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Jonny Gomes's bat features tribute to Boston Marathon bombing victims

Print | Comments () Posted by Julian Benbow, Globe Staff April 21, 2013 05:53 PM

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By Julian Benbow, Globe staff

Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes paid tribute to the victims of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack by taking a specially engraved bat with him to the plate in the first game of the Red Sox' doubleheader with the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

The mantra "Boston Strong" was imprinted on the barrel of the bat along with the names Martin Richard, Lu Lingzi, Krystle Campbell, and Sean Collier, who all lost their lives in the past week as a result of the bombings at the finish line of the marathon and the manhunt that ensued in the following days.

His agent suggested the idea and they had four bats made. Gomes used them in his first two at-bats Sunday. He intends to have the other two signed by the team and auctioned off to raise money.

"Such a unique situation like that and how it touched all our hearts," Gomes said. "From just being scared and locked down to some people losing their lives, so I think everyone is up to something individually or as a team to help the community out. It's definitely not about me by any means, it's about who's on the bat and the cause that it's going to help out."