Game 1 A.D.
Monday, April 3, 2017 – Fenway Park, Section 32
Red Sox 5, Pirates 3
Every year, I make the same tweet on the morning of the home opener:
#OpeningDay is my favorite holiday. Sorry, Christmas!
— Kristen C (@Red_Sox_Diehard) April 3, 2017
Though this marked my 17th Fenway Park Opening Day, there were a couple of things different this year: they opened the season at home for a change (2002, ’09, and ’10 being the other times since I started going), and this was the first in a long time without the services of David Ortiz. While I was going to miss the irreplaceable Big Papi, Year 1 A. D. (After David) brought a young, exciting team, and opening at home meant we got to see reigning Cy Young winner Rick Porcello on the mound. I got to Fenway around 10:30 and made a couple of laps around the outside of the ballpark.
When they got to the infield, we finally got a break in the case of who stole Tom Brady’s historic Super Bowl LI game shirt. But don’t worry, the thief was chased down and apprehended by Brady himself. Following is a slide show of the still pictures I took as it all unfolded:
Once the five Patriots said, “Play ball!” the game was underway. Rick Porcello picked up right where he left off at the end of the ’16 season, retiring the side in order in the first on just 11 pitches. In the second, the Pirates got their first baserunner, who was promptly gunned down by Sandy Leon as he tried to steal. “He’s not even our best defensive catcher!” I yelled, not as a slight to Sandy, who’s a good defensive catcher in his own right, but as a compliment to Christian Vazquez on the bench. In the fourth, Jackie Bradley made a long running catch deep into the triangle, a step shy of the bullpen, before banging into the wall. Because it was the third out, we were able to keep cheering right into the inning break. An inning later, at the half-way point of the game, it was still scoreless, as Pirates ace Gerrit Cole kept the Red Sox off the board.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Red Sox put together a rally. JBJ hit a two-out triple, and then Pablo Sandoval beat out an infield hit to drive in the first run. Sandy Leon followed with a bunt toward an unmanned third base, and made it safely to first. Dustin Pedroia singled in the second run, and then Andrew Benintendi blasted a three-run homer into the visitors’ bullpen.
Powered by the five-run fifth, all the Red Sox had to do was hold the lead. Matt Barnes got the final two outs of the seventh, although he did let a couple of inherited runners score. Robby Scott came in to start the eighth, threw one pitch which was grounded to second for the first out of the inning, and then gave way to Heath Hembree for the next two outs. In the ninth, Craig Kimbrel put two runners on, but struck out two, before getting the final out on a foul popup to first. With that, the Red Sox showed that they had good pitching, good defense, and just enough timely hitting to win games in the post-Ortiz era. All that was left was to see whether “Win Dance Repeat,” the outfielders’ celebratory dance, would return in some form for the new season. Here’s the latest version of their victory moves: