David Ortiz Admits to Once 'Hating' Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter During Heat of Rivalry

The Boston Sex Sox and New York Yankees were once embroiled in the MLB's greatest and most bitter rivalry. But now three of the respective teams' most decorated players—former Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter of the Yankees—now appear alongside one another as analysts for Fox Sports.

And as Ortiz, otherwise known by his nickname "Big Papi," recalls, that contentiousness was very much real and not played up for the cameras.

"We all have some good days [when] we played, but now our job is basically, pass the torch on," Ortiz now tells People, ahead of the 2023 World Series which begins on Friday. "And I know these guys forever, so we used to hate each other, but now we're family."

"Sometimes I feel like I want to whoop this guy right here," he said, while laughing and gesturing to Jeter. "I let him fly. I let him fly. I'm just kidding. No, we just feed each other with information the way we want to handle the business here. We got a good team. I feel very comfortable around these guys."

Tensions came to a head in the 2004 postseason when the two teams faced off in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) for the second year in a row. Yet, against all improbable odds, the wild card-seeded Red Sox came back from a 3–0 deficit against the Yankees, who had the best AL record that year, to defeat them and advance to the World Series.

To date, it was the first and only time in MLB history that a team has accomplished such a feat (the Houston Astros came close in the 2020 ALCS, only to lose to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 7) and the Red Sox went on to sweep the Cardinals in the World Series.

"I don't miss playing at all," Ortiz continued. "I mean, those moments, they were very special. It was all about winning. We played to win. We were lucky enough to have a long career. That's the way I look at it. Not many guys get to be blessed with having a long career, especially in baseball. Baseball is a tough sport."

"So I enjoy watching what is going on right now and giving my opinion," the 47-year-old added. "And I even enjoy watching the guys celebrate because I went through it. We did it all. We went through all that. You know what I'm saying? It's like being a kid and then you become an adult."

For Jeter, however, the "hardest part has been reliving 2004 every single day," he joked.