Sending Out An S.O.S.
Sunday, July 3, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 42
Red Sox 10, Angels 5
After a personal 5-0 record in May games, I went a dismal 0-5 in June, so I was happy to turn the figurative page to July. But mostly I was happy that I didn’t have a ticket to Saturday night’s game, a brutal 21-2 loss in the middle game of a series with the last-place Angels. As awful as things seemed at the end of that game, the sun rose on Sunday morning after all, and I made it in to Fenway early on a bright, sunny day. Neither team took batting practice, as per usual on a Sunday morning, but some infielders were fielding grounders and a couple of pitchers were throwing long-toss in the outfield. Steven Wright was throwing a bullpen session between his starts.
I watched as our ace threw a side session. (Although I had to wonder... given that his only two bad games came when it was raining - or he was sweating - and he couldn't grip the knuckleball, shouldn't they have turned the sprinklers on for practice?)
Wright was caught by bullpen catcher Mani Martinez and watched by bullpen coach Dana LeVangie and pitching coach Carl Willis. When he was done, he fist-bumped them all, but I noticed that they all curled their first two fingers up while making the fist, just like throwing a knuckleball. (I just missed capturing this, but LeVangie's fingers are still partially curled.)
Red Sox pitching was so battered on Saturday night that outfielder Ryan LaMarre had to pitch the ninth inning. (And he was the only pitcher who didn’t allow a run.) They were going to need a good start today if they wanted to take the rubber game of the series. Journeyman Sean O’Sullivan had made a couple of starts earlier in the year, and was called up for this start after Eduardo Rodriguez was sent down.
Sean O'Sullivan warms up in the 'pen.
O’Sullivan was up to the task. He pitched five strong innings, something that the others in the rotation had struggled to do in the month of June. It turns out that his initials S. O’S. might stand for Save Our Season.
O'Sullivan got a standing ovation as he left the game with two runners on in the top of the sixth.
My view from 24 rows back in Section 42.
It was hot in the bleachers and with every seat full there was no breeze. I was fine as long as my water bottle held up, but the game was slow-paced and I needed to refill it at the end of the fourth. Rather than climbing all the way back to my bleacher seat, I opted to go to the standing room area behind the right field grandstand. I found an empty space there, and while the view wasn’t as good, it was cooler and there was a nice breeze. And better still, it turned out to be a lucky spot when the Sox scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth.
This was my favorite part of the view from the outfield standing room!
(It got a little scary, though, when Matt Barnes and Junichi Tazawa let the Angels score five runs in the sixth and seventh.) During the seventh inning stretch I moved around from the right field standing room to a vacated row in the loge boxes on the third base (shady) side of home plate. I don’t normally like to sit behind the netting because it’s hard to take pictures, but I do like to get different perspectives. The view certainly is great there, and I found that the manual focus setting on my camera helped.
The view from Loge Box 135.
Dustin Pedroia drove in a pair in the bottom of the seventh to give the Sox a bigger cushion.
Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless eighth.
Hanley Ramirez belted his second double of the game in the eighth. He had three hits and two RBI.
Jackie Bradley Jr. had two hits and two outfield assists - one nailing a batter trying to stretch his hit to a double, and one doubling up a runner at second. In other words, just another day at the office for JBJ.
The win was personally satisfying because I hadn’t seen them win in person since May, plus it was a nice way to bounce back from the horror of the night before. At the half-way point in the season, they have 44 wins, and when Baltimore’s loss went final a couple of hours later, the Sox stood in second place, 3 games back. It’s up to the pitchers to step up and save the season, but it’s definitely possible to get Big Papi back to the postseason one last time.
Seeing the Sea Dogs
Saturday, June 25, 2016 – Hadlock Field, Portland
Fightin’ Phils 8, Sea Dogs 3
While the Red Sox were on the road in Texas, I made my annual trip to Portland to see the Double A Sea Dogs. Late June seemed to be the perfect time – top prospects Andrew Benintendi and Yoan Moncada had both been promoted earlier in the month after tearing it up in Single A, and yet it was early enough that the best players hadn’t been called up to Pawtucket yet. Not only that, but it was a perfect sunny day, unlike the rainy, foggy nights we’ve had in past years.
It was a beautiful Maine evening at Hadlock Field.
It turned out that Yoan Moncada was not in the lineup, but we would get to see Benintendi bat third and play center field. He’s the number 3 prospect in the whole organization, and he’s one I’m following closely, not just because of his rapid ascent from the first round of the 2015 draft to playing in Double A just a year later, but because I got an autograph and a picture with him in Spring Training this year.
Andrew Benintendi awaits his turn at-bat.
Unfortunately the game got off to a start that was a little too familiar for Red Sox fans in the past few weeks. Teddy Stankiewicz gave up a walk and a home run to the first two batters, then gave up another run before getting pulled with two outs and two on in the first. Ben Taylor did a good job getting out of the inning and then pitched three more, but the Sea Dogs were already in a hole.
Teddy Stankiewicz started the game, but he didn't make it out of the first inning.
Second baseman Tzu-Wei Lin did his part to get the Sea Dogs back in the game. He homered to lead off the first, then added an RBI single and a walk later.
Shortstop Mauricio Dubon, who had just been promoted earlier in the week, had two hits and an RBI.
Ben Taylor pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief, giving up two runs.
Rainel Rosario played left field and went 0-4.
Catcher Jake Romanski singled and scored in the seventh.
Andrew Benintendi ended up going 0-3 with a walk.
In the end, the game was too much like some of the Major Lague Red Sox’ games of the recent past. They fell behind in the first, started to climb back in the middle innings, and then had the bullpen give up a bunch more late. But it was a perfect night for baseball, and a good chance to see some of the team’s best prospects.
Keep It Rolling
Tuesday, May 24, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 40
Red Sox 8, Rockies 3
The Colorado Rockies were the next victims for the Red Sox, who have their offense working at Fenway as if they were in the thin air of mile-high Coors Field. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, then added two more in the second. And Jackie Bradley Jr. wasted no time knocking the first pitch of his first at-bat off the Green Monster to extend his hitting streak to 28 games. My favorite pictures from the game are below.
David Price had a solid outing, his third since fixing his mechanics earlier in the month.
Big Papi drove in two runs with a single in the first inning, and two more with a double in the fourth.
I had a nice seat in Section 40, in the second row behind the Red Sox bullpen.
Dustin Pedroia jumps as a Rockies batter swings. Pedey had a good night, reaching base four times on three hits and a walk.
JBJ was all smiles after extending his hitting streak in his first at-bat. It's up to 28 now.
With all the focus on Jackie Bradley's hitting streak, Xander Bogaerts is flying under the radar with a 17-game streak that he extended in the first inning. Some fans in my section got to re-use their #XforASG sign from last year when we were trying to vote Xander in to the All-Star Game on the final vote ballot. They had crossed out 2015 and written 2016 on the sign.
Not only does Xander deserve to go to the All-Star Game this year, but a bunch of his teammates should join him. Balloting is all online this year, and it’s already started, so don’t wait until the final days to vote. Vote 5 times a day, up to 35 votes per mlb.com account, at this link. #EveryoneForASG
Mookie Betts asked for a few throws down low as he warmed up between innings.
Not pitching to Papi? Boo!
This is something we won’t be seeing much of in the future. Not just because Big Papi’s retiring, but because the intentional walk may go away with him. There’s a proposed rule change to just let the pitcher signal that he wants to walk the batter without actually throwing the pitches, supposedly to speed up the game. I hate this idea! The argument I hear most often is that there’s a chance that the ball gets away from the catcher and the runners could advance. But my biggest objection is that it won’t take a toll on the pitcher’s pitch count. One of the biggest strengths of the Red Sox offense of the past decade-plus has been the ability to drive up the starter’s pitch count, get him out of the game sooner, and face more middle relievers. If a pitcher wants to skip a certain batter, he needs to pay a price, not keep his arm fresh for facing someone else later. And how much time would that really save anyway? Why is two extra minutes so awful? Isn’t the rhythm and cadence of baseball what we all fell in love with in the first place? (Plus watching those four pitches gives us extra time to boo!)
The outfield dance at the end of each win has gained some new steps. Now Mookie Betts and Chris Young mime taking pitcures of Jackie Bradley Jr. before running in to join the rest of the team.
