Ortiz wins Roberto Clemente Award
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox has been named the 2011 winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, bestowed upon the player who combines outstanding play on the field with devoted work in the community.
The 35-year-old Ortiz personally donated $100,000 to the David Ortiz Children's Fund in 2011. Ortiz founded the DOCF in 2005 after visiting young children who had just received life-saving heart operations in his native Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
He received the award Thursday, prior to the start of Game 2 of the World Series.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Major League Baseball is pleased to present David Ortiz with the 2011 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Chevrolet," said Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. "David's remarkable commitment to helping children receive essential pediatric care in the United States and the Dominican Republic makes him a wonderful choice for this honor. The legacy of the great Roberto Clemente lives on through the selfless actions of players like David and so many of his peers."
In addition, Ortiz annually donates his time and resources to benefit the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and other organizations, programs and causes.
The award was originally called The Commissioner's Award but was renamed in 1973 in honor of Clemente, who was killed in a plane crash on December 31, 1972 while helping transport relief supplies to Nicaragua, which had suffered an earthquake on December 23 that killed more than 6,000 people.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Boston pitcher Tim Wakefield won the award in 2010.