Sports
West Hartford Man, 91, Meets David Ortiz, Gives Hitting Advice at Spring Training
The World War II veteran had a special day at a recent Boston Red Sox exhibition game in Florida.
WEST HARTFORD, CT – As he prepares to embark on the final season of his 20-year career, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz got some hitting advice from a 91-year-old West Hartford resident at a spring training game in Fort Myers, Fla., last week.
Ernie Lefebvre, a World War II veteran, told Ortiz that he’s always pulling the ball and he should try hitting to left field more often, according to the Hartford Courant.
The Courant reports that in addition to meeting Ortiz, Lefebvre got to shout “Play Ball!” over the public address system to start the March 17 exhibition game between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.
As Ortiz walked up to Lefebvre, he said “There’s a hero over there,” according to the Courant.
Lefebvre told the Courant that his son Paul Lefebvre, a retired Marine Corps general, is a hero and he thinks it was one of his connections that arranged the meeting with Ortiz.
Read more at the Hartford Courant here.
Patch file photo
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