Aug. 7, 1982: Jim Rice saves Jonathan Keane

[Scott Cooper's Grand Slam]

Alt: Wearing a stern expression, Jim Rice cradles a child bleeding profusely from the head. The side of the child's face is covered in blood.

A post containing this photo has been circulating among my Facebook friends. Somehow I've never heard this story -- not from my dad, who calls Jim Ed his favorite. Not during Rice's Hall of Fame candidacy or induction. Not from decades of listening to Jerry Remy on TV, who played in this game. And not during the discussion of putting up netting at Fenway. It's quite likely that I haven't been paying attention, but I wonder if anyone has stories about this to share.

Why isn't this story told more often? Is it simply that it's a traumatic memory for all involved, and all would rather move on? This seems like the type of "star player does something heroic" tale that sportswriters would have immortalized.

Here is Shank's column from that night.

Jim Rice acted quickly. He darted to the railing and the child was passed into his arms. Rice carried the youngster through the dugout runway, into the Red Sox clubhouse and into the trainer’s room. Red Sox physician Dr. Arthur Pappas, who’d been watching from his customary box seat, beat Rice to the trainer’s room, called Children’s Hospital and ordered an ambulance. Pappas estimated that the child was in the ambulance less than two minutes after being hit.

Here is a short retrospective from SI

That event is best remembered for Jim Rice’s heroism. He sprinted out of the dugout, scooped up Jonathan and rushed him into the Sox’ clubhouse for treatment and then transport to Boston Children’s Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to relieve pressure caused by swelling in his brain. The moment was immortalized by an image of Rice, the future Hall of Famer who was known as much for his orneriness as his bat, cradling the bleeding child. “Jim Rice likely saved Jonathan’s life,” says Tom. “If he hadn’t reacted so quickly, god knows what might have happened.”

 

[Rice4HOF]

I had a copy of an article from the Hartford Courant looking back on this 15 years after the fact. I'm sorry I lost it in one of my moves http://articles.courant.com/1997-08-07/sports/9708070354_1_dave-stapleton-day-rice-made-contact-red-sox

 

[E5 Yaz]

 

[Ferm Sheller]

My 12 year old self was at that game and sitting on the third base side. The ball rocketed off of Stapleton’s bat and there was much commotion on the first base side between the Sox’ dugout and the plate. Rice took a couple of steps out of the dugout and had a look and then just went over and picked the kid up and raced him down the dugout steps and into the tunnel. From the time Rice left the dugout to his return couldn’t have been more than 15-20 seconds.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

I seem to recall a discussion hereabouts on this event .. specifically on why Remy doesn’t remember it .. IIRC it was claimed he was out of the game when this happened.

The box score says otherwise ..

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS198208070.shtml

Or am I misremembering?

 

[Harry Hooper]

I have no interest in finding them, but there were photos of Rice on the field with blood on his uniform. An awful event, but a truly clutch response by Jim Ed.

 

[Green Monster]

Hall of Famer in every sense!

 

[Kenesaw Martin Landau]