David Ortiz, one of the most prolific clutch designated hitters in baseball history, was with Tiffany Ortiz throughout his career. The Dominican baseball player married his wife in 2002 and they have two children together. On June 9th 2019, news broke that David Ortiz was shot in the back while at a bar in the Dominican Republic. The MLB legend underwent surgery following the shooting and was transferred via air ambulance to Mass General Hospital in Boston on June 10. The hit was intentional and most importantly, the failed murder attempt wasn’t successful. David Ortiz is alive and living happily with his wife of 18 years, Tiffany. Here are some cool facts you didn’t know about her:
5 Cool Things About Tiffany Ortiz, David’s Wife
Tiffany Ortiz Is On the New England Board of Directors for UNICEF
Tiffany Ortiz has been a stay-at-home mom for years, which David Ortiz claims is something they both wanted in order to make sure their children grew up in a home with constant attention from one parent at least. She could also be there to set good examples that they’d hoped to pass on to them.
“One of the most important things about being a father is being able to spend time with them. Being able to pay attention to all the things that they do. I want to know who they are around. And I think the biggest part of my kid’s good behavior is they’ve always been around me and their mom,” David Ortiz told Mass Live.
In her down time, Tiffany Ortiz is also involved with UNICEF, an organization that works to support the world’s children, and is on the New England Regional Board of Directors.
Some of UNICEF’s efforts include helping children in emergency relief situations, providing clean water and proper nutrition to children in need, and assisting children who have disabilities or have been affected by violence.
Tiffany Ortiz & David Separated in 2013 & Got Back Together the Following Year
In April 2013, the MLB blog Brownie Points reported that David Ortiz was going to file for divorce from his wife, whom he married in 2002.
He said the relationship wasn’t working and the two were filing for divorce after almost a decade together.
“There are some situations in life that work out for a period of time and at some point, they don’t work out anymore and you have to move on. I’m moving on. She’s moving on. Hopefully, everybody respects that,” David Ortiz said.
David also didn’t want anyone trying to make a connection to his performance on the field — which at the time was suffering after coming off an injury — and his personal issues, reported MLB.com. He also asked for privacy for his family, especially his three children, and said the separation was amicable.
Then just a year later it was reported that David and Tiffany were back together. According to Tiffany Ortiz the couple reunited because they missed each other too much. She also said that things were “better than ever.”
While things seem to be going okay between David and Tiffany these days, she tends to stay out of the public eye and rarely makes an appearance on her husband’s social media accounts. Her accounts are all private.
Tiffany Ortiz Has 2 Children With David
The Ortiz family comprises two children. A teenage daughter, Alexandra, and a son named D’Angelo. David also has another daughter, Jessica, from an older relationship. According to the Boston Herald, Jessica graduated from high school in the Dominican Republic. She will be heading to Berklee College of Music in the fall. Both of the Ortiz kids are fairly active on social media.
After David was shot in the Dominican Republic, his son, D’Angelo, posted a message on Instagram stating:
“Pops I Love u there is nobody stronger then u it’s only a matter of days till ur up running around doing ur thing again I love u pops endlessly and everybody is praying for you right now love you [sic]”.
In 2016, Alex sang the National Anthem before a game at Fenway Park, surprising her dad during the Home Opener of his last season in the MLB.
“He said to me, ‘Don’t ever surprise me like that again,’” Alex told reporters after the performance. “I wanted him to be emotional. Somebody told me that he cried and I was like, ‘Yes.’ I didn’t know if that was a terrible thing,” she added.
Tiffany Ortiz Is From Wisconsin & Is a Green Bay Packers Fan
Tiffany Ortiz was born and raised in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, a town in between the cities of Green Bay and Appleton. In fact, that’s where she met her now-husband Ortiz when he was in the minor leagues.
Back in the late 90s, as Sports Illustrated reported, David had been playing for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Green Bay became his adopted home. It wasn’t long before she converted him into a diehard Packers fan.
“The Ortizes split his off-season between Green Bay and the D.R., and while they’ve gone to several Packers games, this time the slugger really got the star treatment. After the Ortizes tailgated like regular Joes, David roamed the field in a Brett Favre jersey, chatting with Packers coach and Red Sox fan Mike Sherman. David and Tiffany then watched from a private box, cheering as the Pack walloped the Rams 45-17,” Sports Illustrated reported in 2004.
Tiffany Ortiz Helps Run the David Ortiz Children’s Fund
David Ortiz didn’t have the easiest childhood. He recalled growing up in the Dominican Republic and often feeling unsafe, with constant violence occurring. He didn’t always have access to the best nutrition and, on a personal level, his parents divorce was hard on him.
He wrote in an article for the Players Tribune about his experience being flagged for steroid use in 2003, even though he claims he never knowingly took steroids. People came to his home in the Dominican Republic during a vacation with his family to test him and after that he had to face a lot of people judging him.
“Let me tell you about fair. I grew up in a neighborhood where there was a shooting every day. Every single day. I didn’t know if I was going to step outside to go play at the park with a f***ing tape ball and a stick and get shot. I saw people get killed right in front of me. There was a fight in my house pretty much every other day. It was normal. I grew up in a house that didn’t have the luxury of proper nutrition or vitamins. A protein shake? Are you kidding me? The only protein I knew about until I was 16 was frijoles negros. Black beans,” he wrote.
His past influenced him to start The David Ortiz Children’s Fund, with the help of his wife, to “help children in New England and the Dominican Republic who do not have access to the critical pediatric services they need.”