Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz was shot in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Sunday night in what apparently was an attempted robbery.
While it was initially believed that David had been shot in the leg according to reports from Dominican outlet Diario Libre., new reports have surfaced that suggest that he was shot in the abdomen.
via NYDN:
Ortiz was said to be with television personality Jhoel López and Dominican rapper Secreto El Biberon at the Dial Bar and Lounge in the Ensanche Ozama/Zona Oriental area, and is said to have been taken to a hospital in the city to be treated. It is also believed that López was injured in the incident.
Diario Libre, as well as ESPN Deportes’ Enrique Rojas and Marly Rivera, are both reporting that they spoke with Ortiz’ father, Leo Ortiz, who confirmed that he received a call informing him that David Ortiz had been injured and was being taken to a medical center.
Videos have surfaced on Twitter which claim to feature the alleged gunman. In the videos, the gunman, who was apparently detained, had been attacked and beaten by people in the area.
Ortiz played 20 big league seasons and was a 10-time All-Star. He broke into the majors in 1997 with the Twins, but was released following the 2002 season as a cost-saving measure.
After being recruited by Pedro Martinez, Ortiz played the rest of his career in Boston, where he was the heart of Red Sox teams that won World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013. The title in 2004 was the team’s first in 86 years, and Ortiz batted .400 with five home runs in that postseason run.
The Dominican slugger retired following the 2016 season, and ranks 17th on the all-time home run list with 541. In 2009, it was reported that Ortiz was included on a list of about 100 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs compiled during spring training of 2003.
The list was never intended to be made public, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has since stated that because the tests were meant only to be a broad survey of PED use, and was thus not as scientifically rigorous as a modern test would be, there’s no way to definitively say if the players rumored to have been on the list actually did anything wrong.
The DR has been in the headlines for ALL the wrong reasons lately.
