"He is loved throughout our nation and beyond, yet to us, he is our own adopted son."
The Red Sox kicked off their game Monday with a touching moment for David Ortiz, with the PA announcer asking all 34,422 fans in attendance to stay quiet for a moment of silence for "Big Papi."
As we previously reported ... Ortiz nearly lost his life in a shooting in the Dominican Republic on Sunday night -- and it didn't take long for his MLB city to send up prayers.
"All of us were shocked by last night's news about David Ortiz," the Red Sox PA announcer said before their game against the Rangers .