Dominican baseball players 'embarrassed' over David Ortiz shooting: 'It's an international shame'

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Suspected Ortiz shooter among six suspects in custody in Dominican Republic

The suspects involved in the shooting of former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz got paid $7,800 for the hit, according to authorities; Steve Harrigan reports from Santo Domingo.

Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic feel “embarrassed” by the shooting that wounded David Ortiz at a Santo Domingo bar over the weekend, Eduardo Nuñez said Wednesday.

Nuñez, who is currently on the Boston Red Sox and was born in the Dominican Republic, expressed his outrage over the shooting in an interview with ESPN.

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“Just thinking about the fact that this happened to him in the Dominican Republic, it is unimaginable,” the infielder said. “For us, as Dominican players, it's a very bad image. It is an international shame.”

He added: “We feel very embarrassed about what happened to him because he is a legend from our homeland, and this happened to him in our homeland."

Eduardo Nunez says Dominican players are 'embarrassed' over the David Ortiz shooting. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Nuñez has played for the Red Sox since 2017 but was never a teammate of Ortiz. He was mostly a nemesis during his time with the New York Yankees from 2010 to 2013. He said he has checked in with Ortiz since the former slugger was taken to a Massachusetts hospital.

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“It was just a brief greeting, but it felt good to have the opportunity to talk to him,” Nuñez said.

Ortiz was shot in the torso at close range at a Santo Domingo bar Sunday. He had to have his gallbladder and part of his intestine removed.

Police announced they arrested six people in connection with the shooting and were searching for four others.