Ortiz filing for divorce, vows it won't affect play

BOSTON -- Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has been hitting at a torrid pace since coming off the disabled list. This, even as he deals with a personal matter.

Ortiz and his wife Tiffany are filing for a divorce. The couple has been married for nearly a decade after meeting when Ortiz was in the Minor Leagues.

"There are some situations in life that work out for a period of time and at some point they don't work out anymore and you have to move on," Ortiz said in an interview with MLB.com and WEEI.com. "I'm moving on. She's moving on. Hopefully everybody respects that."

While Ortiz wanted to release the news before it leaked out, he hopes the public will respect his family's privacy in the ensuing weeks.

The one thing Ortiz hopes nobody will do is try to look for a connection between his marriage ending and his performance on the field.

"I'm going to separate things," Ortiz said. "Whatever is happening to me off the field is happening, but I try not to confuse that and bring that into my job. I know how to separate things. Personal life matters, and hopefully everybody respects that."

The couple raised three children together, daughters Jessica and Alexandra, and son D'Angelo, who remains a constant presence in the Red Sox' clubhouse.

Ortiz wanted to emphasize that the separation has been amicable, and that both sides want to move forward with their lives.

In Sunday's win over the Astros, Ortiz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Over eight games, he is hitting .516 with two homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.400 OPS.