BOSTON — David Ortiz, the beloved former Boston Red Sox star who was shot in early June in his native Dominican Republic, was released from a hospital on Friday after an extended stay, his former team said on Saturday. Ortiz was expected to return home, where he will be under the care of full-time nurses and his personal doctor, according to an ESPN report.
Ortiz, 43, who lives in Miami, had been at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston since June 10. He was shot the night before at a bar in Santo Domingo, his hometown and the capital of the Dominican Republic, and where he returns often to visit family.
Ortiz was shot at Dial Bar and Lounge, a regular hangout of his in the eastern part of the city, in what Dominican Republic authorities have said was a case of mistaken identity. That claim has been met with much skepticism in the Caribbean nation because he is one of the most recognizable figures there.
Authorities have said that Ortiz’s friend Sixto David Fernandez, who was seated at the same table as Ortiz that night, was the intended target and that the attackers erred for various reasons. Dominican Republic authorities said they have arrested at least 14 people connected to the shooting, including Víctor Hugo Gómez, who they said was the mastermind of the attack.
Dominican Republic authorities identified Gómez as wanted by United States authorities and as a member or an associate of the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug trafficking organization, and took him into custody on June 28. Gómez has said he was framed, according to a recording cited by WBZ-TV in Boston.
Ortiz was struck in the back, and his gallbladder and a part of his intestines were removed after spending six hours in surgery in a clinic in Santo Domingo. His liver was also damaged. Ortiz was in stable enough condition to be transported to Boston in an air ambulance provided by the Red Sox.
Ortiz received a second operation upon arriving at Massachusetts General and was soon talking and beginning to walk, according to statements from his wife that were released by the Red Sox at the time. He had a third operation on July 11 because of unspecified complications and was recovering well, his wife announced then.
Ortiz’s big bat and big personality earned him much affection in Boston and in the Dominican Republic over a 20-year major league career. A left-handed slugger, he spent 14 seasons with the Red Sox, where he was a 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion. He helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series, their first since 1918, and became an outspoken voice for the city after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.