MIAMI (WSVN) - Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, showed his support for his former school as his team faced the Miami Marlins, Friday night.
The Marlins, in partnership with Rizzo and his foundation, hosted four Stoneman Douglas families for a pregame ceremony at Marlins Park, and one person from each family got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“That was pretty cool,” said Jesse Guttenberg, whose sister was killed in the Parkland shooting. “Over the past few weeks, having a lot of cool experiences with a whole bunch of different sports teams, and everybody’s just showing their love and just trying to make us feel like we mean something, so it’s awesome.”
The Stoneman Douglas Eagles baseball team will also be in attendance at the game.
“[The Marlins have] been very supportive and they’ve helped out a lot, so I’m very appreciative of that,” said Rizzo.
“I feel like that’s amazing, and I’m really proud of what the organization is doing,” said Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas. “Anthony’s formed the foundation, and I’m happy to be part of it.”
Rizzo already has a relationship with many of the shooting survivors and families.
“He came to visit me in the hospital a few days after,” said Parkland shooting survivor Ben Wikander, “and I was pretty sedated, I guess you could say, but when he came, I definitely was very happy.”
“You just wanna see what’s best for them,” said Rizzo. “There’s nothing you can say, nothing you can do except be there, and that’s all I think anyone wants to do right now.”
A $305,000 donation was made in conjunction with the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation and the National Compassion Fund, which is appreciated by the 17 families who lost loved ones in the Feb. 14 mass shooting at the Parkland school.
“Oh, that was awesome. That’s a lot of money, yeah,” said Guttenberg.
Cubs players wore Stoneman Douglas T-shirts during their batting practice, Friday.
The Cubs and Marlins will also wear patches with the initials “MSD” and 17 stars, honoring the 17 lives lost in the shooting.
The outfield wall at Marlin’s Park also has 17 stars and reads, “MSDSTRONG.” That design will remain on the outfield wall for the remainder of the season.
“I’m glad the Marlins are paying tribute to it,” said Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson. “All the kids out there that have stood up and used their voices — I’m really proud of them.”
“That’s the goal of all of this — to bring awareness to everything that happened and make sure that nothing like this ever happens again,” said Wikander.
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