FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The roar for David Ortiz cut through the humid afternoon air like a blade through warm butter, gaining strength as a favorite son rounded the bases at a familiar site for the final time.
Ortiz's solo home run to right field off Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson in the fifth inning of the Red Sox's 7-4 loss Thursday at Hammond Stadium served as a fitting southwest Florida farewell. There Ortiz was, a star in his twilight during his last Grapefruit League game in his 20th spring in Lee County, producing a memory for those who had watched him grow from an unknown prospect to a revered franchise face.