The pregame ceremony came with a few surprises, with an added emphasis on David Ortiz on the day of his last Fenway opener. Big Papi’s own daughter came out to sing the National Anthem, which he would later claim made him more nervous than any at-bat of his career. Not that there was any need to be nervous – she did a fantastic job, making her Papi proud.
Ortiz naturally came out to throw the first pitch, but he wasn’t alone. Joining him were three legends from the pantheon of Boston sports history, representing each of the other major franchises in town – Ty Law (Patriots), Bobby Orr (Bruins) and Bill Russell (Celtics). All three of these icons received a hearty applause, but the only one that could rival Ortiz for the biggest roar from the crowd was the 11-time NBA champion.
Ty Law, Bobby Orr and Bill Russell join @davidortiz to throw out the 1st pitch! #RedSox pic.twitter.com/bPO7pVBz7X
— BoSox Injection (@BoSoxInjection) April 11, 2016
In case that wasn’t enough, Ortiz was also greeted by a trio of his former Red Sox teammates. Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek all joined Ortiz on the field in celebration of the final season of his epic career. It’s always great to see former stars return to Fenway, but we still had a game to play. So with that, Pedro grabbed the microphone and yelled, “Play ball!”
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