BOSTON — David Ortiz on Monday made his biggest public appearance since being shot on June 9 in his native Dominican Republic. Before the series finale between the Boston Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway Park, Ortiz threw out a ceremonial first pitch to Jason Varitek, his former teammate from the World Series-winning 2004 and 2007 Red Sox teams.

Looking slimmer than before the shooting and multiple subsequent operations, Ortiz, 43, received a standing ovation and then delivered a 65-second speech that drew several rounds of applause from the crowd.

“I want to thank God for giving me a second opportunity in my life to be here with all of you,” Ortiz said. “I want to thank the Red Sox, my real family — they’ve always been there for me, supporting me. They were aware of what happened with me and they were the first ones there supporting me. Thank you very much Red Sox fam. I want to thank all of you for all the prayers. All of them came home. I really appreciate it. Thank you very much.”