BOSTON — The Patriots’ Day Red Sox game at Fenway Park remains one of the most special and unique games in Major League Baseball, and that’s been especially true since the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.
After the tragedy, the Red Sox played a part in getting the city back on its feet, from David Ortiz’s pregame F-bomb during the Red Sox’s return to Boston to the team’s eventual World Series win. And Red Sox manager John Farrell was well aware of the game’s place in Patriots’ Day history before Monday’s 11:05 a.m. matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“There’s always reminders of (2013), and I think for those of us who were here and walked off the field that day just as those bombs were detonated, that will never be I don’t think ever omitted or erased from our mind,” Farrell said. “The frenzy that followed immediately, but then what grew out of that day.
“So while we remember those who were victims, there was I think a unique and special bond that was created and fostered over the rest of that summer, and I would hope that we played a part in the healing of some of the people that were coming to the ballpark each and every day, but when you see the victims and the stories that have come out of that day, it’s a place in history that we’ll never forget.”
As for the game, Ortiz was a notable omission from Monday’s lineup, as it’s the final Patriots’ Day game of his career. But Farrell said that was a decision made before the series against the Blue Jays even started.
“I had a chance to talk with David before this series opened up, and with the start times, I can understand that there are going to be things or points in this season that might have that historic perspective to it,” Farrell said. “But that wasn’t something that David made it a wish or a demand on his part.”
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
