Top > Sport > 2006 > September > 2006-09-22

Ortiz hits homer No. 50

On the night the New York Yankees won their ninth straight AL East title, the Boston Red Sox had a reason to celebrate of their own. However, even the man responsible for the celebration had his sprits down. Slugger David Ortiz matched a Red Sox record Wednesday with his 50th home run of the season. But his team lost 8-2 to the Minnesota Twins. And yes, the news from New York also did little to cheer them up.

With 10 games remaining and the Red sox trailing the Yankees by 11 games, they must now focus on keeping their runner-up spot. Toronto is trailing them by only one game. "Right now we need to finish the season," Ortiz said in a voice barely above a whisper. "We`re having a tough time at this point of the season and it`s crazy how things are going. I just told everybody we`ve got to keep on playing."

Ortiz tied Jimmie Foxx`s 1938 record with a solo shot that gave the Red Sox a 2-1 lead after six. Ortiz missed 8 games for heart palpitations, and homered only three times, with nine RBIs, since returning on Sept. 8. in the sixth inning though he had the chance to circle the bases to the sounds of "Simply the Best" playing on the stadium speakers. It was Ortiz`s 43rd homer as a DH this year, tying the record he set last year. He has homered against every team Boston has played this year.