Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz hit his 36th double of the season in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners, setting a new single-season record for doubles by a player age 40 or older, per ESPN Stats & Info.
The old record of 35 was set way back in 1930 by Hall of Famer Sam Rice, who was 40 years old throughout the entire season and ultimately ended up playing four more years.
The 40-year-old Ortiz announced prior to the season that this will be his final year, as he’ll choose to go out on a high note rather than slowly fading out of baseball the way Rice and so many others have done.
Of course, it wouldn’t be all that shocking if Ortiz were to eventually change his mind, as he enters Wednesday with a .316 batting average, .404 on-base percentage and .636 slugging percentage, not to mention 36 doubles, 25 home runs, 87 RBI and 50 runs.
Nearly as impressive, Ortiz has more walks (54) than strikeouts (52)—a feat he previously accomplished in 2006, 2007 and 2012.
Still, the aging slugger will probably stay true to his word, as his resume already includes a trio of World Series victories (2004, 2007, 2013), in addition to five consecutive top-five finishes (2003-2007) in AL MVP balloting, though he never actually managed to win the award.
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