Red Sox outfielder's father praises baseballer's accomplishments

Honolulu, Hawaii, Nov 6, 2013 / 00:05 am

The father of Boston Red Sox outfielder Shane Victorino is "very proud" of both his son's accomplishments at the World Series and of his charitable work.

The Red Sox won the baseball championship on Oct. 30, after playing six games with the St. Louis Cardinals.

"We are thankful to God for his baseball talent which has given him great opportunities in life," Mike Victorino told the website Fathers for Good, of his son Shane.

Fathers for Good is a men's initiative run by the Knights of Columbus which aims to inform men and inspire them to be better fathers and husbands.

"Thank God also that he is using that talent for good purposes off the field. That's what it's all about."

Shane, nicknamed the "Flyin' Hawaiian," hit a bases-loaded double in the third inning of the World Series' sixth game to help the Red Sox defeat the Cardinals. He had hit a grand slam home run in the American League championship series against the Detroit Tigers, but a tight back hindered his World Series play until the sixth and final game.

"He came through," Mike said. "He was having a few challenges with his back, but he has always been one to fight back and never give up. I think we all saw that in the sixth game."

The proud father is Hawaii state deputy for the Knights of Columbus, and Shane has been a member of the Knights for eight years.

Mike said he tells his son that baseball is like life, in that "you have to answer the question: what have you done for me lately?"

He praised his son's work with the Shane Victorino Foundation, which has dedicated $1 million to rebuild a historic Boys & Girls Club in Philadelphia. The foundation  also runs sports clinics and outreach programs for youth in Hawaii and other states.