Brock Holt has been an inspiration for the Jimmy Fund, ‘this city means so much to us’
Holt on running the Boston Marathon: ‘If we can help out and raise some money, and run 26.2 miles, we’ll do it.’
Brock Holt announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Thursday. The veteran played 10 seasons, seven of them in a Red Sox uniform.
Holt was a beloved player during his tenure with the club. Fans adored him on and off the field, often clamoring for him to return to the organization.
Holt made an impact on the field winning one World Series and making the All-Star team in 2015. However, it’s his impact off the field and with the Jimmy Fund that truly shows his character and commitment to the city of Boston.
Holt was a huge presence within the Jimmy Fund. He was more than a baseball player to the kids at the Dana-Farber Institute, serving as the Red Sox Jimmy Fund Captain from 2016-19.
Helping in the fight against childhood cancer inspired the Texas native.
“I learned from my first spring training how important the Jimmy Fund was to the Red Sox and I’ve always loved kids and wanted to help out in any way I could,” said Holt to the Boston Herald back in 2021.
“I kind of got my foot in the door there my first year and then every year since, dove a little bit deeper into it and spent a lot of time at the Jimmy Fund and with the some of the kids and some of the families and was able to build some really good, really strong relationships with some kids there, some families there and I’m still close with some of them today.
“We FaceTime, check on the kids, check on the families and it’s just been a special place for me and my wife our entire time in Boston. It’s just a place that we’ll always continue to try and help out however we can.”
Holt and his wife Lakyn have sold t-shirts to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. In 2019, the Holts created an initiative to raise funds for the Jimmy Fund with their “BrockingOutCancer” T-shirts.
“Brockstar” also raised money through another initiative called “holtoffcancer” selling shirts and hats. Proceeds from the sales were split between the Jimmy Fund and the Pediatric Oncology Unit at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.
“Being able to help out like this, even if it’s just a small amount, I’m very grateful to be able to do that,” Holt said. “I’ve said it before in a previous interview that we’re very fortunate as professional athletes to have a platform and to be able to have things like this to help out. I’m trying to use it the best I can. Baseball’s not going to last forever, so it’s something that I enjoy doing. I want to help and me and my wife, we’re trying to do that. Hopefully these shirts can help raise some money and we can make a little bit of a difference for a family or two in need, so that’s what we’re trying to do. Like I said, we’re going to do it until we can’t anymore.”
Next year, Holt and his wife will run in the Boston Marathon to help raise money for the Dana Farber Institute. Holt announced it on NESN this past summer. “I’m going to say this on air, so I guess it’s going to be officially official,” the former Red Sox utilityman.
Holt’s wife has been a huge part of their journey together with the Jimmy Fund. In a feature from The Athletic back in 2018, she had a powerful quote about being an ambassador for the Jimmy Fund.
“If you’re going to come do things like this,” Lakyn says. “If you’re not in it for the right reasons, I just feel like … (pauses). Sure, it makes people’s day (when an athlete visits), but it’s almost like a waste of time. If you’re not going to put forth the effort and the time to build relationships, it’s kind of a pointless visit.”
Now that Holt is retired fans are hoping he joins NESN and becomes a Red Sox analyst. If he becomes a member of the Red Sox NESN family he will join Kevin Youkilis and Will Middlebrooks. Both former players had success in the booth and as a analyst this past season.
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