York Hospital caregivers were ready to celebrate the Boston Red Sox’s scheduled home opener at Fenway Park on Thursday, April 1, before it was postponed until Friday because of rain. As in previous years, the hospital’s dining team prepared to knock it out of the park with a baseball-inspired menu, and caregivers shared their enthusiasm by sporting their favorite fan gear.
This year, however, York Hospital’s connection to Red Sox Nation is even closer to home, thanks to a long-hoped-for, off-season encounter between a veteran pitcher and a loyal fan.
Ogunquit resident Michael Doyle’s ticket to the American League Championship Game at Fenway Park on Oct. 4, 1975, which was recently autographed by Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant, of Wells, Maine, when the two men crossed paths at York Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at St. Christopher’s Church in York, Maine, on Feb. 9, 2021.
What do legendary Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant and Ogunquit resident Michael Doyle have in common? A date with destiny, in the form of concurrent appointments at York Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at St. Christopher’s Church in York, on Feb. 9, 2021.
It all started back in 1975 when Red Sox fan Doyle purchased a $2 bleacher seat for the Oct. 4 American League Championship Series game at Fenway Park, where the Red Sox played against the Oakland A’s. Red Sox star Luis Tiant pitched and won this first game, 7-1, and the Red Sox team went on to sweep the series, 3-0, advancing to the World Series to battle the Cincinnati Reds. The Sox took the Series to seven games, ultimately losing the last game and surrendering the dream for another year — actually, until 2004, when the Sox won their first World Series title since 1918.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant, right, of Wells, Maine, poses for a photo with Michael Doyle of Ogunquit, Maine, after the two men crossed paths at York Hospital’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at St. Christopher’s Church in York, Maine, on Feb. 9, 2021.
Doyle has been saving his game ticket since then, hoping to have it signed if he ever ran into Tiant. In fact, once he learned Tiant had moved to Wells, Doyle started carrying the ticket in his wallet because he thought his chances of running into him were greater. On the second day of York Hospital’s vaccine clinic, the curse was broken, even though the 2021 Red Sox opener was postponed one day.
While waiting during the observation period following his vaccination, Doyle recognized Tiant and approached him with the ticket. Tiant graciously autographed this special piece of Red Sox history and posed for a photo with Doyle, making a great memory even greater. The rest is history, and York Hospital was happy to make the assist.