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NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 41 · DECEMBER 7, 2026 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #041 · MODERN
David Ortiz — The 2004 ALCS
And The Curse That Ended
On October 17, 2004, David Ortiz hit a 12th-inning walk-off home run that began the greatest comeback in
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL baseball postseason history.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
WITHOUT DAVID ORTIZ, THE RED SOX DO NOT WIN THE 2004 WORLD SERIES. THERE IS NO ARGUMENT ABOUT THIS.
541 HR. 2004 ALCS MVP. Hit .400 With 3 HR In The
Greatest Comeback In Baseball History.
.387 2 541
DAVID ORTIZ ALCS BA WALK-OFF HR IN SERIES CAREER HR
WORLD SERIES RINGS ALCS MVP YEAR CAREER POSTSEASON OPS
Ortiz hit 541 career HR and was a career .286 hitter, but his October legacy is what defines him. In the
2004 ALCS, Boston was down 3 games to 0 against the Yankees. Ortiz hit walk-off home runs in Games 4
and 5. He drove in the winning run in Game 6. Boston won four straight and broke the Curse of the
Bambino.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS New York Yankees OCTOBER 17, 2004
12th
4 (ALCS) 2-run HR Boston down 3-0
INNING GAME WALK-OFF TYPE SERIES AT TIME
W 6-4
RESULT
The Comeback Begins
12TH INNING WALK-OFF HR — THE MOMENT THE CURSE STARTED TO END
Boston was down 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS and one out from being swept when Ortiz hit a 2-run walk-off home
run off Paul Quantrill in the 12th inning of Game 4. The next night he hit a 10th-inning walk-off single to win
Game 5. Then Boston won Games 6 and 7. Four consecutive wins to overcome a 3-0 series deficit —
something that had never been done in baseball history. Ortiz's bat started it. The city of Boston completed
it.
ERA VS ERA 03
Greatest Clutch Hitter In Baseball History?
DAVID ORTIZ REGGIE JACKSON
ALCS PERFORMANCE 2004 CAREER WS OPS
.387, 2 walk-off HR 1.280
CAREER POSTSEASON OPS VS WS HOME RUNS
1.272 10 — all-time
WALK-OFF MOMENTS 1977 WS G6
Multiple in one series 3 HR on 3 pitches
Ortiz's career postseason OPS of 1.272 is nearly identical to Jackson's WS OPS of 1.280. Jackson's single-
game performance in 1977 is more famous. Ortiz's sustained postseason excellence across three
championships over a decade is broader. Both cases are legitimate.
Greatest clutch hitter in baseball history?
DAVID ORTIZ — SUSTAINED POSTSEASON EXCELLENCE REGGIE JACKSON — 3 HR ON 3 PITCHES
BERNIE WILLIAMS — POSTSEASON OPS RIVALING BOTH DEREK JETER — 200 POSTSEASON HITS
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
APRIL 20, 2013 · FENWAY PARK
After The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, He Said
'This Is Our F***ing City' Into The PA System. The
FCC Said It Was Fine.
Eight days after the Boston Marathon bombing, Ortiz grabbed the microphone before a game at
Fenway Park and addressed the city in his own way. The crowd erupted. The FCC received
complaints about the profanity and publicly stated it was acceptable given the context — the
only time in FCC history that language was cleared based on emotional circumstances. He
became more than a baseball player that afternoon.
This is our f---ing city. And nobody is going to dictate our freedom.
— DAVID ORTIZ, FENWAY PARK, APRIL 20, 2013
THE STAT VAULT 05
CAREER HOME RUNS WALK-OFF HR IN THE 2004 ALCS
As a designated hitter — he never played Games 4 and 5. Boston was down 3-0 in
the field in most of his career games. the series when he hit the first one.
WORLD SERIES RINGS 2004 ALCS SERIES OPS
2004, 2007, 2013. Ortiz was the best hitter In the greatest comeback in baseball
on all three championship teams. history. He hit .387 with 2 HR and 5 RBI.
1.272 CAREER POSTSEASON OPS
One of the highest postseason OPS in baseball history. He was better in October.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Manny Ramirez
BOSTON RED SOX · 1993-2011
.312 BA · 555 HR · 12 ALL-STARS · 2X WS CHAMPION
Ortiz's Lineup Partner. 555 HR. Two World Series Rings. Never Gets Discussed
Seriously.
Manny Ramirez hit 555 HR with a .312 career average and was one of the five best pure hitters of his era. He
and Ortiz formed one of the most feared lineups in baseball from 2003-2008. He was suspended twice for
PED use, which complicated his legacy. His numbers outside the suspensions are already HOF territory.
THE CONNECTION:
Ortiz hit the walk-off HRs in 2004. Manny hit .412 in the World Series and won MVP. Same lineup,
same rings. Ortiz became a Boston icon. Manny became a complicated conversation.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Ichiro got 3,089 MLB hits. He also had 1,278 in Japan. You've been reading about the wrong
number.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.