Goodbyes are never easy.
But this one was particularly hard for the Red Sox.
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Don Orsillo, NESN's beloved Red Sox play-by-play announcer for the last 15 seasons, called his final game for the network on Sunday as the team ended its season.
It was a moment dreaded for Boston fans. Orsillo was a constant presence through the Red Sox' run to three World Series titles since 2004, and his ouster from NESN was met with significant backlash.
It turns out fans aren't the only ones who will miss him.
The Red Sox players, as they wrapped up their season finale in Cleveland, turned toward the visiting broadcast booth and saluted Orsillo one last time.
"We’re happy to do it just to show him a little bit of love and respect for what he’s done for us," Brock Holt told the Boston Herald. "He’s just fun man. He doesn’t take his job too seriously but he’s really good at it. He loves what he does and he’s really good at it. Just being around him he’s a good person. We’re going to miss him and everyone that watches him on TV is going to miss his voice calling the games for sure."
NESN announced in August that Orsillo would not return and he would be replaced by radio announcer Dave O'Brien.
The decision was met with outrage by fans, who took to Twitter to show their support of Orsillo and even began a petition at Change.org that has received more than 62,000 signatures.
Orsillo, 46, will replace Dick Enberg on the Padres' broadcast team next season.