BOSTON (AP) — Thirteen years ago, the Boston Red Sox returned to the field five days after two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and injuring more than 260.
When they came back to Fenway Park for that next home game, a new jersey was born, and the Red Sox have worn it every Patriots’ Day since.
The regular “Red Sox” across the front of the white home jerseys with red letters was replaced with “Boston.” Traditionally in baseball, most teams wear their nicknames across the front at home and their cities are printed on away jerseys.
On that day in 2013, Hall of Famer David Ortiz walked out in front of the mound and was handed a microphone. He started out by saying: “This jersey that we wear today, it doesn’t say Red Sox, it says Boston.”
Then, he went on to speak the strong words that culminated his speech.
“This is our (expletive) city, and nobody is going to dictate our freedom," he said. "Stay strong.”
Before Monday’s game against Detroit, a large group of Boston Marathon bombing survivors yelled out the customary “Play Ball!” that’s done before each game.
Jonny Gomes, a member of the 2013 team who had a pinch-hit double in that first game back, threw out a ceremonial first pitch Monday.
“There's a lot. The white jerseys and Boston across it, who ever came up with that?” Gomes said of what that day was like. “Whoever came up with Boston Strong? ... Here we are 13 years later with the tradition still strong.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said it’s a special day for many reasons, with the game coinciding with the Boston Marathon. He also thinks that day in 2013, when the Red Sox returned, was a big part in bringing the city together.
“Kind of like pushes them more,” Cora said. “Kind of got like everyone united in the city.”
It was also the start of a run that sparked the Red Sox to 2013 World Series championship.
“I think from the pregame ceremonies, throughout, everyone talks about it,” Cora said. “They’re going to have some special people on the field (today).”
Red Sox catcher Conner Wong, in his fifth season with the team, knows what the day means.
“It’s a really special day, especially for the city,” he said.
Boston pitching coach Andrew Bailey pitched in the 2013 game, earning a save. He had the win in relief the day the bombs went off about an hour after the game.
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Boston Red Sox' Caleb Durbin dives headfirst into home plate as he scores on a second inning throwing error by Detriot Tigers' pitcher Jack Flaherrty, right, during a baseball game Monday, April 20, 2026 in Boston. (AP Photo/Jim Davis)
Boston Red Sox' outfielder Jarren Duran runs a gauntlet of young fans as he heads onto the field for the start of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Monday, April 20, 2026 in Boston. (AP Photo/Jim Davis)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer D4vd has been charged with murder in the death of a 14-year-old girl whose dismembered and decomposed body was found in September in his apparently abandoned Tesla, prosecutors said Monday.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said the 21-year-old D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged with first-degree murder; lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14; and mutilating a body in the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez. She was reported missing by her family in 2024, when she was 13. Authorities say she was 14 when she died.
The murder charges included special circumstances — lying in wait, committing crime for financial gain and murdering the witness in an investigation — that could carry the death penalty. Prosecutors haven’t announced whether they will seek it.
Attorneys for the Houston-born alt-pop singer said he was innocent in a statement released after homicide detectives arrested him on Thursday at a home in Hollywood.
“Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death,” the lawyers said.
The long-dead body of Rivas Hernandez was found inside a Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8, a day after she would have turned 15. Her family had reported her missing from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles.
Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. And his lawyers' statement last week, in which said they "will vigorously defend David’s innocence,” was the first time they weighed in publicly.
The singer had been under investigation by an LA County grand jury looking into the death. The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and his designation as its target — was revealed in February when his mother, father and brother objected in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.
The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale Hollywood Hills neighborhood where it had been sitting as though it was abandoned.
Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” court documents said. Detectives partially unzipped a bag and found a head and torso.
Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it. No cause of death has been publicly revealed, and police got a judge to block the release details of the autopsy. On Friday, the medical examiner told The Associated Press the court order remained in place after Burke's arrest, and suggested to ask the police whether they would ask to lift it.
The family of Rivas Hernandez has remained private and has not made any public statements on her death or the case.
D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among Gen Z for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a follow-up, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023.
When the body was discovered, the singer continued his North American tour, but when reports of his possible involvement spread widely, he canceled the final two shows and a European tour that was to follow.
Singer-songwriter, David Burke aka D4vd sits in artist space at Coachella music festival on April 18, 2025 in Indio, Calif. (AP Photo)
