David Ortiz stopped by the NESN broadcast booth on Tuesday night during his visit to Fenway Park to catch the Boston Red Sox‘s series opener against the Atlanta Braves.
It turns out he was mic’d up at the perfect time.
While Ortiz chatted with Red Sox broadcasters Dave O’Brien and Will Middlebrooks, Boston first baseman Dominic Smith socked a 93.8-mph fastball 352 feet over the Green Monster in left field. And Ortiz was ready for the call.
“See?! That’s what happens when Papi’s in the building,” Ortiz yelled into the microphone. “Winner winner, chicken dinner!”
That third-inning blast was Smith’s second homer of the year. Ortiz, who smacked 222 home runs at Fenway Park over 1,014 regular-season games at the stadium in his career, knows the feeling all too well.
Ortiz’s day wasn’t finished after leaving the broadcast, however. He was spotted later in the game sporting a No. 42 Boston Celtics jersey while standing next to the Larry O’Brien trophy.
The Celtics will look to bring that Larry O’Brien back to Boston for the first time since 2008 when they face the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals.