Even the St. Louis Cardinals might not argue if David Ortiz were permitted to go directly from the dugout to first base for the remainder of the 2013 World Series whenever his turn in the Boston batting order comes up. With the Red Sox slugger already reaching base in more than 70% of his plate appearances, the Cardinals would at least be able to eliminate the possibility of him hitting another home run.
After posting an anemic .200 on-base percentage in the ALCS against Detroit, Big Papi's OBP has skyrocketed in the Fall Classic to an astounding .750 in 20 plate appearances. With a double and a single in his first two trips to the plate in Game 5, Ortiz tied the MLB record for most consecutive times on base (nine) in the World Series, per CBS Sports. Billy Hatcher set the record back in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds.
Hatcher also holds the record for highest OBP in a World Series with .800. In fact, only three other players have posted an OBP of .700 or higher in the World Series, per Baseball Reference. Will Ortiz keep up his pace and post and keep his OBP at a historic level?
Here are the four players to record an OBP of .700 or higher in a World Series.
Highest World Series OBP
(18 plate appearances or 7 BB + H required)
UPDATE: Ortiz finished the World Series with a .760 OBP, the second highest in MLB history.