David Ortiz survives injury scare that would have threatened career

If David Ortiz’s baseball career flashed before his eyes on Wednesday night, we wouldn’t blame him.

The Boston Red Sox slugger appeared to be in major trouble in the ninth inning of their 9-4 loss to the Yankees after fouling a pitch off his right shin.

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Ortiz was leading off the inning against New York’s hard-throwing closer Dellin Betances when he turned on a 99-mph pitch and drove it directly into his shin, just above the foot. It’s the same spot where Ortiz hit himself with a foul ball just days ago, though clearly this was a more direct and solid hit.

At no point on the field was Ortiz able to put his full weight on his right leg. He required assistance exiting the field into Boston’s clubhouse.

It’s since been reported that Ortiz was seen walking normally after undergoing treatment and x-rays. Those initial x-rays came back negative, which is highly encouraging.

Ortiz is officially listed as day-to-day, though it appears it could be a few days before he’s feeling completely comfortable running and planting on the leg again. The Red Sox know the importance of having him at one-hundred percent too. Even though he’s 40 years old and has already announced his retirement at season’s end, he’s still the centerpiece of Boston’s offensive attack with a .307 average and 25 home runs.

In the end, the biggest takeaway here is that Ortiz’s season and career will continue. For roughly 30 minutes, that didn’t feel like a guarantee, so you can bet there was a collective sigh all throughout Boston and New England. As there should have been all over the league too, because no one should want to see Big Papi go out on any terms other than his own.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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