Christian Petersen/Getty Images(SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic) — Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz was shot at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic late Sunday, according to his father.
The bullet entered Ortiz’s back and exited through his abdomen, according to Ortiz’s father, Leo, who spoke to reporters outside the hospital in Santo Domingo where he is being treated. His father said Ortiz was out of surgery just after midnight and he is in stable condition.
No organs were compromised, according to his father.
Leo Ortiz happily told reporters outside the hospital, in Spanish, “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”
An investigation into the shooting has been opened, but police said in a brief statement they do not believe the motive was robbery.
The suspect in the shooting was immediately roughed up by onlookers and taken to the hospital for treatment. He was treated and released into police custody.
“They called to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred,” Leo Ortiz told ESPN via telephone earlier in the evening from the Dominican Republic.
“At the moment, everything is confusing. I’m trying to find out where they took my son,” Ortiz’s father added.
The slugger was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and is not just one of the biggest baseball players in the country’s rich history of the sport, but one of its most well-known celebrities overall.
The shooting took place at Dial Bar and Lounge, a nightclub in the nation’s capital, according to ESPN. CCTV footage acquired by ABC News shows a crowded bar with people scattering after the shots are fired and Ortiz, sitting at the bar, appearing to grab his side.
“Our thoughts are with David Ortiz, who is reportedly hospitalized after being shot in his hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic,” MLB tweeted on its official account.
The Red Sox released a statement of their own later in the evening, saying, “Late last night we were made aware of an incident involving David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. David’s family has confirmed that he sustained a gunshot wound to the lower back/abdominal region. David is being treated at Clinica Abel Gonzalez in Santo Domingo where he is recovering after surgery.”
“We have offered David’s family all available resources to aid his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts,” the statement continued.
Ortiz, 43, won three World Series — in 2004, 2007 and 2013 — and was one of the biggest pieces of breaking the so-called curse of the Boston Red Sox.
Lovingly known as “Big Papi,” he was a 10-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger winner and finished in the top 5 in MVP voting five times. He was also the World Series MVP in 2013.
Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez, a legend in the Dominican Republic in his own right, and a former teammate with Ortiz on the 2004 champion Red Sox, tweeted, “I’m at peace knowing you out of danger, you a strong man Compai, can’t wait to hear your voice.”
Ortiz walked away from baseball in 2016, still at the top of his game. He hit .315 and led the league in doubles and runs batted in, but held fast in his decision to walk away as he had announced months earlier.
He finished his career with 541 career home runs, 17th all-time, and was eighth all-time in extra-base hits (1,192) and 12th all-time in doubles (632).
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