Boston Red Sox Tribute Game at Fenway Park

On Friday night, all of Massachusetts found itself glued to the television. In what would prove to be the end of a week-long nightmare, the Commonwealth was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The city could finally think about returning to some semblance of normalcy once again.

The first step in that healing process would prove to be a baseball game—not just any baseball game though. It would be the first Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park since tragedy struck the city on Monday.

The day marked the 101st birthday of Fenway Park. It would also be the first game back from the disabled list for Sox slugger David Ortiz.

Neither fact mattered much, honestly.

What mattered most was the incredible opening ceremony put on by the Boston Red Sox organization. A tear-jerking video displaying images of the Boston Marathon set to Jeff Buckley’s version of “Hallelujah” kicked things off.

Images of the four deceased victims of the tragedy were displayed.

The Boston Police, Watertown Police, FBI, city officials, first responders and other heroes of the day were introduced and applauded loudly.

Dick and Rick Hoyt, marathon staples over the last 30 years, were in attendance to participate in the ceremonial first pitch.

David Ortiz addressed the crowd, dropping an expletive (that was even dismissed by the FCC, at least according to their Twitter feed) stating, “This is our [expletive] city.”

The day embodied the heart and soul of Boston. We are proud. We are united. We are strong.

In true Boston fashion, the game was won on heroics provided by left fielder Daniel Nava, whose eighth inning three-run home run would prove to be the difference in a 4-3 Red Sox victory.

It would also be the team’s seventh consecutive win.

While the city has a long way to go to recover from this tragedy, the Red Sox were able to honor the city in fine fashion today, momentarily helping all of us heal by forgetting for just a little while.