Another fun win was in the books, and the only downside was that no Red Sox players homered for the first time in the last 23 games. The 22-game homer streak set a new franchise record, and you can watch a montage of all the homers during the streak on youtube.
Triple Threat
Sunday, May 22, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 42
Red Sox 5, Indians 2
When weather people on TV give the temperature and then say what it “feels like” to account for the heat index or wind chill, there really should be a third category – Fenway bleachers. As in, “The game time temperature is 59, with the humidity it feels like 65, but in the bleachers it’s 78.” That’s how this game was. The forecast had called for a high of 57 and rain, and since I was half-way back in the bleachers I had a long-sleeved shirt under my T-shirt plus a warm coat in case I got soaked. There was a light mist during batting practice, but that was it. I changed from the long-sleeved shirt into the T-shirt before the game started, and before long the sun came out and I was wishing I had shorts. People in the rest of the park had long sleeves and jackets, but the bleachers are a totally different climate!
Eduardo Rodriguez warmed up with the rest of the pitchers in the outfield during batting practice. He's still on a rehab stint for his knee injury, but I'm looking forward to seeing him back in the rotation soon.
Koji Uehara shags flies in front of the bottom of the A.L. East standings.
Rick Porcello warms up in the pen.
Rick Porcello labored a bit in the second when he needed 33 pitches and gave up 2 runs. But he recovered nicely after that, and ended up going 5-2/3 without allowing anything else. And that was nothing compared to Cleveland’s Danny Salazar, who threw 40 pitches in the first and 29 more in the second. The first two innings lasted an hour and ten minutes and saw a combined 125 pitches, with the Sox leading 3-2.
The Red Sox got off to their usual good start, with two runs in the first (on RBI singles by David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez) and one run in the second (on a ground-rule double by Ortiz). When Big Papi came up in the fifth, he smacked his third hit of the day, home run #514 of his career.
Jackie Bradley Jr. walked in the first and struck out in the third, but then picked up a hit in the fifth, to extend his impressive hitting streak to 27 games.
Papi came up again in the sixth, needing a triple for the cycle, but with first base open he was intentionally walked. Aw, Tito (and Brad Mills), how could you?
During the seventh inning stretch I moved around behind the visitors' dugout, where we gave old friend Mike Napoli a nice hand as he walked off the field each inning. He was kind enough to strike out three times for us. (It was cooler but pleasant in the shade. Does that look like a rainy, 57-degree day to you?)
Big Papi came up again in the bottom of the eighth. With a single, a double, and a homer (plus a walk) already in the game, we all knew he needed a triple to complete the cycle. As he strode to the plate, I remembered how he had just hit one the previous weekend (in the ninth to tie last Saturday’s game). That hit had gone into “the triangle” in the deepest part of center field and bounced around. If he wanted to hit one now, that’s what he was going to have to do again.
"Papi for MVP" indeed. That would be such a fitting way for him to retire!
He worked a 3-1 count, as he always seems to do, and then he launched one. I couldn’t believe it, but it was heading right for the triangle! It went over the center fielder’s head and hit the warning track in front of the 420-foot marker, then bounced and hit off the top of the padding on the wall. I took my eye off it to watch him run – he was halfway to second and going full steam – when I saw him stop. The ball had gone to the exact place he needed it to, but it had taken an unfavorable bounce off the padding on the wall and (just barely) cleared the fence, landing in the stands for a ground-rule double. A few inches difference would have kept it in the park, and he would have made it easily into third. We gave him a nice ovation for the effort and laughed as he stood on second miming a running motion like he was ready to keep going.
[Note: I've been keeping score at games for 16 years, and while my notation for recording plays hasn't changed, I noticed that my scorecards have evolved with the times... because I now use emoticons. My note for this play was "Bounced into stands :( He totally would have made it."]
I don’t think I’ve ever been more bummed out by a double hit by someone on my team. But thinking about it after the game put it in a new perspective. He knew that for him to get a triple there was really only one place he could put it, and that’s exactly where he put it! How does he do that, time after time after time? It’s brilliant really, and why he’s (tied with Pedro as) my all-time favorite player.
