SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized Monday following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son."He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."The Boston Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, said they have been notified by Ortiz's family that... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized Monday following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son."He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."The Boston Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, said they have been notified by Ortiz's family that he sustained... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is hospitalized following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when the gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son."He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."The Boston Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, said they have been notified by Ortiz's family that he sustained... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning there was no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son."He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."The alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning there was no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son."He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."The alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Latest on a shooting that injured former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz (all times local):2:00 a.m.The Boston Red Sox say they have been notified by the family of David Ortiz that the former slugger sustained a gunshot wound to his "lower back/abdominal region" and that he is recovering after surgery.The Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, say they have offered the Ortiz family "all available resources to aid in his recovery" and that they will continue to keep them in their hearts.Authorities say the 43-year-old Ortiz was shot at close range in an ambush at a bar in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday.Ortiz's father says his son is out of danger and that the bullet did not hit any major organ.Officials say the alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. They say police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him.___1:15 a.m.The father of former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz says... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning there was no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son."He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting," Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time."The alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and that the bullet had not hit any major organ. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.The gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.Investigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Latest on a shooting that injured former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz (all times local):1:15 a.m.The father of former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz says his son is out of danger after being wounded in a shooting at a bar in the Dominican Republic, and that the bullet did not hit any major organ.Leo Ortiz, speaking outside the Abel Gonzalez clinic, says he has no idea why someone would have shot at his son.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte says Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when he was ambushed by a gunman who approached from behind and shot him at close range.Bautista says Ortiz underwent surgery and his condition was stable.He says the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. He says police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him.___12:05 a.m.Authorities say former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at nearly point-blank range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him. Ortiz was taken to a medical facility where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.The gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.Investigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target, Bautista said.Two other people were wounded, Bautista said, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Bautista said police believe López was wounded by the same bullet.López... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Latest on a shooting that injured former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz (all times local):12:05 a.m.Authorities say former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at nearly point-blank range in his native Dominican Republic.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte says Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when the gunman approached from behind and shot him.Bautista says Ortiz underwent surgery and his condition was stable.He says the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. He says police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him.Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host, was with Ortiz when he was shot. Bautista says López was also wounded, apparently by the same bullet.___11:20 p.m.Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot and wounded in his native Dominican Republic,... [More]

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at nearly point-blank range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. when the gunman approached from behind and shot him. Ortiz was taken to a medical facility where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.The gunman was captured by a crowd of people at the bar and beaten by them, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host, was with Ortiz when he was shot. Bautista said López was also wounded, apparently by the same bullet.Ortiz's father, Leo, said authorities informed him about the shooting but didn't provide details."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.com.The 43-year-old Ortiz hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP, in 2004 and 2013.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot and wounded in his native Dominican Republic, his father told ESPN on Sunday night.Leo Ortiz told ESPN.com that Ortiz was shot while at an entertainment center in Santo Domingo."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 said, adding: "At the moment, everything is confusing."Dominican TV station CDN 37 reported that Ortiz was shot in the back after initially reporting he had been wounded in the leg.The 43-year-old hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP, in 2004 and 2013.