Big Papi Two Homeruns Shy of Mantle After Hitting #534

Credit: Ap Photo

By Bob

Big Papi is doing something I have never seen during a retirement tour, and that is be productive. At age 41, he is still hitting dingers (31 on season) and his surprising play has motivated all the young guys around him. In Boston, talent is not hard to find but Ortiz is the cream of the crop. Besides for future AL MVP Mookie Betts, Papi has been the best player on this team. With his homerun in today's loss, it brings him to 18th all time which ties him with Jimmie Foxx. It is crazy to think he is such an old geezer and yet he is playing some of the best ball of his life. This guy is two homeruns away from passing Mickey Mantle on the list...that's a pretty crazy accomplishment. If you think about it a lot of remarkable players have been hitting the long ball since Mick played and only 16 have been able to get over that jump. Papi doesn't have much time to push Mick back a spot, but with the stuff he's shown this year nothing would surprise me. For the sake of the Yankee/Sox rivalry, I'm going to hope he does not hit two more homeruns. I mean he does have more then a month to do it, and with mostly divisional play left I am sure he will want to embass his rivals for one last time in the regular season.