Jun 10, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz at fenway for a Make A Wish meet and greet before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

David Ortiz Says One Thing Can Save Yankees

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Erin Shapland | Last updated Oct 6, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz weighed in on the New York Yankees' chances at winning their division series against the Toronto Blue Jays after a second embarrassing loss, and he doesn't like the way it's looking.

In a post-game panel discussion with Yankees legends Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Big Papi insisted that only his peers at the desk could save the Yankees' postseason (or could have in their prime). Jeter prompted Ortiz's response with some hope of his own.

"Now you have a lot of people in that lineup saying ooh, I feel a little something right now," Jeter said, while tapping Papi on the arm to prevent him from interjecting. "Now, don't say anything, don't say it! Don't say it!"

He proceeded to say it.

"I love you so much, but the only chance that the Yankees have is if you, Mo [Mariano Rivera], Andy [Pettitte] and A-Rod come back and play," Ortiz said, while Jeter and A-Rod laughed. "Reggie Jackson, Babe Ruth, all of 'em! Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris..."

Big Papi to Derek Jeter:

“The only chance the Yankees have is if you, Mo, Andy and A-Rod come back and play”
pic.twitter.com/zirAFGEjMF
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 5, 2025

Ortiz didn't stop there, and rightly so. The Yankees will have to be perfect over their next three games — of course, if they're lucky enough to get three games — in order to advance. Having already lost two by humiliating margins, Ortiz doesn't think anyone can save them. And he means anyone.

A-Rod asked Ortiz if he agreed that the Yankees might have had a better shot at winning if Max Fried had given a stronger performance as the starting pitcher, and Papi shared his prognosis for the Yankees overall.

"They could bring Jesus back, and they're still going to Cancun," Ortiz said, referencing the persistent meme that teams out of contention have headed to Cancun for their vacation. "It's over. It's a wrap. This Toronto Blue Jays lineup ain't playing around."

Big Papi weighed in with some positivity following Cam Schlittler's incredible outing to eliminate the Red Sox, in a rare moment of Yankees praise from the Red Sox legend.

“The first game I saw him pitch, I was like, ‘They have another ace,'” Ortiz told TMZ, perMichael Blinn of the New York Post. “He’s got it, bro. He’s got it. He’s got it.”

The Yankees have one to three games left to prove if the rest of their roster has it, too.

Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more!