As heavy machinery dug into McCoy Stadium on Wednesday, onlookers stood by and watched.

 

“It’s just heartbreaking,” Gerry DeGasparre said.

The lifelong Pawtucket resident remembers the first time he went to the stadium.

 

“My mother took me because she was on the fireworks committee,” DeGasparre recalled with a smile. “I’ll never forget it. I was just a little kid.”

 

McCoy’s construction was completed in 1942, and the stadium brought pride to Pawtucket for generations.

 

“I took my daughter there when she was younger because she’s a softball player,” DeGasparre said. “It’s memories I shared with my mom and my family. It’s just devastating.”

 

The stadium put Pawtucket on the map, as many notable Red Sox players got their start at McCoy or spent time rehabbing there.

 

“Everybody knows McCoy Stadium. Everybody knows the PawSox,” DeGasparre added. “It’s a sad moment for Pawtucket.”

 

See more at wpri.com.