Jake joined the Boston Marathon bombings survivor, Jeff Bauman, to help him throw out the first pitch at the Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game at Fenway Park, on Monday.
Despite the horrific tragedy that brought them to the sports grounds, the pair were all smiles as they donned personalised jerseys.
Chatting with team, Jake even held held the survivor’s 20-month-old daughter, Nora, and carried her around the field.
See the touching moment in the video player below! Post continues…
The pair became firm friends after the actor was cast as Jeff in the upcoming film adaptation of his memoir, Stronger.
During the horrific attacks, he watching his girlfriend, Erin Hurley, run the 2013 marathon. Following the two blasts, Jefff lost the lower portions of his legs.
The book details how he regained his life, which saw him face multiple surgeries and the need to learn how to walk again with the help of prosthetics
Now three years on, Jeff and Erin are married and are the proud parents to little Nora.
The duo had their very own jerseys.
Jake cradles baby Nora.
Much like the book, the film, which is directed by David Gordon Green, does not focus on the bombing, but instead details Jeff’s recovery, who helped identify the bombers, the Tsarnaev brothers, from his hospital bed.
According to his book, Jeff explained that he regained consciousness 30 hours after the attack but was unable to speak.
He motioned for a pad and paper, and when it was brought to him, he wrote: “Saw the guy. Looked right at me”
Filming Jeff’s story has been an honour for Jake.
Producer Todd Lieberman describes the film as, “an unlikely path toward a love story, and healing and recovery and acceptance of being deemed a hero when he didn’t believe in himself.”
Speaking at the Boston Medical Center’s 2016 Boston Marathon dinner on Sunday night, Jake opened up about the role.
“I am getting a lot of pressure to play this part,” he admitted. “But I love that pressure. I love this city.”
Adding, “Jeff is basically a triumph in just this unspeakable situation.”
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