Retired Red Sox MVP David Ortiz in stable condition after being shot in Dominican Republic
David Ortiz, the legendary former Boston Red Sox slugger, was in stable condition Monday after having surgery for serious wounds he suffered in an apparent ambush Sunday night at a bar and restaurant in his native Dominican Republic.
"He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," his father, Leo Ortiz, told reporters, according to The Associated Press. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."
Ortiz. 43, was in intensive care after having parts of his colon and gallbladder removed during surgery at the Abel Gonzalez clinic in Santo Domingo, according to ESPN Deportes. His liver also was damaged in the shooting, which occurred at the Dial Bar and Lounge in an upscale entertainment district in the capital.
According to reports, citing police and witnesses, Ortiz was shot in the back at close range, with the bullet exiting through the front of his torso. Security video shows Ortiz seated at a table by the street as a gunman approaches from behind on a motorcycle and opens fire at close range at about 8:50 p.m.
Dionisio Soldevila, a reporter and radio host, told ESPN that he had spoken with a doctor who first treated Ortiz and said that the bullet had passed through his body. According to Soldevila, Ortiz told doctors, "Please don't let me die. I'm a good man."
The shooting set off a chaotic scene in which angry onlookers beat the alleged gunman. The gunman was quickly caught and suffered a cranium contusion, trauma to his thorax, trauma on his left knee, and trauma on his right leg in the beating, the Dominican Republic's National Health Service told ABC.
It is unclear whether Ortiz, who was known to frequent the Dial and spends at least part of the year in his home country, was the intended target, according to Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte. Leo Ortiz told local media he had no idea why his son would have been targeted. In addition to Ortiz, two other people were wounded, including Jhoel Lopez, a Dominican TV host who was with the former player.
The police director said he believes the same bullet struck both Ortiz and Lopez, who was hit in the leg. The television personality's injuries are not life-threatening, his wife, TV host Liza Blanco, said. The third person and the injuries he or she sustained were not identified.
The Red Sox said in a statement that "we have offered David's family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts."
Ortiz retired in 2016 as arguably the greatest designated hitter in history - and among the most popular Red Sox players in history - following a 20-year career that included 541 home runs, 10 all-star appearances, three World Series titles and a World Series MVP award. He is likely to be voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame when he hits the ballot for the first time in 2022.
The emotional leader of those championship Red Sox teams, Ortiz helped key the famed comeback over the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League championship series - in which the Red Sox made history as the first team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit - and the subsequent World Series title, which snapped an 86-year championship drought for the franchise.
In April 2013, following the Boston Marathon massacre, Ortiz made a now-famous, defiant speech to the crowd at Fenway Park, saying, "This is our [expletive] city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom." When the Red Sox won their third World Series title in nine years that fall, Ortiz was named the series MVP.
As news of Sunday's shooting spread, current and former MLB players took to social media to express their support for "Big Papi."
"I'm at peace knowing you out of danger," Pedro Martinez wrote. "Can't wait to hear your voice."
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The Washington Post's Drea Cornejo contributed to this report.
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