Craig Kimbrel made quick work of the Indians in the ninth, with two strikeouts and a fly to Blake Swihart in left field. Swihart did a good job in what was just his third career game in the outfield. Early in the game he made a barehanded play of a ball off the wall, holding the runner to a single. And later he made a nice running grab of a ball in the narrow foul territory area. And most importantly, he proved to be a quick learner of the outfield dance that they do at the end of every win.
This ended up being my favorite game of the year so far.
On the Offensive
May 12, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 43
Red Sox 11, Astros 1
The big story before the game was that Dustin Pedroia had spotted something in David Price’s delivery while watching videos of his past at-bats against left-handed pitchers. Price wasn’t bringing his hands and leg up as high this season. The pitcher concurred, said that could help explain the drop in his velocity this year, and vowed to fix his mechanics before his next start. Today we would find out if Pedey should double as a pitching coach in addition to his duties at second base.
David Price warms up in the bullpen before the game.
The verdict was good - Price struck out the side in the first and second, and again in the fifth, finishing with a total of 12. His fastballs were a few mph faster than they had been earlier this year too.
Here's the new pitching coach himself. Pedey should get the Cy Young to go along with his Rookie of the Year and MVP.
It was a gorgeous night for baseball. After sitting through a bunch of cold games in April, I was in a t-shirt tonight and didn't need my hoodie till the 7th inning stretch.
Jackie Bradley Jr. remained scorching-hot at the plate. Tonight he was 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
The K-Men were busy all night, keeping track of Price's 12 strikeouts and cheering for David Ortiz.
Big Papi breaks his bat.
The moon rises over Fenway as Houston right fielder George Springer chases after yet another Boston moonshot.
Big Papi and Xander Bogaerts jumped to congratulate each other during the post-game celebration.
It ended up a fun night as the Red Sox cruised to an 11-1 win. Xander Bogaerts put them up early with a homer in the first, and Mookie Betts put the game out of reach with a three-run blast in the sixth. It was the fourth straight game in which they had scored 11 or more runs.
Then And Now
Monday, May 9, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 30
Red Sox 14, A’s 7
May 9 is what I like to call my “Fenniversary” – the anniversary of my first game at Fenway, 29 years ago in 1987. Since I was in the park again on that date, I decided to start by heading out to the same seat I was in that day (Section 8, row TT) and take some pictures from the same angle. I originally planned to take a couple of quick pics and then head to my real seat, but the sun was directly in my eyes when I got there so I had to wait a while for it to sink behind the third base stands. The lighting is different right before sunset than during an afternoon game, but otherwise I think I got them right. (They’re black and white because that’s what I had in my 110 camera for a school project at the time.)
Fenway Park, 1987 and 2016. It looks so different without the club section behind home plate (which was added in 1989), just one lone tree peeking up.
The shape of the outfield seating area and bullpens hasn't changed, but the back wall was lowered and all the scoreboards added. Also, painter's caps were popular in the 80's.
Left: Dwight Evans in right, Ellis Burks in center, and a screen over the Green Monster. Right: Mookie Betts in right, Jackie Bradley Jr. in center, and seats (and a bunch of ads) on the Green Monster.
It was Star Wars Day at Fenway (they played on the road on May 4th, which is the traditional day) and they played the following video before the game, starting with “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
Since I had waited for the sun to set to take my pictures, I was still out in Section 8 in right field when the game started. Usually I don’t like to get up while an inning is in progress, but with Clay Buchholz pitching so slowly, I couldn’t wait till the inning break. He walked the first batter on a full count, and then when he threw ball 2 to the second batter I got up. As I walked around behind the back row of the grandstand, the second batter doubled, driving in a run, and then the third batter grounded out. By the time the fourth batter flied out on a 3-1 count, I was in my seat, meaning that I was able to go all the way from Section 8 near Pesky’s Pole to Section 30 in left field and only miss one at-bat!
Christian Vazquez and Clay Buchholz talk things over on the mound.
Buchholz’s pace was an indication that this would not be an early night. But by the time he exited at the end of the fifth, the game was going long for an entirely different reason. The Red Sox offense turned a 4-1 deficit into a 7-4 lead with a 6-run fourth inning and never looked back. When they’re scoring like that, I’ll sit there happily all night!
Jackie Bradley Jr. had a great night - three hits, including a grand slam, and six RBI.
