BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, a longtime friend of former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, is wishing the best for the baseball icon as he recovers from surgery after being shot in the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
“I think a lot of people feel like a family member was injured last night with that shooting,” Walsh told reporters on Monday. “Everyone loves Big Papi.”
Walsh says he cherished getting to know Ortiz over the years because of how down-to-earth of a person he is.
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“He is a regular person. He is just a regular guy,” he said of Ortiz. “He could hang on the corner. He is that type of guy.”
Ortiz’s father, Leo, says his son is stable and expected to make a full recovery.
Ortiz was ambushed and shot while dining at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo.
Walsh added that he “hopes Ortiz is OK.”
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