The death of Johnny Pesky hit Boston Red Sox nation hard when his passing was made public on Monday. The 93-year-old Pesky had been associated with the Red Sox for 61 of his 73 years of involvement with Major League Baseball with the last 44 years being continuous.
Known for his loyalty and exuberance for the game of baseball, in an interview with MLB.com, current Red Sox players David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia spoke of their fondess for Pesky and how much he'll me missed around the organization
Said Ortiz:
"I've been in this organization for the last 10 years and Johnny is what the Red Sox would call the franchise," said David Ortiz. "It comes down to this. When you talk about the Red sox, you talk about Johnny Pesky and not being able to have him around physically anymore, this is something hard to deal with. It's very devastating to find out that he passed away."
Pedroia adds:
"He was the best," said Dustin Pedroia. "Every day you'd come in, he'd always put a smile on your face. He'd always joke around with you and make sure you were focused. It was fun. I remember my rookie year, he'd always give me a hard time and give me stories about Ted Williams and you'd always give him a hard time back. When you think of the Red Sox, you think of Johnny. He always treated everyone great. We're going to miss him."
To honor Pesky, the team will wear black arm bands on their road uniforms and for their home and alternate jerseys, the players will wear a black patch with Pesky's No. 6 in white.
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