I normally wouldn't post a picture that was blocked by someone in front of me, but it's OK - the guy in the row in front of me got up and danced after all 14 of the Red Sox' runs scored. But this cracks me up - Christian Vazquez and Hanley Ramirez greet Travis Shaw as he crosses the plate in the fourth... "Hi Travis! Travis, Travis, over here!" "Oh, hey guys!"
Big Papi is ready to go. He had two doubles and a single on the night.
Just how many people were on base for Jackie Bradley Jr.'s grand slam? Half the team is there to greet him at home plate!
This was my first chance to see Carson Smith this year. He walked a batter and worked around an error in a scoreless seventh. Unfortunately it was also my last chance to see him this year, as he ended up undergoing Tommy John surgery by the end of the month.
I moved down closer to the field for the last two innings.
Xander Bogaerts tosses the ball between innings.
The game went into the books as a 14-7 win, and I got a good shot of outfielders Chris Young, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts celebrating the vistory.
Sweeping Up
Sunday, May 1, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 2
Red Sox 8, Yankees 7
The Red Sox came into Sunday Night Baseball having beaten the Yankees on Friday and Saturday. They started the day half a game behind the Orioles for first place in the East, while the Yankees sat in the basement, five games back. The Orioles had already lost their afternoon game, so a win tonight would not only complete the sweep but put the Sox in first place.
It was cold enough to see my breath and raining steadily, so I didn’t go out to my bleacher seat. I stayed in the standing room in the back of the grandstand in Section 2 in right field, eventually moving into an empty seat at the end of the fourth.
Christian Vazquez warms up in front of the bullpen as the grounds crew prepares to roll up the tarp. This was my first chance to see Vazquez this year as he returns from Tommy John surgery. He's been a favorite of mine since he was in the minors, so it's good to have him back!
Mookie Betts leads off in front of a rain-soaked crowd. He opened with a single and came around to score the first run of the game.
Brock Holt dives back into first after a pickoff attempt. When the ball skipped past Mark Teixeira, Brockstar scampered into second.
David Price wasn't sharp. After the Red Sox jumped out to a 1-0 lead, he gave up three runs in the third to put them in a 3-1 hole. But he stayed in through the seventh as the offense rallied, pitching long enough to get credited with the win.
Mookie Betts beats the throw to first and reaches safely on a fielder's choice in the fourth.
In the bottom of the third, the Sox put together four singles and a walk to score three more runs and retake the lead, 4-3. Then in the fifth Price gave up three more runs, putting them down 6-4. But the Red Sox continued to rally. Travis Shaw’s two-run homer in the fifth tied the game at 6-6. The rain stopped around that time, and during the seventh inning stretch I made my move to some vacated box seats behind third base.
Mookie Betts, dirt dog.
Brock Holt, also a dirt dog.
Dustin Pedroia, perpetual dirt dog.
Xander Bogaerts, dirt dog from Aruba, who's so cold he has to wear a ski mask, but not so cold he can't blow a bubble.
I had just settled into my new seat, with the game tied 6-6, when Travis Shaw reached on a single. He was replaced by Brock Holt on a fielder’s choice and then the Yankees went to the ‘pen to bring in their relief ace, Dellin Betances. His first pitch to Christian Vazquez was launched way over the Green Monster, giving the Sox an 8-6 lead.
Christian Vazquez rounds third after his monstrous blast.
There was still the matter of holding the lead for the next two innings, and although the Yankees did score one against Koji Uehara in the eighth, Craig Kimbrel nailed it down in the ninth to preserve the win. The Red Sox completed the sweep and moved into sole possession of first place, while the Yankees moved further into the basement where they belong. Life is good!
Craig Kimbrel struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close it out.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Saturday, April 30, 2016 – Fenway Park
VIP Tour and Player Meet & Greet
As a season ticket holder, I get rewards points for scanning my tickets at games and entering code words throughout the season. One thing we can use the points for is to enter raffles, and I won one for a player meet and greet event that included a VIP tour of Fenway Park. The experience is also part of packages sold through Red Sox Destinations, and the season ticket holder raffle winners got to join in. We also got a a “David Ortiz final season” cap, a baseball and display case, and a free pair of Red Sox sneakers from Row One Brands as part of our prize pack.
