A Westport Man Was Given the Opportunity to Toss Out the First Pitch at a Boston Red Sox Game

The sun was hot and the crowd was revved up as Westport native Kevin Ponte took the mound at Fenway Park.

On Wednesday night, July 27th, Ponte was chosen to toss out the first pitch at the Boston Red Sox vs. the Cleveland Guardians. This might not have been the first Red Sox game he's ever been to, but it's the first time stepping onto the field.

With his girlfriend Krista Sylvain Demello and his kids by side, it was the perfect family night out that neither of them will ever forget.

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"The chain of Ace Stores I run does a lot of business with Stanley/Black & Decker (they own Dewalt &Craftsman too)," Ponte explained, "They called me last week and asked if I’d even be interested in which I said 'Uhhhh, yeah are you kidding me?!'. What an opportunity man, an absolute dream come true. I even got to have the whole family on the field too. The whole experience was awesome."

Ponte's love for baseball stems back to his childhood and these days he coaches Westport's 16U girls softball team who recently won their first championship in the last 10 years.

"I’ve been coaching softball for the last 10 years, you’d think I’d be able to throw the ball over the plate," Ponte said. "I didn’t meet anyone famous, just Wally the Green Monster," Ponte laughed, "They kept us away from the players. I tried to go over to meet some of them, but security stopped me."

A bucket list item crossed off for the Westport High School graduate and many more to come. Congrats to Ponte for putting little old Westport on the map, even if the ball was a little high and to the left. Not too many people (at least around these neck of the woods) can say they've experienced a night out like Ponte and his family.

Go, Sox!