As the Red Sox began their "rolling rally" through Boston to celebrate the eighth World Series championship in franchise history, the team made a brief but emotional stop at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Not long after the team's fleet of 25 amphibious "duck boats" -- one sporting a beard -- left Fenway Park on Saturday morning, the revelry was put on hold as the city paid tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing in April. Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes disembarked with the Commissioner's Trophy and a commemorative Red Sox jersey emblazoned with the "Boston Strong" slogan and the number "617," the city's area code. Gomes placed the trophy at the finish line and draped the jersey over it as "God Bless America" was played. Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia joined Gomes at the finish line with another commemorative jersey.
Several victims of the marathon bombing attended a pre-parade ceremony at Fenway, according to WBZ Boston. In the aftermath of the tragic events in April, the Red Sox embraced the "Boston Strong" mantra and regularly honored victims of the bombings as well as the first responders who rushed to aid those in need.
"We played for a lot more this year, obviously," Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said on Saturday, via MLB.com. "It's important the way the Red Sox play the game, but this year we were playing for other things, and it was pretty special the way we ended it. Hopefully we made a lot of people happy."
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