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot and wounded in his native Dominican Republic, his father told ESPN on Sunday night.Leo Ortiz told ESPN.com that Ortiz was shot while at an entertainment center in Santo Domingo."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 said, adding: "At the moment, everything is confusing."Dominican TV station CDN 37 reported that Ortiz was shot in the leg.The 43-year-old hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series MVP, in 2004 and 2013.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Ten trophies.The New England Patriots brought their six Super Bowl trophies to Fenway Park on Tuesday to help the Boston Red Sox celebrate their latest World Series championship and unfurl a new banner in front of the Green Monster for the fourth time in 15 years."It's pretty cool to see all of them together," Red Sox utilityman Brock Holt said after the 7-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in the home opener dropped Boston to 3-9 in its title defense."It's amazing to think about: We've won four, and the Patriots seem to win every year," he said. "Boston's a sports city, and a lot of people are pretty spoiled with the talent that's been here the last however many years."Former Red Sox stars Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz and even the previously shunned Curt Schilling filed onto the field before the game in a ceremony to present the 2018 champs with their rings. Then Rob Gronkowski and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman led a couple dozen Patriots — carrying a half-dozen Lombardi Trophies... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Ten trophies.The New England Patriots brought their six Super Bowl trophies to Fenway Park on Tuesday to help the Boston Red Sox celebrate their latest World Series championship and unfurl a new banner in front of the Green Monster for the fourth time in 15 years."I remember my first time, when I came here in 2000, everybody was talking about the curse. We never thought about the curse," said Manny Ramírez, the Most Valuable Player of the drought-busting 2004 World Series. "We came, we won two, and now they won two more. It's awesome. When you see those trophies, then you realize it was worth it, coming here."Former Red Sox stars Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz and even the previously shunned Curt Schilling filed onto the field before the home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, when the 2018 champs were presented with their rings. Then Rob Gronkowski and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman led a couple dozen Patriots — carrying a half-dozen Lombardi Trophies — to the mound for the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox are celebrating their fourth World Series title in 15 years at Fenway Park before their home opener.A giant banner honoring the 2018 champions was unfurled in front of the Green Monster during a ceremony before Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Pedro Martinez, Mike Lowell and David Ortiz carried out the 2004, '07 and '13 trophies. The Boston Pops orchestra set up in shallow right field to play Queen's "We Are the Champions."Then the 2018 team began filing down the red carpet to collect the championship rings. Alex Cora led the coaching staff and David Price was the first player to receive one.Also taking part in the ceremony were former Red Sox Manny Ramirez and Curt Schilling, who have been absent from previous ceremonies.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Mendoza was hired as a baseball operations adviser for the New York Mets on Tuesday while remaining a broadcaster for ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball," part of an increasing number of television commentators who also work for teams.She will be involved in player evaluation, roster construction, technological advancement and health and performance, the Mets said.Mendoza, a member of the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2004 and 2008, did not address any potential conflict of interest — working for a team while simultaneously commentating on all clubs.In the team statement, Mendoza thanked ESPN and Disney for their "understanding and confidence as I balance both tasks moving forward."ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz wrote in an email to The Associated Press there are "numerous examples across networks of these type of arrangements where commentators work closely with teams, and we will be fully transparent about Jessica's relationship with the Mets."He added: "We have complete... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Mendoza was hired as a baseball operations adviser for the New York Mets on Tuesday while remaining a broadcaster for ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball," part of an increasing number of television commentators who also work for teams.She will be involved in player evaluation, roster construction, technological advancement and health and performance, the team said.Mendoza, a member of the U.S. Olympic softball team in 2004 and 2008, did not address any potential conflict of interest — working for a team while simultaneously commentating on all clubs.In the team statement, Mendoza, thanked ESPN and Disney for their "understanding and confidence as I balance both tasks moving forward."ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz wrote in an email to The Associated Press there are "numerous examples across networks of these type of arrangements where commentators work closely with teams, and we will be fully transparent about Jessica's relationship with the Mets."He added: "We have complete... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball has transformed at dizzying speed since Edgar Martinez took his final swing and Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay threw their final pitches."We don't have enough time to talk about that," the ever erudite Mussina said Wednesday when a trio of newly minted living Hall of Famers appeared at a news conference. "The game always evolves — it always has. I'm not sure I love the way it's changed lately, but that's just the nature of it."When Mussina retired Boston's Dustin Pedroia on a double-play grounder to end his final outing in 2008, a start that made him a first-time 20-game winner at age 39, strikeouts in the major leagues totaled 32,884. That broke a mark that had stood since 2004.There were 41,207 whiffs last year, setting a record for the 11th straight season.When Martinez took his final swing in 2004, grounding into a double play against Texas reliever Brian Shouse, infield shifts weren't even totaled, employed only for a few lefty pull hitters like... [More]