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David Ortiz left Monday a hospital in the Dominican Republic to Boston in a plane provided by the Red Sox.
Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy confirmed earlier today that the team would send a plane to the Dominican Republic in the hope of Ortiz in Boston on Monday night.
"For the moment, the club focuses exclusively on David's health and well-being," Kennedy said at a press conference. "We are doing everything in our power to bring David back to Boston as soon as possible."
Ortiz, an emblematic figure of the Red Sox, was shot Sunday in a club of Santo Domingo. A team of surgeons, led by Dr. Abel Gonzalez, operated Ortiz for six hours and removed part of his intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder. Ortiz also suffered liver damage.
Doctors have approved the transfer of Ortiz for further treatment, Gonzalez told ESPN.
"The level of stability that Big Papi is showing right now allows him to travel immediately," said Gonzalez.
Authorities said that 43-year-old Ortiz was ambushed by a man who took down a motorcycle and shot him in the back at almost empty speed around 20:50. Local time Sunday at Dial Bar and Lounge.
Police had two suspects in custody Monday afternoon: the alleged gunman and the alleged driver of the bike.
The driver of the bike was identified as 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia, who was captured and beaten by a crowd at the bar, according to the director of the Dominican National Police, Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte.
Garcia suffered a skull contusion and trauma to the thorax, left knee, and right leg, according to the Dominican Republic's National Health Service. He was treated at the Dario Contreras Hospital in Santo Domingo before being returned to custody.
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Former Red Sox receiver Jason Varitek begins to speak with emotion about David Ortiz and is very appreciative of his former teammate.
The police have not yet revealed the identity of the suspect. Earlier Monday, police spokesman Colonel Frank Duran Mejia identified Garcia as the alleged gunman.
Investigators are trying to determine if Ortiz was the target, said Bautista. Ortiz's father, Leo, told the local media that he absolutely did not know why anyone would have shot his son.
Ortiz, who was born in Santo Domingo, played baseball for 20 seasons and was best known for his 14 years with Boston.
Ortiz has trained 10 star teams and won three world series with the Red Sox before retiring in 2016. He was named MVP of the World Series in 2013, when he helped the Red Sox to defeat the Cardinals of St. Louis.
He helped rally the city after the Boston Marathon bombings that year, delivering a speech at Fenway Park, inviting the crowd to stay "strong in Boston."
"We all remember 2013, when we needed David Ortiz the most, he was there for us at the end of April, so it's appropriate and expected that this community will gather around David when he needs us the most." said Kennedy.
The Red Sox have removed the number 34 from Ortiz in 2017, and Boston has renamed a bridge and a stretch of road outside Fenway Park in his honor. He has a house in Weston, on the outskirts of Boston.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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