John Krasinski and Red Sox team up to surprise Beth Israel staff at Fenway Park

Boston Globe – April 13, 2020


John K and David Ortiz surprise Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s COVID-19 Unit Staff. Credit: Youtube

AT&T pledges to cover every US healthcare worker’s cell phone bill for three months

It started with a tweet.

“Even though we miss [Red Sox] baseball and the excitement down the street at Fenway, [Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s] Red Sox Nation is still going strong!”

Like many sports fans around the country, the staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is feeling the void of a spring without baseball. But in his third episode of “Some Good News,” John Krasinski, a Newton native, teamed up with the Red Sox to offer a string of surprises for nurses and doctors, reminding folks that good news does in fact prevail.

“I know we’re all missing baseball,” Krasinski said. “Even in the midst of 24-hour shifts and sleepless nights, our healthcare heroes are missing baseball, too.”

Phoning-in staffers from Beth Israel’s COVID-19 unit, Krasinski presented his “hometown healthcare heroes” with their first in a series of surprises: A message from David Ortiz.

“I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart how much I love and respect you for what you’re doing,” Ortiz said via video. As a thank you, he announced the Red Sox would be donating four tickets to Beth Israel and its employees “for life.”

“I thought I was a big deal and I’ve been on that wait list for 16 years,” Krasinski said.

Next, “the most sanitized Duck Boat in America” took Beth Israel staffers for a spin around the city, stopping at Fenway Park.

“The most special place in Boston has just been opened up to the most special people in Boston,” Krasinski said. “This place is yours.”

The Jumbotron flashed “thank you” videos from Mayor Marty Walsh, Governor Charlie Baker and First Lady Lauren Baker, and the entire Red Sox roster. And finally, the staff of Beth Israel’s COVID-19 unit stood on the pitchers’ mound under stadium lights and threw out the first pitch of the 2020 season.

“You are so our heroes, and the most wonderful, lovable people,” Krasinski said. But before signing-off, he offered one more bit of good news for the nurses and doctors who couldn’t make it to Fenway.

“After finding out that we’d be honoring our healthcare heroes this episode, AT&T reached out and asked how they could help,” Krasinski said. “Having no idea what I was talking about, I said, ‘Maybe you could cover the cellphone bills of every nurse and doctor in America for one month.’ Their response? ‘How about three?’″

AT&T will cover every nurse and doctor’s cellphone bill in America for three months.

Brittany Bowker can be reached at brittany.bowker@globe.com. Follower her on Twitter @brittbowker.

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