NEWTON, Mass. (AP) 鈥� Hall of Famer David Ortiz said Boston Red Sox owner John Henry is concerned about the direction of his last-place team.
Speaking at his celebrity golf tournament 鈥� the 鈥淒avid Ortiz Soiree of Hearts鈥� 鈥� the former Red Sox great said he鈥檚 talked to Henry recently about the club鈥檚 struggles.
鈥淗e鈥檚 worried. We had a conversation. I can see. I鈥檝e known John a long time, him and the whole team 鈥� him and (chairman) Tom Werner, the whole group, they鈥檙e working on figuring things out to get this ride better,鈥� Ortiz said Monday morning in an interview with The Associated Press.
Boston is 25-33, trailing the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays by 12 games.
鈥淗e knows the direction of this team and he鈥檚 worried about the team鈥檚 situation more than what people think he is,鈥� he said.
The 76-year-old Henry, along with his partners, bought the club in 2002. He’s had limited interviews the past few years and hasn鈥檛 been part of a team news conference since the club .
Ortiz said it鈥檚 hard for fans to understand that Henry still cares about the team鈥檚 direction because of his public demeanor.
鈥淭he thing is, that you see John, and John is someone that he manages his emotions really well,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 very professional at everything he does. Sometimes, for people, it鈥檚 hard for them to understand that part of (him), but he鈥檚 worried.鈥�
The , who retired following the 2016 season and was , said Henry wants the club to return to its success from 2004 to 2018 when it captured four World Series titles.
鈥淚 sat down to talk to John, and he wants to figure it out. He wants to have the formula to go back to the old days,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like he just gives up. Sometimes people don鈥檛 understand that the way that this game goes, that it鈥檚 hard to stay up there.鈥�
Henry also owns English soccer team Liverpool,
The Red Sox in April.
Last month, towing a banner imploring ownership to sell the team.
Asked if Henry was worried about the fans, too, Ortiz said the owner thinks about everything.
鈥淲hen you worry, you worry about everything in general. You worry about the team, you worry about the fans and you worry about how everything is moving around,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 tell you, the boss is, he鈥檚 working, he鈥檚 working. He鈥檚 working on putting the pieces that moving forward things get better around here.鈥�
Ortiz鈥檚 golf tourney supports the David Ortiz Children鈥檚 Fund, which has provided lifesaving heart surgeries for more than 1,900 children in New England and his native country, the Dominican Republic, and helped nearly 19,000 with cardiac care.
Hall of Famer and was among the celebrities on hand.
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