Papi out to cap career with one more ring

BOSTON — Whenever his final season ends, and David Ortiz hopes that won’t be until the leaves turn in New England to hues of red and gold, the hope is that it will be punctuated with his fourth Red Sox World Series ring.

It’s the way John Elway and Peyton Manning went out in the National Football League with the Broncos, Manning just this past January, with Super Bowl titles.

“Why not?” Ortiz said on Thursday night after the Red Sox scored five times in the ninth at Fenway Park to come from behind and defeat the Yankees, 7-5, the last three runs scoring on a walk-off Hanley Ramirez home run. “Of course, it would be great. It’s what we call, happy ending.”

There are 16 regular-season games left to play and the Red Sox have to win another American League East title or at the least one of the league’s two AL Wild Card spots.

For Ortiz, there will be a last road trip, his career away from the Fens ending on Sept. 29 in of all places at Yankee Stadium. Then a final home series against the Blue Jays. Papi’s last regular-season game in Boston is Oct. 2, when everything could be decided.

There’s plenty of innings still to play.

The reaction in New York still remains to be seen. Ortiz has simply demolished the Yankees. His eighth-inning homer on Thursday night off Adam Warren was the 53rd against the Yankees, and pushed him past Mickey Mantle into sole possession of 17th place on the all-time list with 537.

Now in sole possession of #17 on the all-time list with 537 HRs! https://t.co/FfdXbn8lIn

— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) September 16, 2016

Now in sole possession of #17 on the all-time list with 537 HRs! https://t.co/FfdXbn8lIn

The Yanks have said there will be a special pregame ceremony to mark Big Papi’s final night playing the Bronx. It will be dramatic to see how Yankees fans react.

“I don’t know …

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