Skip to main content

Carl Yastrzemski: David Ortiz is better hitter than I was

Ted Williams is the unquestioned best hitter in Red Sox history to most baseball aficionados. Who is No. 2? Some may say Carl Yastrzemski. But Yaz himself says it's David Ortiz.
  • Author:
  • Publish date:

Ted Williams is the unquestioned best hitter in Red Sox history to most baseball aficionados. 

Who is No. 2? Some may say Carl Yastrzemski. But Yaz himself says it's David Ortiz.

Giants acquire Peavy from Red Sox, but how much will he really help?

Here is part of his conversation with Dan Shaughnessy from Sunday's Boston Globe.

Shaughnessy: “Where do you put David Ortiz in Red Sox history.”

Yaz: “I would say as a hitter, I would say he’s next to Ted.’ 

Shaughnessy: “Better hitter than you?”

Yaz: “I think so, yeah. I would put him ahead of me. He had more power than I had.’’

Shaughnessy: “If you were driving your car and somebody flipped on the radio and you heard people debating the merits of Carl Yastrzemski and David Ortiz, regarding their relative contributions to the Red Sox, how would you feel?”

Yaz: “I’d be glad that they would have me in the same class as him.’’

Yastrzemski, now 74, hit .285 with 452 home runs and 1,844 RBIs in 23 seasons with the Red Sox and was the 1967 American League MVP, the . He was also an 18-time All-Star.

In 18 big league seasons — six with the Twins and 12 with the Red Sox — Ortiz is also a .285 hitter with 456 home runs and 1,505 RBIs. The nine-time All-Star hit a three-run shot against the Rays on Sunday, his 25th of the season.

When told about Yastrzemski's comments by ESPN.com's Gordon Edes, Ortiz said: "Yeah, right. I'll tell you one thing. I'm not playing any 23 years."

- Chris Mascaro