David Ortiz exits in ninth inning after fouling pitch off leg

BOSTON -- David Ortiz's farewell season took what appeared to be an ominous turn Wednesday night.

Ortiz couldn't put any pressure on his right leg after fouling off a pitch from New York Yankees closer Dellin Betances in the ninth inning of the Boston Red Sox's 9-4 loss at Fenway Park.

Ortiz crumpled to the ground and was in obvious pain before being helped from the field by Red Sox manager John Farrell and a trainer.

The Red Sox can't afford to lose Ortiz, their cleanup hitter and the most feared slugger in their lineup.

Entering Wednesday night, when Ortiz went 0-for-2 with three walks (two intentional), he was batting .309 with 36 doubles, 25 homers, 88 RBI, a .398 on-base percentage and a 1.013 OPS.