Ten-year-old Boston Red Sox fan Thomas Hastings wanted a baseball field in his backyard. And boy, did he get one.
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Thomas, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy and congenital scoliosis, now has a replica of Fenway Park in his backyard in Windsor, Connecticut -- his own "Fantasy Fenway Park."
The ballpark, built in just 34 days, has a replica Green Monster, a bullpen, bleacher seats and a press box. There's even a smaller version of the famous Citgo sign near Fenway Park lurking behind the seats atop the replica Green Monster.
According to Good Morning America's Katie Kindelan, the park features 15-foot baselines with regulation bases and a ramp near the Green Monster so that Thomas, who spends close to 50 percent of his time in a motorized wheelchair, can play the game he loves and explore his new ballpark. The bleachers in the outfield were donated by the Red Sox.
"That's one of the things that was so great about his wish, it's giving him back the ability to compete," Thomas' father, Brad, told Kindelan. "His love for baseball is deep."
Fenway Park head groundskeeper Dave Mellor visited Thomas in the process of building the field and showed Thomas his World Series rings.
Kindelan writes that Thomas attended his first Red Sox game when he was 3 years old and threw out the first pitch at a Red Sox game in 2014. Thomas, who falls asleep listening to baseball games, is an honorary member of the University of Hartford's baseball team.
The University of Hartford baseball team, along with hundreds of friends, members and contractors, attended Fantasy Fenway's opening game this past Saturday. Windsor police did traffic control and drove shuttles to the Hastings' home. Of course, Thomas threw out the first pitch at the ballpark and emulated the pregame routine of David Ortiz, his favorite player.
"He was 100 percent in his element," said Brad of his son. "Here's a kid who gets so tired out and so worn down so easily, and he was just running on pure adrenaline, so full of energy."
-- Alex Tekip