No stopping Ortiz this time

When the Red Sox slugger and Carlos Silva met again, no speaker spoiled his fun.

By Jeff Shelman, Star Tribune

Last update: May 4, 2007 - 11:50 PM

Nearly 11 months later, David Ortiz got a little bit of Metrodome revenge.

Rewind to last June 15 and the Red Sox slugger was subjected to a quirk every bit as bizarre as what the Twins experienced this week at Tropicana Field.

On that night -- the last game Boston played at the Metrodome before Friday -- Ortiz smoked a Carlos Silva pitch. It was a shot that seemed destined for the upper deck.

And then: clang.

Instead of hitting the banner bearing the likeness of Kirby Puckett that is attached to a curtain in the upper deck, the ball hit one of the speakers that hang from the Metrodome roof.

Instead of a home run, Ortiz hit the world's longest single, which became a key play in the Twins' three-game sweep of the Red Sox.

Apparently Ortiz realized he needed to aim a little bit to the right.

Because this time -- 323 days later -- a speaker didn't come into play when Ortiz's bat met Silva's pitch.

In the top of the sixth inning, Ortiz crushed Silva's pitch and the ball flew through the air unobstructed. When it landed 423 feet away in the upper deck, the Red Sox led 1-0.

"I think that one would have gone through a speaker," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

"It actually looked like a pretty good pitch. He stayed inside and drove it like he can."

Nearly a year later, Ortiz is now able to joke about last season's "single." He said his aim was better on this trip to Minneapolis.

"I just tried not to hit a speaker again," Ortiz said.

His homer was all the offense the Red Sox needed in their 2-0 victory.

Boston starter Tim Wakefield -- who was the loser in last season's speaker game -- improved to 12-4 with a 4.01 ERA in his career against the Twins by throwing seven scoreless innings.

With the Twins getting only one hit after the third inning, the Red Sox made sure they wouldn't be swept in this season's only trip to the Metrodome.

Ortiz, who played for the Twins for parts of six seasons, continues to be very productive against his former team.

Since arriving in Boston before the 2003 season, Ortiz has seven home runs and has 19 RBI in 74 at-bats against the Twins.

Of late, his hits have been drawn to the banner of Puckett.

"It's like Kirby's kind of calling me every time I come here: 'Hey, I'm here,' " said Ortiz, who has hit 21 of his 239 homers at the Metrodome

And this time the ball actually reached the seats.

Jeff Shelman • jshelman@startribune.com

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