Red Sox slugger David Ortiz went out of his way to complain about a scoring decision last Wednesday after a ball that he hit to Twins first baseman Joe Mauer was ruled as an error instead of a single. This led to MLB executive vice president Joe Torre issuing a strongly-worded statement in response to Ortiz, basically telling him to show some respect and professionalism. Well, in the latest (and hopefully the last) twist in this story, official scorer Bob Ellis changed his call today and awarded him a hit.
While Ortiz got his wish in the long run, there’s little doubt that he went about the entire thing in the absolute worst way. That’s why he issued a public apology while talking to reporters prior to tonight’s game against the Mariners. Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald has part of his comments:
“All I have to say is I know I owe an apology to MLB, Mr. Joe Torre, even the scorekeeping guys,” Ortiz said before the Red Sox opened their three-game series against the Mariners. “I know that I had frustration come out that way, and that’s not what you really want. You don’t want things to be like that and everything. But this has been a season already that has been jam-packed with frustration. At the end of the day, our job is based on results. I sit down and watch that TV every night after the game and I go 0-for-4, and all people talk and bitch about is why I’m not hitting .300. We are a family that of course needs to protect each other. The whole week has been about me protecting over a hit. There’s a lot of people mad at me because I argued something that I didn’t think I should get. I don’t blame them. I’m not apologizing just because I got that result. It’s because the message was spread out based on frustration. That’s why I’m apologizing.”
For what it’s worth, the Red Sox were planning to appeal the call on behalf of Ortiz, but Ellis changed the ruling before they had a chance to do so.
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