'The Best City In America': World Series Champion Red Sox Roll Through Boston
BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Red Sox fans lined the streets of Boston to celebrate the World Series champions on Wednesday.
A rolling duck boat parade kicked off outside Fenway Park at the intersection of Ipswich and Boylston Streets at 11 a.m. Barriers went going up early Wednesday morning along the parade route, which was closed to traffic starting at 5 a.m.
Bits of red, white and blue paper rained down on the crowd on the crisp autumn day as they waited for a glimpse of the ballplayers passing in the city's emblematic amphibious duck boats. The players and members of their families waved down in response from the open-roofed vehicles.
"This is about a celebration of a great baseball team, a celebration of the best city in America," Mayor Marty Walsh said inside Fenway Park.
The Dropkick Murphys were on the first float in the parade, playing music to lead the way. Many players recorded the scene on cell phones and cameras from their duck boats.
Boston manager Alex Cora waved a flag from his native Puerto Rico. After the parade, he told reporters that he planned to bring the trophy to the island Saturday.
Police put multiple security measures in place, including uniformed officers all along the parade route. People were reminded to be aware of their surroundings and to report anything suspicious.
The Commuter Rail has 386 coaches in service Wednesday, the most ever used on a single day.
Max Colognesi, 16, was one of the countless Boston-area students who skipped class to take in the parade.
"Everyone is here. It's awesome," said the youth, who was wearing a jersey of Red Sox star Mookie Betts as he stood near the ballpark. "I have a lot of work to get back to when I get home, but it's worth it."
A Jackie Bradley Jr. fan was shocked when the player stopped his car to sign his jersey. "This is something I can only dream of and I still think this is kind of a dream right now, said Matt Levenson from Shrewsbury.
Police reported that one fan was arrested after he threw a beer can at one of the duck boats. A fan reportedly tossed a full can of beer at one of the boats, and it struck and slightly damaged a World Series trophy.
Red Sox pitcher David Price made news to start the day, announcing he is opting into his contract and will be back with the team.
"I'm not going anywhere," he told reporters.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
