The Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to capture their third World Series title since 2004 and eighth overall. Led by World Series MVP David Ortiz and his bearded supporting cast, the team certainly lived up to the phrase "Boston Strong."
A party that probably hasn't completely let up since the clinching victory on Wednesday night continued with the championship parade throughout Boston. Using the famous Duck Boats, the Red Sox celebrated among a huge weekend gathering of fans.
The event started at Fenway Park, where team executives and players spoke to the crowd. It was also revealed that the amphibious vehicles the team would be riding in had beards of their own for the journey, as passed along by Joe McDonald of ESPN Boston:
Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia was enjoying the celebration so much he was already looking forward to doing it again, according to Fox 25 News:
A seemingly endless stream of players took to the stage, thanking the fans for their support throughout the season. All of them received big reactions from the crowd, which got a firsthand look at all the hardware the franchise has won over the past decade.
It was Stephen Drew's son who drew the most attention, though. As the shortstop was talking about everything the team accomplished, the young member of Red Sox Nation was waving to the fans, as Fox 25 News illustrated:
After wrapping up the Fenway festivities, the Red Sox got prepared for their trip around the city. Only In Boston passed along the parade route:
Meghan Irons of the Boston Globe showed the police presence that was on display for the celebration:
While many fans at the ballpark and during the parade made signs, Ryan Schulteis of 7 News passed along one of the best. It came from an 11-year-old fan, who showed exactly how easy championships seem for young fans in Boston:
Albie Landry III posted a picture on Instagram of David Ortiz wearing a WWE championship belt. Apparently that's the honor for hitting an eye-popping .688 during the World Series:
Ortiz also tried his hand at driving one of the Duck Boats and looked pretty comfortable behind the wheel in a photo provided by Jessica Moran of CSN New England:
Antoinette Antonio of WCVB captured an interesting moment when the Dropkick Murphys' truck got struck after performing at Fenway and a Duck Boat came to the rescue:
The Red Sox showed the massive throng of fans packed each side of the Boston streets to greet players like starting pitcher Jake Peavy:
Nilson Pepen of Conversando Deportes snapped a shot of the newest Red Sox title banner:
The amount of fans that came out to show their support and pride in the team was astounding. They were several layers deep for almost the entire journey, certainly showing no championship fatigue despite Boston's success across the sports spectrum in recent years.
Fox 25 News gave an example of the crowd:
Jon Lester was even surprised by the number of fans who lined the streets:
Lester's son joined him for the trip around Boston, and the Red Sox captured a nice family moment on Instagram:
When the parade reached the finish line of the Boston Marathon, it stopped momentarily as players took part in a touching moment of remembrance. They joined the crowd in signing God Bless America with the trophy and a Boston Strong jersey on the line.
WCVB captured the moment:
NECN supplied another view:
And here's WCVB's coverage of the scene:
As the parade rolled on, Lauren Banks provided the fans' perspective as the Duck Boats went by:
Eventually, after weaving their way through the streets of Boston, the Red Sox made their way to the Charles River. Taking vehicles into the water is something that makes the event special, and the crowd roared when they started to splash down.
WCVB caught the first boat getting ready to enter the water:
The Boston Police Department, which was a constant presence throughout the parade, called it the best party ever:
John Burke posted another perspective of the boats in the water with a picturesque background:
As the rolling rally started to reach its conclusion, Jared Carrabis of SoxSpace passed along the fitting cake that will be waiting for the players when they return to Fenway:
All things considered, it was a very memorable day in Boston.
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