Three years ago, when David Ortiz was enmeshed in a staggering slump to open the season, his relationship with his age and time started to assume an ominous prominence.

Was time catching up to him? At 33, was he done as an elite hitter?

Or, more cynically, had Ortiz cheated time? Was it possible that he had doctored his date of birth at the start of his pro career to secure prospect status?*

(* - Ortiz acknowledged that he in fact had falsified his date of birth when turning pro -- though he’d done so to make himself older so that he could start his pro career sooner, a matter he cleared up near the start of his career after being traded from the Mariners to the Twins.)

Now, the discussion is different -- how is Ortiz not merely defying but in fact mocking time? At age 36, how on earth is he performing at a level that is in line with, and in some ways better than, the best seasons of his career?

Ortiz continued his remarkable season in the Red Sox’ 9-6 loss to the Blue Jays on Monday night. He blasted a pair of home runs, the 19th and 20th of the season and the 397th and 398th of his career, continuing a season in which he has hit with mind-blowing power. His first-inning blast was particularly impressive, as the Red Sox slugger jumped on a 96 mph fastball from Toronto starter Henderson Alvarez and sent it screaming over the Red Sox bullpen in right-center for a mammoth blast.

“Unbelievable. I feel like the guy hits everything hard,” marveled Will Middlebrooks, who suggested he is trying to take lessons in consistency from the veteran, and with good reason.

With 37 multi-homer games in his Red Sox career, Ortiz has now matched Ted Williams as the franchise record-holder in that particular category -- an astonishing feat given that Williams played 2,292 games for the Sox, more than 900 more than the 1,359 games in which Ortiz has played in a Red Sox uniform.

But in some respects, that career milestone is secondary to the singular accomplishment of what Ortiz is doing this season. With 20 homers in 73 Red Sox team games, he is on pace to go deep 44 times this year, a total that would be the third best of his career, hearkening to his days as the premier power hitter in the American League from 2004-06.

In fact, if his past history of hitting for more power in the second half than the first is any indication, he could exceed even that lofty projection. The only time he had more than 20 homers through 73 games was in 2006, when he had 22 homers en route to his career-high 54. In 2005, he had 19 through 73 team games on his way to 47 for the year. In 2004, when he hit 41 homers, he had 18 in the first 73 Red Sox games of the year.

Only seven players have gone deep 40 or more times in a season in their age 36 season or later. Barry Bonds did it four times; Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Rafael Palmeiro and Andres Galarraga each did it twice; Darrell Evans and Hank Sauer were each one-time members of the club.

Meanwhile, he is dominating left-handed pitching in a fashion that is as impressive as at any point in his career. The slugger drilled a homer to center against Blue Jays southpaw Darren Oliver in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving him a .337 average (best of his career), .362 OBP (tied for fourth-best in his career), .673 slugging mark (best of his career) and 1.035 OPS (best of his career) against lefties.  

How to explain the fact that, at a time when decline is the norm, Ortiz is going the Hank Aaron route and posting some of the best numbers of his career? Explanations are in short supply.

The slugger declined to comment on the matter when approached by reporters after the game, citing his need to go home after a rain-interrupted game that ended just before midnight. (A 36-year-old, after all, does need his sleep.) Meanwhile, his manager offered little beyond amazement.

“I can't tell you what to attribute it to. His batting practice every day is stellar. You know his games have been consistently terrific,” manager Bobby Valentine said, noting that Ortiz hit what seemed like his only road bump this year in recent days, when he went 0-for-11 over three games, enjoyed an off day on Sunday and then responded immediately with Monday’s big night. “He got the off-day and he came back with a vengeance tonight. I'm not going to try to analyze it, I'm just going to enjoy.”

His late-career power renaissance has even brought into view a goal that at many points in his career seemed impossible -- that of 500 home runs. With 398 career longballs, he is poised to blow past the 400 marker in the immediate future, likely before the All-Star break. If he sustains his current pace, he would finish the year with 422 trips around the bases.

Ortiz -- who has frequently expressed disappointment that the Sox have not offered him a two-year deal -- has with those complaints made clear that he wants to play for at least two years beyond this one.

Three players in history (Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and Hank Aaron) have launched at least 78 combined homers in their age 37-38 seasons; nine have hit at least 78 in their age 37-39 seasons; and a more robust total of 28 have hit at least 78 homers after turning 37.

At this point, it would be foolhardy to dismiss the likelihood of any of those totals, as Ortiz is performing to a standard that has little precedent at his age. While history suggests that the slugger should be in a state of precipitous decline, Ortiz is ignoring such trends and carving his own path.