Who is Raul Ortiz? Philadelphia police officer honored by Phillies fans during NLCS opener

In a kind gesture by the Philadelphia Phillies before their game 1 of the NL Championship Series, they honored a police officer who was injured in the line of duty. Raul Ortiz was shot in the arm after he and his partner tried to prevent a parking lot robbery at the Philadelphia Airport.

Ortiz has been serving the Philadelphia Police for well over 20 years. On Thursday night around 11 p.m., he and his partner Richard Mendez were on duty at the airport. Noticing an attempted car theft in the parking lot, both men followed the perpetrators.

The two thieves opened fire at the policemen. Mendez was shot multiple times in his upper torso while Ortiz was shot in the arm. Unfortunately, the former was pronounced dead at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center at 11:30 p.m. As for Ortiz, he was pronounced stable after a brief treatment at the Jefferson University Hospital.

During the opening game of the NLCS, Raul Ortiz was given a big ovation at the PhanaVision giant screen as he was seen attending the game in the stands. He seemed to be emotional as everyone gave him a standing ovation at the Citizens Bank Park.

Ortiz still had a plaster on his left arm as he waved to the crowd. Looking all around the stadium, he showed off his ring finger, imitating Nick Castellanos' celebration, as the Phillies look to win World Series rings for themselves.

Phillies win in NLCS game 1, an emotional one for Raul Ortiz

The Phillies gave the perfect tribute to Ortiz and Mendez as they celebrated a win in the first game of the series. They won 5-3 on the back of three home runs by Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos, and some strong pitching by their frontman Zach Wheeler.

Odds are in their favor as game 1 winners in a seven-game series, with the 2-3-2 expected to take the series 54%.