To kick off HOPE Week on July 3, the Yankees will be honoring Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills. Yankees players and coaches, including Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rizzo, will take part in CPR training in the Yankee Stadium outfield with former Fordham softball player Sarah Taffet, the American Heart Association and NYC Public School Athletic Leagues (PSAL) personnel.

After the event, participants will have lunch catered by the Hard Rock Cafe and enjoy a private tour of the Stadium prior to watching batting practice on the field. Hamlin and Taffet will throw out the ceremonial first pitches to Yankees training staff

Hamlin's story is well known at this point. On Jan. 2, 2023, during a Monday Night Football matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills safety's heart stopped while making a routine tackle. Upon impact with his target, Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed. The moment sent all that witnessed it into shock, from the thousands inside Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, to the millions watching on TV. Nothing needed to be said on the broadcast, one could tell from the mood of those on the field, Hamlin was fighting for his life. Thankfully, first responders acted fast and resuscitated him by performing CPR and using a defibrillator.

In just a few months since suffering cardiac arrest, the 25-year-old has already made his way back onto the field. Back in April, three specialists unanimously cleared Hamlin to return to football activities. While the quick recovery is a credit to Hamlin’s courage and perseverance, none of it would’ve been possible without the first responders in Cincinnati on Jan. 2.

Taffet is a former softball player at Fordham University who was resuscitated during a game with CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) by a Fordham athletic trainer and other medical professionals on Oct. 3, 2021.