Although David Ortiz is best known as a member of the Boston Red Sox, the recently retired slugger began his Major League career with the Minnesota Twins in 1997. Ortiz played sparingly in his first few seasons, truly coming into his own when he joined the Red Sox in 2003.

     Ortiz wore this gray, pinstriped road jersey in 1998. He played in 86 games in 1998, splitting his time between first base and designated hitter. The burly slugger hit nine home runs in ’98, along with 46 RBI and a .277 batting average. Ortiz would go on to finish his career with a colossal 541 home runs, 1,768 RBI, and a .286 batting average.

     This full button down jersey has “MINNESOTA” sewn across the front in red-on-navy blue tackle twill. Ortiz’s number “27” is sewn on the chest and back in similarly colored tackle twill. “ORTIZ” is sewn across the back shoulders in navy blue tackle twill over a grey nameplate. A circular Twins patch is sewn on the left sleeve, while a Russell Athletic logo is embroidered in blue and red on the right sleeve. A Russell Athletic size “50” tag is sewn on the left front tail of the jersey, with “100% Polyester” and “2[inch] extra length” flags attached. A “27 – 98 – 1” tag is sewn in the back inside collar. This jersey shows moderate signs of game use. This item has been photo matched to a May 2nd, 1998 game against the Baltimore Orioles by Resolution Photomatching. The Twins won 8-7 in the 39th game of Ortiz’s career.

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