On a night that seemingly wouldn’t end for the Tigers bullpen, David Ortiz found time to bask in the limelight as he tallied his 2,000th hit during Boston’s rout of Detroit in the rubber match of the three game series.
Ortiz doubled in the bottom of the sixth inning off Detroit reliever Al Alburquerque, his second of three hits on the night. There was a brief pause as Ortiz was given a standing ovation by the Fenway loyal.
Ortiz tied the game in the 4th inning with a solo shot to right, and followed up his 2,000th hit with a two-run bomb in the seventh inning off Tigers reliever Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman gave up a total of five runs.
The Red Sox racked up 20 runs on 19 hits, including eight home runs, three off starting pitcher Rick Porcello. It was the first time the Red Sox have hit eight home runs in a nine-inning game since July 4th, 1977 when they did it in a contest against the Blue Jays at Fenway Park.
With his 2,000th hit, Ortiz now has the 18th most hits among active players.
