Dodgers honor Red Sox slugger David Ortiz with donation to charity

Manager Dave Roberts, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and broadcaster Nomar Garciaparra presented David Ortiz with checks totaling $20,000 for his foundation Friday night in a pregame ceremony to honor the Boston Red Sox slugger, who will retire after this season.

All three were former teammates of Ortiz in Boston. Roberts was a member of the 2004 Red Sox team that came back from a three-games-to-none deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series and went on to beat St. Louis for their first World Series title in 86 years.

“For New England and the Red Sox, for minorities in the game, he’s a role model and a mentor to so many,” Roberts said of Ortiz. “Everyone who’s been in contact with him, he’s impacted in some way. The vibrant personality, the toughness … he’s easy-going but performs on the biggest of stages. David has been a huge ambassador for the game of baseball.”

Roberts famously stole second base with Yankees closer Mariano Rivera on the mound to put himself in position to score the tying run on Bill Mueller’s single in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS.

Ortiz, who also the subject of a pregame video tribute from Vin Scully on Friday night, won that game with a two-run homer off Paul Quantrill in the 12th inning. The following night, Ortiz capped a 10-pitch at-bat with a walk-off single in the 14th inning to give the Red Sox a 5-4 win.

“He’s been the best playoff hitter ever,” new Dodgers right fielder Josh Reddick said of Ortiz, who has a .962 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with 17 homers and 60 runs batted in in 82 playoff games. “He’s one of those guys you kind of shut up and listen to.”

Reddick played his first three big league seasons (2009-2011) in Boston but first met Ortiz in 2008, when he was at double-A Portland (Maine) and Ortiz joined the team for a three-game rehabilitation assignment.

“I immediately knew I loved the guy because he took all the hitters in a room and talked for a solid hour,” Reddick said. “Then he took me in the cage and broke down the opposing pitcher that night. I was just in awe.”

Was there one nugget from Ortiz that stuck with Reddick?

“Yeah, he said something my dad always told me,” Reddick said, “Swing hard, in case you hit it.”

Short hops

Ross Stripling joined the Dodgers from triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, and the right-hander will start Saturday’s game in place of Bud Norris, who will be placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a back strain. Norris will be the 26^th Dodger to go on the DL this season, one short of the major league record of 27, set by the Red Sox in 2012. … Clayton Kershaw, on the 60-day DL because of a herniated disk in his lower back, has not picked up a baseball or resumed baseball activities since suffering a setback on July 16. “We’re still optimistic he’ll be back in September,” Roberts said, “but we don’t have a date.” … Red Sox Manager John Farrell said Ortiz, who hasn’t played the field since last August, will start at first base Saturday. … Brett Anderson, recovering from surgery for a herniated disk in his lower back, is scheduled to make his third rehab start, for Oklahoma City on Monday. The left-hander, slated for five or six innings and 80-85 pitches, could return by mid-August.

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