Oct. 10 David Ortiz postgame interview

Q. Your last plate appearance. You’re trying to get on base, but you seemed a little pissed, that you got the bat taken out of your hand?

DAVID ORTIZ: No, no, no, not mad, that’s the game. And definitely I had to congratulate Tito and the Cleveland Indians, they play unbelievable baseball. And that’s what happened. That’s what the game is all about. Short series, whoever played the best is going to dominate.

And I end up walking my last at-bat, but I was basically trying to call Hanley attention to go out there and take care of business, and he did.

Q. What were you thinking when you went back out to the mound to say good-bye to the fans?

DAVID ORTIZ: I was talking about the emotions that I went through once I walked to the mound for the last time. And I was saying that I went through like three different times where emotions popped. But they’re different. First one this year was when we heard the bad news about my friend Jose Fernandez, something that impact the whole world, and you never expect anything like that to happen. And when it happens you start thinking, and your mind go all over the place. And that’s something that it was a shock. Nobody was expecting anything like that to happen to such a young, talented player, good kid. And we’re going through the ceremony, when that happens, emotion pops. And the other day when we were having the ceremony here about my retirement emotions came back out again.

But the reality is that there’s two times I know that I was going to continue playing baseball. I know there was more games to go. But tonight when I walk to the mound I realize that — I realize that it was going to be — it was over. It was pretty much probably the last time as a player walk in front of a crowd. And the emotion came back out again.

But like I say, I’m happy, not just for me, not just how my career went down, but for the organization, the step that we took, from going from last place to win the Division this year. Even if things didn’t end up the way we were looking for but I believe that in baseball, especially in the baseball game that we play in today’s day it’s a big step because it’s like going from bad to good, from day to night. And I told my teammates about it, I want them to feel happy and proud about themself. And do what I did back in the day. Reflect that in the following year and come back and fight.

I told them, Listen, we only played three games this playoff, but you guys saw the intensity. You guys saw the emotions. You guys saw the best of the best playing. You guys take a little bit of that. Make sure that carry over for the following year.

Q. What’s it say about the people here and yourself that there could be — I’m sure you felt love, there could be so much love pulling your way of those fans who waited for you, and even before the last out came down they were chanting your name. What does that say about the game and your career?

DAVID ORTIZ: The game, the game that I love, the game that made me be who I am. The game that I look forward to get better every day is something that I’m definitely going to carry the rest of my life. And those moments, they always going to be special. They always going to stay with you.

And what made me happy and proud about walking home the way I am right now is that as long as I play in front of these fans I never take anything for granted. I give everything I have. Do something special while I play. And the fans respect that. The fans love that. The fans, they live through it. And that’s all that matters to me.

And everywhere I go, everywhere I bump into our fans, it doesn’t matter if you bump into two of them or you bump into a thousand of them, they show the same love. And that’s why I get better, that’s why I get the opportunity to have the career I had.

Q. How did you get word that the crowd was waiting for you? How did you become aware of that? When you got teary on the mound what were you thinking about?

DAVID ORTIZ: You know, we went into the clubhouse after the last out and John has his moment with all of us. I also say something to my teammates. And the PR group came to me and told me that — right after the meeting they came and told me that the fans were expecting me, they were calling my name out there.

So I definitely always want to show love to the fans. I start thinking I have my moment once I walk on to the mound, start looking around. And that moment that hits you, you know you’re never going to be able to be performing in the baseball world, in front of all this — no disrespect to anyone, but I think we have the best fans worldwide. It’s something that — it kind of hit me a little bit. I’m not going to lie to you.

And like I say, I’ve been trying to hold my emotions most I can, but that last second I couldn’t hold it no more. And that’s how we feel about what we do, because we …

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