Historically when he was with the Twins, David Ortiz had difficulty with fastballs right on the inside corner, as most hitters do. If you throw a good fastball on the inner half, a lot of guys can't handle it. ... When David Ortiz learned to hit fastballs on the inner part of the plate and handle them with velocity from people like Roger Clemens is when his career changed. He always had the capacity to hit the ball to the other field; he was a pretty skilled hitter even when he was with Minnesota.
"I remember Clemens saying specifically in July of 2003 that he was going to have to rethink his approach entirely on David Ortiz if David Ortiz had learned to handle fastballs on the inner part of the plate. As we all know, Ortiz ultimately from that point forward handled everybody. So there was no real simply or easy or effective way to get him out. He just became one of the better hitters in the game."
Ortiz, of course, would go on to become a preeminent power hitter in the game, shedding that "underachiever" label from his Minnesota days and making his mark on Red Sox history.
Mazz lays out some eye-popping statistics about the Red Sox' team rankings in OPS at the DH spot and discusses the challenge that will face the Red Sox after Ortiz walks away from the game.
Tony Massarotti co-hosts the Felger and Massarotti Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub weekdays from 2-6 p.m. Follow him on Twitter @TonyMassarotti. You can read more from Tony by clicking here.
