BOSTON — It was only three lines in the Yankees press notes on Thursday but it spoke volumes about David Ortiz, Yankees killer:
“The Yankees will recognize Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz in an on-field ceremony at Yankee Stadium prior to their 7:05 p.m. game on 9/29 vs. Boston.’’
So the Yankees will honor Ortiz, just as the Red Sox honored Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. Don’t forget what Ortiz told The Post back on Feb. 23.
“You know what I want most of all?’’ Big Papi said that day at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. “I would love it if the fans at Yankee Stadium gave me a standing ovation.’’
Ortiz took a much lower profile Thursday. He did not speak to reporters before the Red Sox’s 7-5 walk-off win, but through a club spokesperson said this about being honored by the Yankees: “I’m appreciative of the fact that the Yankees are doing something for me because of our long-standing rivalry. It means a lot to me.’’
Red Sox manager John Farrell knows what Ortiz means to the rivalry and the Red Sox and the fans. Ortiz, who hit a solo homer and drove in three runs Thursday, now owns 537 home runs, one more than Yankees’ legend Mickey Mantle.
“There are always the stories on the rivalry and then there are the subplots,’’ Farrell told The Post. “David is one of those magnetic personalities that is always going to draw the extremes. Love him or — I’m sure down in The Bronx — maybe not.
“But what we’re fortunate to see is that through all that, through all the hysteria, here is a guy whose heart rate doesn’t seem to increase in those key moments. When he hits big home runs, everybody marvels at what he does but he is so poised and amiable he keeps the game from speeding up on him.
“He cares and that extends to every walk of life. He’s someone who can talk to a deathly ill 5-year-old and a 55-year-old Fortune 500 CEO and all in between and he does it in a second language. And here is a guy that is completely at ease in so many different settings.
He might be one of the last superstars that can find themselves in any situation and thrive.’’