“He’s a cartoon character” - When Derek Jeter shared how he became friends with 'Big Papi' David Ortiz

Once upon a time, there was a good old rivalry between New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter and the Boston Red Sox's 'Big Papi,' aka David Ortiz. However, after hanging up their shoes, both have turned their rivalry into a friendship.

Recently on the Calm Down with Erin and Charissa's podcast, Jeter opened up on his first impression of Ortiz and how they became friends when they turned the page.

"I didn't really know David when I played against him," Jeter said. "I didn't try to be best friends with players I competed against. Because we are trying to beat, they're trying to beat us, so, I wasn't going to dinner, we weren't going to lunch. I was always respectful.

"When I saw him playing at second base or during batting practice but I was never really trying to get to know them because all I want to do is beat you. So I really didn't knew him."

Adding more about David Ortiz, Jeter said he is like a cartoon character and one of the nicest guys around.

"He's a cartoon character," Jeter said. "He is one of the nicest people that you will meet."

David Ortiz 'used to hate' Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez

Ortiz, Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were part of the broadcasting team for MLB on Fox for the 2023 postseason. The three of them gelled well and often spoke about their past rivalry during the show.

Former rival turned friend David Ortiz didn't mince his words when he said that he hated the two, but those days are gone now.

“We all had some good days [when] we played, but now our job is basically to pass the torch on,” Ortiz said to People. “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. 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,” he added.

What's important is that during their playing time, they were competitive and are recognized among the greats for their respective baseball teams.