Manager Alex Cora said last season that David Ortiz is like a rock star. When the former Red Sox slugger walks in a room, he commands it.
Cora’s illustration certainly fit Friday evening as Ortiz made his way through the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in downtown Boston. His peers already had conducted their media availability some 30 minutes prior. Ortiz, on the other hand, was fashionably late and had the red carpet to himself. Indeed, he commanded it.
Friday marked the fourth Pedro Martinez Foundation Gala that supports at-risk youth. Martinez, Ortiz, Jason Varitek, veteran outfielder Carlos Gomez, the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero, the Indians’ Corey Kluber, the Rays’ Willy Adames were among current and former players in attendance.