Multiple people, including ESPN’s Enrique Rojas and Marly Rivera, are reporting that former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot in the leg and hospitalized in the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
Ortiz’s father said to Rojas, “They called me to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred.”
Initial reports said that the incident occurred during a robbery attempt, but early this morning police in the Dominican Republic said that was not the case. Rather, alleged video of the incident shows a man walking up to Ortiz in a bar, aiming at him at almost point blank and firing the gun with no apparent attempt to rob him. Obviously more details will come out soon.
John Tomase of NBC Sports Boston points out that the updated story from CDN 37 of the Dominican Republic says that Ortiz was shot in the back and the bullet exited through his stomach. According to Dionisio Soldevila, the chief of police said that Ortiz is in stable condition, which is great to hear.
The Boston Red Sox released the following statement early this morning:
The 43-year-old retired from baseball after the 2016 season, ending a 20-year career in which he won three World Series, earned seven Silver Slugger Awards, and made the All-Star team 10 times. Between the Twins and Red Sox, Ortiz hit .286/.380/.552 with 541 home runs and 1,768 RBI.
UPDATE: Here’s the latest on Ortiz’s condition:
Wow, according to this tweet, the damage of the bullet meant doctors had to remove part of Ortiz's intestines, colon, gall bladder and liver. Reporter is citing info from a member of Big Papi's press team, Leo Lopez. https://t.co/g7YFezEziT
— Maria Cramer (@NYTimesCramer) June 10, 2019