Red Sox ace David Price donates to build ballpark

Boston Red Sox pitcher David Price donated a significant sum of money to help build a ballpark in his hometown for kids with special needs.

The Boston Red Sox lavished David Price with a lucrative contract to lure in the prized free agent pitcher this winter, now he’s giving some of it back to the community he grew up in.

Price returned to his hometown of Murfreesboro, Tenn. to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of a new ballpark being built for disabled children. The Red Sox ace provided a generous donation of $300,000 to aid in the efforts of building this new park.

The new park located at the McKnight Park grounds will be called Miracle Field and is expected to open in the spring of 2017, according to a report from the Tennessean. The park will also include a secondary field with synthetic turf that will be accessible for disabled athletes and used for events such as the Special Olympics.

"“One day of a couple hours of baseball doesn’t raise a lot of eyebrows for myself or a lot of other people, but for these kids it’s something they look forward to every day of the week leading up till Saturday,” said Price. “Just to be part of that and help put one here in our hometown is very special.”"

As part of the reception that Price received to celebrate his contributions toward turning Miracle Field into a reality he was also awarded a key to the city.

"“The community needs to step up and share this vision and get this done,” said Price’s father, Bonnie, who is working with his wife and others to to raise funds through their son’s Project One Four Foundation to pay for Miracle Field."

The Price family has certainly done their part to step up, but it will take the combined efforts of the community to bring this vision to life. There is still a lot of work to be done in order to prepare the field to be ready by next spring, but Price has been a tremendous help in getting the ball rolling.

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Some people scoff at the ridiculous amount of money thrown at athletes for playing a game like baseball, but those critics overlook what many of those players do with that money. Price is one of many Red Sox players that has been known to donate to various charities or help out in their communities. These remarkable athletes earn every cent they get, but it’s always heartwarming to see when they give back.