For his 'Some Good News' YouTube show, the actor teamed up with fellow Beantown figure David "Big Papi" Ortiz to honor medical professionals who are fighting on the front lines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
John Krasinski gave the health care professionals of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center a welcome surprise as they continue to work amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
To honor those on the front lines in his native city, Krasinski teamed up with fellow Beantown figure, baseball player David "Big Papi" Ortiz, to arrange for members of the hospital's COVID-19 response team to receive Boston Red Sox tickets for life. (Earlier this year, Krasinski and Ortiz co-starred in a Boston-set Super Bowl commercial for Hyundai alongside Chris Evans and Rachel Dratch.)
"Baseball is America's sport for a reason: It brings us all together," Krasninski said on his show. "And for me, and I'm sure a lot of you, the calendar just doesn't really feel the same until that opening day pitch is thrown out. Well, last week was supposed to be opening day for almost every major league team, and that loss was felt by everyone. And even in the midst of 24-hour shifts and sleepless nights, our health care heroes were missing baseball too."
Krasinski connected with the group of health care workers via video chat, thanking them for their service in this distressing time. He then welcomed Ortiz to the virtual discussion, during which the MLB legend also expressed his gratitude. "I've got to tell you guys from the very bottom of my heart how much I love you and respect you for what you guys are doing. Taking your lives, taking your time, that's something … it goes beyond everything."
After announcing their gift of lifelong Red Sox tickets, Krasinski and Oritz surprised the medical crew with a private tour of Fenway Park, where they were able to explore and throw out the "first pitches" of the 2020 MLB season.
Krasinski launched Some Good News in March, offering feel-good content as the world self-isolates. Last week, on its second installment, he welcomed Hamilton creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda to make a fan's wish come true by gifting tickets to her and her mom after their plans were canceled because of Broadway's current shutdown.
As of Monday, more than 1.8 million cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, with over 116,000 of those resulting in deaths. In the U.S., to date, there are more than 560,000 confirmed cases with over 22,000 deaths.
Watch Krasinski's third episode of Some Good News below.
