CLEVELAND — David Ortiz is ready to get back to baseball — and only baseball.

After a busy weekend capped by an emotional retirement ceremony on Sunday, Ortiz was wiped out. A three-day break before starting the Division Series on Thursday night was just what he needed.

“Oh, man. I was exhausted,’’ Ortiz said Wednesday before taking batting practice. “Some of those at-bats I had on Sunday, I had no chance.’’

Ortiz hosted a party at his home on Monday night for teammates and their families. He was at Fenway Park on Tuesday but passed up working out on the field.

“I feel a lot better now,’’ he said. “It’s just baseball now. No ceremonies, nothing else. I told everybody that. Just let me do what I need to do to get ready for the games.’’

Thursday will be Ortiz’s 74th postseason game with the Red Sox, the most in team history.

He can relate

In 2013, Craig Kimbrel was left in the bullpen by Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez and watched David Carpenter allow a two-run homer in the eighth inning in Game 4 of a Division Series against the Dodgers.

Kimbrel allowed nine earned runs in 67 innings that season and struck out 98. But he appeared in one of the four games in that playoff series.

So it was with great interest that Kimbrel watched Orioles manager Buck Showalter leave dominant reliever Zach Britton in the bullpen in Tuesday’s wild-card game against the Blue Jays.

The result was a 5-2 victory by Toronto when Edwin Encarnacion crushed a three-run, walkoff home run off Ubaldo Jimenez.

“It’s one of those things. Do you want to wait or get the guy in there? I’m glad we didn’t have to make that decision,’’ Kimbrel said.

Kimbrel said he wants the ball whether it’s a save situation or not.

“In the postseason, whenever we’re asked to get the ball we’ll be ready for it,’’ Kimbrel said.

Said Sox manager John Farrell: “I think we’ve demonstrated that the closer has been in non-save situations. That’s happened on multiple occasions. Craig is well aware of that.’’

Attendance jump

The Sox drew 2.95 million fans this season, eighth in the majors. But they were second in terms of capacity, filling 96.4 percent of the seats at Fenway. Only the Giants, at 99.1 percent, were higher, according to Sports Business Daily.

The Sox drew 74,740 more fans in 2016 than they did in ’15, an average of 923 per game.

“It’s a testament to the resiliency of our fans after two last-place finishes,’’ team president Sam Kennedy said. “They want to love us.’’

Kennedy said the team’s solid finish in 2015 and emergence of young stars such as Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. helped boost sales, as did the early notice of Ortiz planning to retire.

The weather played a role, too. Not one home game was rained out.

“We’re quick to point out when weather hurts when we don’t sell tickets. We have to give good weather credit, too,’’ Kennedy said.

The Sox sold out 51 games, including all 31 in the second half.

Ziegler honored

Brad Ziegler was selected for the one of the winners of the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award. The award goes to one major leaguer annually who has the values, integrity, and dedication to serving our country that Feller displayed.

Ziegler, whose grandfather served in the Korean War, started the Pastime for Patriots foundation in 2010 in support of members of the United States military and their families.

Old foes

This will be the fifth time the Red Sox have faced the Indians in the postseason. The teams met in three Division Series from 1995-99 and the ALCS in 2007. The Sox are 8-11 in postseason games against the Indians . . . Jason Varitek, a special assistant to the front office, was in uniform for Wednesday’s workout and will be with the team for the series . . . Travis Shaw, who played at nearby Kent State, was a special guest on Wednesday night for an exhibition game against Malone University . . . Indians manager Terry Francona’s father, 82-year-old Tito Francona, will throw out the first pitch prior to Game 1. He played for the Indians from 1959-64.