Red Sox DH David Ortiz took sole possession of 17th on baseball’s all-time home runs list by hitting his 537th career home run on Thursday night against the Yankees. Mantle hit 536. Mike Schmidt is next at 548. With 16 games remaining, Ortiz would need to average just under a home run per game the rest of the way before retiring.
The Sox were trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning when Ortiz ripped a 2-0 Adam Warren slider to center field for a solo homer. Ortiz also singled, doubled, and hit a sacrifice fly, finishing 3-for-4 on the night.
Ortiz’s final season has been an excellent one. He’s hitting .317/.402/.629 with 34 homers and 113 RBI.