Our day started with a tour of Fenway Park. Remember that scene from “Forrest Gump” when he says he got invited to the White House again, and met the President of the United States again? That’s how we felt sitting in the Green Monster seats and stepping onto the warning track. As a season ticket holder, I can enter early and go up on the Green Monster before every game, and there have been plenty of open houses and other events where we’ve walked around the warning track before. But what made this tour a one-of-a-kind special event is that we actually got to go inside the Green Monster, where the scoreboard operator posts the score during games! As a lifelong fan, that’s something that’s always been on my baseball bucket list. (We were asked not to sign our names, so I still have something to aspire to when I someday go in there again.)
For the scorekeepers inside the Green Monster, the only way they can see the game is by peeking through the slots like the one between my arm and the H. There's also a panel beyond my right shoulder that opens up so a camera can look out.
Peek-a-boo! Looking out through the camera window.
If you zoom in on the previous picture, you can see a tattoo left by a hard-hit wall-ball.
The plush accomodations for the scorekeepers.
Peeking out through one of the little slots.
Inside the Green Monster!
After everyone had had a chance to go inside the Green Monster, we sat in the grandstand seats and listened to the tour guides give a history of Fenway Park. There was a game later that night, but for now, the grounds crew was out mowing the grass and getting the infield ready. I spotted head groundskeeper David Mellor and his dog Drago (named after former Red Sox pitcher Dick Drago, I assume), whom I recognized from his Instagram account.
Fenway groundskeeper David Mellor and his dog, Drago.
Next we walked down the fifth floor hallway past the radio and TV booths and the media cafeteria, and into the press box.
The media cafeteria. Serving lemons and sour grapes daily.
In the press box. The back row, where we sat, was added in 2007 when the Sox signed Daisuke Matsuzaka, to accomodate all the additional media who followed him around. I sat next to the "umpire's seat" which I assume has communication to the umpires in New York who preside over replay calls.
View from the press box.
Our last stop was the EMC Club, where we had a buffet lunch (hot dogs, chicken, pulled pork, salad, corn on the cob, potato salad, watermelon, cookies, and brownies). Then we got to meet left fielder Brock Holt and get autographs and pictures with him. There was a Q & A session, too, where people asked hard-hitting questions like what would you do if you didn’t play baseball (country singer), do you have any superstitions (no), and what’s your favorite position to play (anything but second because it means Dustin Pedroia is out).
These are the plates we used for the buffet. Great china pattern!
Hanging out with the Brockstar.
Last up was a visit from Dick Flavin, the Boston humorist who serves as Fenway P. A. announcer during day games and the Poet Laureate of the Red Sox. He recited several of his poems for us, some of which I had heard before, and some of which I hadn’t. Here’s a video with two of my favorites, “Long Live Fenway Park,” written for its hundredth anniversary in 2012 and “Big Papi’s Bombs,” written in 2013.
Flavin has published a book with poems he’s written on the Red Sox – Red Sox Rhymes: Curses and Verses – and he autographed copies for people who bought them that day. You can get your copy on Amazon.
We’re Home
Monday, April 11, 2016 – Fenway Park, Section 30
Orioles 9, Red Sox 7
Opening Day – the “real” one, at home – is my favorite day of the year. This year it reminded me of a scene in the lastest Star Wars movie:
My favorite pictures from the day follow:
Obligatory Opening Day shot from Yawkey Way. Nice to see some flowers and buds on the trees!
This year the netting behind home plate was extended all the way to the dugouts. I was glad to see that it didn't go all the way up like it does behind home plate. You can see the black outline around it, including a door where the entrance to the field is. But it does mean I'm going to have to find somewhere else to move down to in the late innings when I want to get close-up pictures of the players.
One area that was renovated this year is the concession stands on the lower level behind third base, just inside Gate E. It looks nice, but they changed the concessions to a bar, meaning there's nowhere to get pizza slices on the whole left field side of the park.
Three of the Boston champions who were featured in the opening ceremony - David Ortiz, Bill Russell, and Ty Law. Bobby Orr was there too to represent the Bruins.
After Big Papi's 15-year-old daughter surprised him by singing the National Anthem, three other beloved players from the recent past joined him on the field.
