Red Sox Parade Stops At Finish Line To Honor Boston Marathon Bombing Victims
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — The Boston Red Sox set out on their parade from the Green Monster to the Charles River to celebrate a most improbable journey on Saturday.
The "rolling rally" left Fenway Park on Saturday three days after the team won the World Series with a 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6. It capped a stunning turnaround from 2012 when the Red Sox had their worst record in nearly half a century.
In Photos: Red Sox honor Boston Marathon bombing victims
Players still sporting their beards, manager John Farrell, coaches and team officials boarded 25 amphibious "duck boats" on the warning track.
A bittersweet moment during the parade took place near the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street where three spectators died and more than 200 were injured in the bombings during the April race.
There, Jonny Gomes and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, along with the staff of Marathon Sports, placed the World Series trophy on the finish line.
The trophy was draped in a '617 Boston Strong' Red Sox jersey. Singer Ronan Tynan performed God Bless America, as a crowd of thousands sang along.
The owner and manager of Marathon Sports near the finish line said the parade provoked a mix of emotions.
"Seeing all the people lined up, it's very reminiscent of what Marathon Day is like, so there's some very deep emotion there, confusion maybe on which way to go and how to think about it," Marathon Sports owner Colin Peddie said. "On one hand, we're here in the glory of it all but there's a lot of people that aren't because of what happened, so we have to remember that."
Dan Soleau, manager of Marathon Sports, also put the parade in perspective.
"I got here really early, at like 7:30 and I kept seeing people with backpacks and everything, and it's just one of those things where you realize you have to get on with life and you can't live in fear all the time," Soleau said. "There are going to be instances that are terrifying and there's going to be experiences that are amazing. You can't get stuck in tragedy."
Several of the bombing victims attended the pre-parade ceremonies at Fenway Park.
The "duck boat" parade wrapped up in the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge.
WBZ's Bree Sison contributed to this report.
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