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Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz appeared to savor every bit of the New York Yankees' recent struggles in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, adding his own flair to the FOX Sports MLB postgame broadcast.
Big Papi's Bronx bashing
Ortiz, known for his colorful personality and sharp wit, took the opportunity to needle his longtime foes after the Yankees' Game 3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers left them trailing 3-0 in the series.
As Yankee fans at Yankee Stadium made their displeasure with the former Red Sox player known, chants of "Papi sucks" filled the air.
Ortiz, unphased, tried to break through the noise by appealing to the fans with a grin and a plea: "Come on man, show some love for Papi!"
The New York crowd, however, only grew louder, which drew laughs from both Ortiz and his FOX Sports co-hosts, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez playfully fanned the flames, patting Ortiz on the hand as Ortiz laughed along with the crowd's jeers.
The banter continued on the postgame show, where Ortiz, in true Big Papi style, delighted in a tweet displayed onscreen that read, "Can't wait to hear Big Papi say Yankees lose to Jeter and A-Rod."
Ortiz didn't miss a beat, channeling Yankees radio broadcaster John Sterling with a dramatic, drawn-out "Theeeeeeeee Yankees lose!"
FOX host Kevin Burkhardt laughed, calling out Ortiz's exuberance: "He did it, he did it! Oh my goodness..."
Ortiz, Jeter & Rodriguez set for historic Game 5
Ortiz's ability to balance his iration for the Yankees organization while also reveling in his team's old rivalry has become a staple of his on-air personality.
Ortiz recently acknowledged that while he has "tremendous respect" for Yankees fans and their dedication, the playful jabs are part of the long-standing rivalry between the two teams.
Yet, with the Yankees now fighting their way back after an 11-4 victory in Game 4, Ortiz gave a nod to the possibility of a turnaround led by Yankees star Aaron Judge.
"This game works sometimes in a type of mysterious way that it's hard to understand," Ortiz noted.
"That last at-bat coming from [Aaron] Judge - look out, look out. The guy showed the best balance that he had shown for the past four games. And sometimes... that's all you need for your confidence level to rise. And that's gonna put that team in a better situation tomorrow."
The Yankees, now down 3-1, will continue their pursuit of an improbable comeback as they head into Game 5.
Whether Ortiz will be celebrating another Yankees defeat or acknowledging a rally remains to be seen, but fans can expect the legendary Red Sox star to embrace every moment of this high-stakes series.