Former MLB great David Ortiz and actor John Krasinski surprised health care workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Boston and gifted them Red Sox season tickets for life.
In the latest episode of Krasinski’s Some Good News YouTube show, the former The Office star held a conference call with a group of medical staff working at the frontline in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
While Krasinski and the health care workers discussed how much they miss baseball, Ortiz interrupted the chat to surprise the hospital staff.
“I gotta tell you guys from the very bottom of my heart how much I love you and respect you for what you guys are doing,” the former Red Sox first baseman said.
“Taking your lives, taking your time, that’s something that it goes beyond everything so the Red Sox are gonna donate four tickets for life to you and everybody at Beth Israel.”
Both Ortiz and Krasinski have strong connections to Boston. The former spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox, winning three World Series titles, while Krasinski was born in the city’s Brighton neighborhood and was then raised in Newton, approximately seven miles from downtown Boston.
As the Hollywood star explained, securing a Red Sox ticket is no easy feat. Krasinski himself has been on the waiting list for 16 years, but nobody will begrudge hospital workers for receiving preferential treatment.
“To see you guys actually tearful and joyful is a near impossibility and brings tears to my eyes,” he told the workers before Ortiz’s intervention. “I know we’re all missing baseball season, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring baseball to you.”
Six workers from the hospital’s coronavirus response team were also treated to a tour of Fenway Park. Krasinski directed them outside the hospital to what he described as “the most sanitized duck boat in America,” which then took the group to the Red Sox’s famous ballpark.
As of Tuesday morning, almost 583,000 cases have been reported in the U.S., by far the highest tally in the world. Over 23,600 deaths have been recorded in the U.S. and over 44,000 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University, which has been tracking the outbreak using combined data sources.
Almost 120,000 people have died globally since the outbreak of coronavirus began in Wuhan, a city located in China’s central Hubei province, late last year. There have been over 1.9 million confirmed cases globally.
The MLB season was due to get underway on March 26 but was delayed indefinitely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Last week, ESPN reported the MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) had discussed the possibility of getting the season underway next month and have received the support of high-ranking federal public health officials.
Federal officials at the CDC and at the National Institute of Health have reportedly offered their support to the idea but any plans implemented by the MLB would have to strictly adhere to the social distancing measures recommended by both agencies.
The proposal being considered by the MLB would involve all 30 franchises playing games at Chase Field, the home of Arizona Diamondbacks, in Phoenix and at other ballparks in the Phoenix area, including 10 spring training facilities. All the games would be played behind closed doors.
