BOSTON >> Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz threw out the first pitch before Monday night’s game against the New York Yankees.

It was his first public appearance since June, when he was shot and seriously injured in his native Dominican Republic.

Red Sox and Yankees players stood near their dugouts and applauded as Ortiz was introduced. The fans gave him a rousing ovation as he bounded up the steps of the dugout with no apparent effects from the June 9 assassination attempt in a Santo Domingo nightclub.

Dominican police say it was a case of mistaken identity.

Ortiz took a microphone on the pitcher’s mound and thanked Red Sox fans for their prayers and support. He then took a seat in the front row of the stands, next to the Boston dugout.