Kevin Hartigan: Building Teams on and off the Field

November 8, 2023 – International League (IL) – Worcester Red Sox News Release

Kevin Hartigan has been an important member of the Worcester Red Sox’ Ambassadors Team for the past three years. This is hardly his first career path; before joining the WooSox, Hartigan served for 27 years as a Worcester firefighter, and worked as a scout and coach for a myriad of baseball clubs, including the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, and Worcester Bravehearts.

For Hartigan, the WooSox’ move to Worcester came at the perfect time. He had just retired from the Worcester Fire Department and was looking for a way to stay involved in baseball. According to Hartigan, the primary goal of his current job as an Ambassador is to go to work each day and make people happy.

At a young age, Hartigan was introduced to the world of sports, and he has always described himself as a “team guy.” He was on a Little League, basketball, or Pop Warner team throughout most of his foundational years. It was through those experiences that he learned to bring his best to the game-and everything he does.

In 1975, the hard work paid off when his Senior Little League team won multiple district championships. He was the catcher for a young Ron Darling, who pitched two no-hitters with Hartigan as his batterymate. Hartigan found his true calling in baseball when he became the starting catcher for the Millbury High School varsity baseball team for all four years and was named the MVP his senior year. He takes pride in the fact that he never rode the bus home from school, because he always had practice after class. (He added that he always got his homework done too!)

Hartigan’s baseball career continued as he played on the team at Quinsigamond Community College under the coaching tutelage of Barry Glinski.

After high school graduation, Hartigan sought to join another team, and so he joined the Worcester Fire Department.

“It was exactly where I belonged,” he said. “It was helping people every day, being ready, and learning responsibilities. You really can’t make mistakes as a firefighter.”

After his 16-week training, Hartigan knew he was a part of something special and would have been willing to face any situation alongside the colleagues in his truck. This is how Hartigan operated for his first 10 years in the department. He said he and his fellow firefighters made sure to leave every scene better than they found it.

Everything changed for the entire Worcester Fire Department on December 3, 1999, when the…