The Day Hall of Famer Jim Rice Saved a Little Boy’s Life
The most amazing thing that Rice ever did in a Red Sox uniform wasn’t even on the field
August 7, 1982. Fenway Park.
Boston Red Sox versus the Chicago White Sox.
The score was tied at 2–2.
Four-year-old Jonathan Keane was sitting in the seats behind the first base dugout with his dad and two-year-old brother. In the fourth inning, Red Sox second baseman, Dave Stapleton stepped up to the plate and the pitch was launched. Stapleton’s bat collided with the ball and turned into a line drive foul over the first base dugout. Suddenly, a relaxing day at the ballpark turned into a nightmare for the Keane family.
Seconds after the crack of the bat, Jonathan was down. Jonathan’s father, Tom, initially assumed the ball had struck the dugout. He then looked down to see his son, slumped over, and covered in blood. Jonathan had a large laceration to his forehead and was unconscious. Onlookers began yelling for emergency medical help.
Instinctively, Red Sox player and future Hall of Famer, Jim Rice hopped out of the dugout, grabbed the little boy, and held him in his arms as he ran to the dugout. By the time Rice…