David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Pedro Martinez, and Tim Wakefield came out to say "Play ball" and kick off the game. (Technically Tek covered Pedro's mouth as a joke, and the other three said it.)
Pedro and Wake, old friends and two of my favorites.
Mookie is required to homer in every road and home opener - he homered in both last year and in the road opener this year - and he did not disappoint, going deep in the ninth inning with his third hit of the day. (Come to think of it, he had homered in the first Spring Training game of the year too!)
Hanley Ramirez is doing well at first base and looks to be having fun.
Xander Bogaerts blows a bubble.
Dustin Pedroia had another great play in the field, and two more hits.
Big Papi stepped to the plate in the ninth with two hits and an RBI, but he grounded into a double play.
Although the Red Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead, David Price gave up five runs in five innings, but his teammates kept rallying to tie it 5-5 and 6-6. The shocker came when fireballing new closer Craig Kimbrel walked two and then gave up a three-run homer to Chris Davis in the ninth. The Sox staged one final rally in the bottom of the ninth and got the tying run on base, before ultimately falling short.
Wrapping Up
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 – JetBlue Park, Ft. Myers
Spring Training Workout
After playing the college doubleheader on Monday, it was back to a workout on Tuesday for the final time this year. It was technically an unofficial workout, so the concession and souvenir stands were closed, but fans were still able to enter the complex and see what was going on. With minor league camp in progress, the major leaguers were confined to three fields, with everyone who’s slated to be on the Opening Day roster ending the day by taking batting practice inside the stadium, where we can’t go. But we did get to see them all briefly, albeit in some of the stranger drills of the spring, and were able to add to our autographs.
When the catchers finished their initial stretching they all went to one of the practice fields. I thought there was going to be some sort of fielding drill, but instead it was literally practicing walking out to the mound as if to talk to a struggling pitcher. “You’re in control of the game,” directed one coach. “Wait, who was that smiling?” chided another. Then they all walked back off the field and on to the next activity. It’s pretty much the silliest drill I’ve ever seen at spring training, topping even the sliding drill and parachute run. (But it got me thinking – shouldn’t they have a drill where the pitchers practice standing on the mound hanging their heads in shame after giving up a home run? Or, for even more entertainment, have the manager practice taking the ball from a pitcher who doesn’t want to leave the game – imagine watching that during the Schilling era! But I digress…)
Perfecting the Catcher Walk.
The next activity for the catchers was Story Hour, apparently. They all sat cross-legged on the ground and listened to bullpen coach Dana LeVangie, while Torey Lovullo and Jason Varitek looked on.
That's right, I said Jason Varitek. The former Captain was in camp working with the catchers. And he had his glove with him wherever he went, ready to go if needed. Here, he talks with Pawtucket hitting coach and fellow former catcher, Rich Gedman.
Third base coach Brian Butterfield waves in Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz in a baserunning drill. Butterfield would call out the number of outs and players had to practice tagging up, scoring, and not bumping into each other.
Travis Shaw rounds third in the baserunning drill.
A picture of Big Papi, because this is my last chance to see him in Spring Training action.
Next it was time for my other favorite drill, sliding into bases attached to sheets of black plastic that look like a Slip'N Slide. Here's David Murphy sliding in under the watchful eye of Dwight Evans. Murphy had been drafted by the Red Sox in 2003, made his M.L. debut with Boston in 2006, and then was traded to Texas as part of the deal for Eric Gagne at the trade deadline in '07. Since then he's played with the Rangers, Indians, and Angels, and he just signed back on with the Red Sox yesterday.
After the sliding was complete, the players who will start the year in the majors headed in to the stadium for batting practice, which unfortunately meant we couldn’t watch. But the guys who will likely start in Triple A stayed on the practice field to take B.P. out there.
New General Manager Mike Hazen watched batting practice and chatted with bench coach Torey Lovullo.
Second base prospect Sean Coyle waits for his turn in batting practice. After they were done, he took the time to sign autographs, as did Lovullo, Gedman, and non-roster invitees Brennan Boesch and Ryan LaMarre.
With the workouts all wrapped up and the weather finally hot, we went back to Englewood Beach in the afternoon. This time it was warm enough to go in the water, and scour the beach in search of the perfect shells.
It was a great day for shell-hunting at Englewood Beach.
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