How David Ortiz Really Got The Nickname Big Papi
Major League Baseball fans will undoubtedly know David Ortiz by his nickname, Big Papi. Just one question: How did that nickname come about? As it turns out, it originated with him.
It's worth noting that Big Papi isn't the only name Ortiz has gone by since starting his career. When he was starting out, he was known as David Arias. Speaking to BR in 2016, he explained that it all came down to cultural differences between English and Spanish-speaking communities. "[Arias] is my mother's last name, but the thing is, they got it wrong from the get-go. And then I gotta fix it because they normally call you by your dad's last name, but I'm David America Ortiz Arias. There was nothing wrong, but they started calling me David Arias instead of David Ortiz," he explained.
Early on, not everyone understood the name change. A.J. Pierzynski, Ortiz's former teammate from the Minnesota Twins, recalled to the outlet, "We traded for him and we got David Arias, but when he showed up in the spring, he was David Ortiz. I was like, 'Wait a minute! Did we trade for the wrong guy?'" Pierzynski wasn't the only one to be confused. Per ESPN, the team's manager at the time, Tom Kelly, is said to have mused of the name change, "Maybe he got married or something."
Over two decades and a legendary career later, the early confusion has been cleared up, and the MLB legend goes by Ortiz. That is, when he isn't Big Papi.
His memory had a hand in his nickname
David Ortiz could blame the Arias confusion on different naming practices. But when it comes to the nickname Big Papi, he has only himself to thank.
In a 2017 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Ortiz explained that he'd begun using the name as a result of his forgetfulness. "I meet so many people every day, it's hard for me to keep up with their names. So ... I just call you Papi," he joked. That ended up backfiring, though. "They'd start 'Papi-ing' me back," he chuckled, adding that it was his just deserts.
As for the "Big" portion of the name, Ortiz fans have the late New England Sports Network broadcaster Jerry Remy to thank for that. As seen in a clip shared on Twitter, Remy revealed, "I went up to him one day and said ... 'You're a big guy. Do you mind if I call you Big Papi?' He said, 'No, no I like that.' So I started calling him Big Papi, and then all of a sudden, everybody started calling him Big Papi." Between his forgetfulness and his stature (he's 6'3), it's no wonder this nickname particular nickname has stood the test of time.
... but it hasn't cured his forgetfulness
David Ortiz wasn't kidding when he told Stephen Colbert he couldn't remember anyone's name. After all, he did admit, "Not even my teammates'." Case in point: Back in 2017, his former Red Sox teammate, Dustin Pedroia, joked that Ortiz hadn't even known his name, despite working together for almost 10 years at the time.
During his spot on "The Roast of David Ortiz," Pedroia quipped that he became aware of Ortiz not knowing his first name purely by chance. After a rival greeted him by name, Ortiz seemed to assume there was some trash-talking. However, he ended up becoming the butt of the joke. "David walks over and goes, 'What the f*** did he call you?'" Pedroia recounted (via Cut4). Confused by the question, he replied, "Dustin." "He goes, 'Why'd he call you that?' I go, 'That's my f***ing name.' He goes, 'Oh, is that right?' I'm like, 'Yeah, bro. I've played 1600 games with you ... ' And he goes, 'I thought it was PeeWee!'" the baseball star shared.
Well, maybe it's a good sign that he didn't revert to his old ways and call him Papi. Having said that, given his legendary status in Major League Baseball, it makes sense that he didn't. There's only one Big Papi, and it's David Ortiz.