Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow grew up about 10 minutes from Fenway Park.
On Thursday, he took the mound there. Snow, a Melrose, Massachusetts native whose battle against ALS has inspired countless lives over the past two years, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Boston Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Snow took to the hill with his two children, Cohen and Willa. All three got to throw their pitches to get the game started. Snow has displayed an iron will since his ALS diagnosis. Last month he shared a video where he hit baseballs using mostly just his good, left arm.
His final full season Lou Gehrig hit .295 with 29 home runs. With #ALS. Today, on #LouGehrigDay across @MLB, 2 years after my diagnosis and 1 year after I was supposed to die, I picked up a wood bat with my one useful hand. I am proof. Science is gaining on this disease. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/KBaiKkocf6
The Flames have set up a "Snowy Strong" donation page that has raised nearly half a million dollars for ALS research. In the days leading up to his big Fenway moment, Snow's warmups went pretty well, as he shared on social media.