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Rob Gronkowski spikes first pitch at Red Sox-Guardians Patriots’ Day game

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison•04/15/24•

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Rob Gronkowski, Red Sox
Rob Gronkowski, Red Sox - © Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots Day is an important one to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Boston in particular. It’s a holiday that sees runners flock to the city for the Boston Marathon, while the Boston Red Sox have played a home game in the morning every year since 1959.

To celebrate, the Red Sox invited one of the all-time great New England Patriots to throw out the ceremonial first pitch — Rob Gronkowski. Excited about the opportunity, Gronkowski threw out the first pitch the way he knows best, by spiking it into the ground.

You can watch Rob Gronkowski spike the first pitch on the mound at Fenway Park, here:

During his playing career in the NFL, Gronkowski became known for his touchdown celebration where he spiked the ball. Fans in New England know that celebration well, with 79 of his career touchdowns coming in nine seasons with the Patriots.

Marathon Monday as a whole has been a big one for Gronkowski. He’s also serving as the grand marshal for the Boston Marathon, which saw the men’s race start at 9:37 A.M. and the women’s race start at 9:47 A.M.

“The weather is perfect. The Boston Marathon runners are ready to run. It couldn’t be a better setting than this,” Gronkowski said.

“It’s going to remind me a lot of the parades that we had here. I had three parades while here in New England on those duck boats. Let me tell you, those were the best experiences of my life and today will remind me of those days, driving this course and just waving at the people. Hopefully, no beers are chucked at me.”

The record for the Boston Marathon time for the men is held by Geoffrey Mutai, who ran the 2011 race with a time of just 2:03:02. On the women’s side of things, Buzunesh Deba holds the record, having won the 2014 race with a time of 2:19:59.

The traditional Red Sox game is an odd one for the players, who aren’t used to playing games that start before noon. It can often lead to unique circumstances, given that teams often play night games the day before and have to travel into the city. That’s the case with this year’s game, as the Cleveland Guardians needed to travel to Boston from Ohio yesterday.

By spiking the first pitch, Rob Gronkowski certainly provided another memorable moment for the Boston Red Sox on Patriots Day.