Boston – One of the first names in the Red Sox’s success in the 21st century – if not the first name – is a legend of David Artes, Patrojos, who helped the team in 2004 without an 86 – year drought. World Series titles and it was the cornerstone of two more Boston editions crowned in 2007 and 2013.
Now, “Big Bobby” is set to enter the Dominican Sports Hall of Fame on November 14th. On the elevated occasion, the manager of the Red Sox, Puerto Rican Alex Cora – who played with Artis in Boston for the first decade of this millennium and was part of the 2007 champion team – welcomed the news.
“I always said he was a rock star playing a backball,” Cora said. “With chains and glasses. That’s David”.
In particular, Cora was Artis’ partner between 2005 and 2008, during which time he played three post-season games with Dominican Slacker, who retired as an active player after 2016. Today, he is the Special Adviser to the Artis team. And with Cora as chairman, the group’s influence in Boston remains.
“Pedro (Martinez) and David mean a lot to this community. Not just the Latin community, everyone,” Cora said. “Incredible.
“I’m proud because it’s about him taking care of not only baseball, but also his family and his teammates. David is one of the best team players I’ve ever played for.
In 20 years in the Majors, Artis has scored 541 home runs, including 14 with the Red Sox, and has scored 1,768 runs. In Boston, his career really started with his arrival in 2003, when he scored .290 / .386 / .570 with 483 Homers, 1,530 RBIs, a .956 OPS and 148 OPS +. Won All-Star Games and three World Series titles.
And in the Dominican League, he was a pillar of Lyons del Escoquito in the early 90s and 2000s, additionally serving as a luxury reinforcement in the Caribbean series and a highlight of the 1999 and 2003 events.
“After dinner, you always thought he was going to do something special occasionally,” Cora recalled. “He brought that quality every day, what he did here, they love him so much. We love him so much and I’m glad he was inducted into the Dominican Pavilion of Fame.
