Fenway Park Opening Day 2018
News and commentary from Fenway Park.
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Rays at Red Sox | in progress
TV/Radio: NESN, MLB Network / WEEI.Globe Sports 4/5/2018 2:02:40 PM
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Pregame Notes: The Red Sox have won five straight and will play Tampa Bay for the fifth time in seven games. … The Rays have lost five in a row since opening the season by beating the Sox. … David Price beat the Rays on March 30, throwing seven shutout innings. The former Tampa Bay ace is 4-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) against the Rays. … Rookie Yonny Chirinos pitched four scoreless innings of relief against the Sox on Sunday. He allowed one hit, walked one, hit two and struck out three. He is expected to go only three or four innings as it’s a “bullpen day” for the Rays. … J.D. Martinez has gone 20 at-bats without a home run, 67 since the start of spring training.
– Peter Abraham
Globe Sports 4/5/2018 2:03:41 PM -
A view of Fenway Park on Tuesday as it was being prepared for the first game of the season. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff) Globe Sports 4/5/2018 2:06:40 PM -
Opening Day details
The Sox will open the gates at Fenway Park at 12:05 p.m. on Thursday for the home opener and asked fans to be in their seats at 1:15 p.m. for the ceremonies.
The players on both teams will be introduced before a unit from Hanscom Air Force Base presents the colors. R&B artist Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters will perform the national anthem.
Four F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 134th Fighter Squadron of the Vermont Air National Guard are scheduled for a flyover.
Prior to the game, at 9 a.m., 44 Air Force recruits will have their swearing-in ceremony on the field.
Cora is excited for the home opener.
“My mom will be there, so that will be great. It’s going to be a special one,” he said. “And the way they played, it’s going to be great for the fans to see them finally after a great road trip . . . Thursday’s going to be very special.”
– Peter Abraham
Globe Sports 4/5/2018 2:12:41 PM -
Back at Fenway: Betts RF, Benintendi LF, Ramirez 1B, Martinez DH, Bogaerts SS, Devers 3B, Núñez 2B, Bradley Jr. CF, Vázquez C, and Price LHP.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 2:14:48 PM -
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Remarkable job by the grounds crew. The field looks terrific and it’s great to be back at the office. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DaBwE0WW0AAsTh0.jpg
by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 2:55:00 PM -
Cora on start: ‘The good thing is we haven’t played our best baseball. ... We’re pleased where we’re at.’by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 3:04:27 PM -
Cora says Sox will make a decision about whether to activate Eduardo Rodriguez for Sunday within the next few hours.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 3:04:38 PM
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Cora on the cold weather says Sox are shooting to be playing in cold weather at the end of the year. ‘Just a rehearsal.’by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 3:04:44 PM
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Cora said he went to Target yesterday to buy diapers for his twins and to get some furnishings. He said he went undetected.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 3:04:49 PM
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No final decision yet, but Sox could start Eduardo Rodriguez on Sunday.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 3:20:37 PM
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Alex Cora moved into his place on Wednesday and went to Target to pick up a few things. He said nobody recognized him.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 3:22:26 PM
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Here are the lineups:
RED SOX (5-1) RAYS (1-5) Betts RF Duffy 3B Benintendi LF Kiermaier CF Ramirez 1B Gomez RF Martinez DH Cron DH Bogaerts SS Ramos C Devers 3B Miller 1B Nunez 2B Hechavarria SS Bradley Jr. CF Robertson 2B Vazquez C Refsnyder LF Pitching: LHP David Price (1-0, 0.00).
Pitching: RHP Yonny Chirinos (0-0, 0.00).
Globe Sports 4/5/2018 3:54:12 PM -
Red Sox pitchers warm up prior to the game. (Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff) Globe Sports 4/5/2018 3:59:52 PM -
One of Alex Cora’s mentors, Raul Rodriguez, will attend the game today. He owns Caguas, the Puerto Rican Winter League team Cora played for, managed and was GM of. Cora’s mom, two sisters and others here, tooby Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 4:04:50 PM
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As the #RedSox take BP with winter caps pulled over their baseball caps, here are the lineups and pre-game notes:
bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/… https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DaCCLGgXkAASNZv.jpgby Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 4:13:58 PM -
Actual headline on BostonGlobe.com as the #RedSox start a 10-day homestand:
bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/04/… https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DaCDGPOXkAAh5vK.jpgby Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 4:19:00 PM -
This is the third time in seven games the Rays have had a pre-game ceremony: their opener, the Yankees’ opener and now the Sox.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 5:37:59 PM
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Well, not so much a ceremony in NY twitter.com/DPLennon/statu…by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 5:41:40 PM
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Helena Akhtar, left, and Gabrielle Onofrio carry cutouts of Mookie Betts and David Price outside the Red Sox home opener. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff) Globe Sports 4/5/2018 5:44:30 PM -
Outside of the starters, loudest cheers at Fenway for Cora, Pedroia, Sale and Kimbrel.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 5:46:51 PM
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by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 5:50:51 PM
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Seven U.S. Winter Olympians threw out first pitches at Fenway including four members of the Women’s Hockey Team.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 5:57:39 PM
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David Ortiz and Aly Raisman on the field to say “Play Ball.”by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 5:59:38 PM
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Ortiz tore off his jersey to reveal a t-shirt that said, “Girl Power."by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 6:01:34 PM
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Price “labors” through a 14-pitch first, punctuated by a 92 mph comeback left-on-right two-seamer that froze Gomez. That’s 90 pitches in 8 innings for the year for Price.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 6:15:01 PM
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Benintendi tries unsuccessfully to advance to second on a ball in the dirt. Red Sox run into their seventh out on the bases (not including caught stealings). No one else in the majors has more than four.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 6:22:11 PM
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Fighter jets flew over Fenway as part of the pregame ceremonies. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff) Globe Sports 4/5/2018 6:22:48 PM -
Sox run into another out as Benintendi tries to advance on a ball that got away from the catcher a bit and is thrown out.
More on that bad habit they can’t seem to break:
bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/…by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 6:23:17 PM -
End 1: Red Sox 0, Rays 0Globe Sports 4/5/2018 6:24:26 PM
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David Ortiz and Aly Raisman teamed up to deliver the "play ball" shout-out. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff) Globe Sports 4/5/2018 6:25:04 PM -
That's seven outs on the bases for the Red Sox this season after Andrew Benintendi got nabbed trying to advance to second in the first inning on a stray pitch after Hanley Ramirez struck out..by Nick Cafardo via twitter 4/5/2018 6:25:07 PM -
Price gets Cron to swing and miss over the top of a curveball. He couldn't throw that pitch for strikes - and didn't need to - in his first outing, but with Cron working a long (8-pitch) AB, he had another direction to turn.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 6:28:01 PM
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The Red Sox made a league worst 11 more outs on the bases than the next team last year (the Yankees with 70). Picking up where they left off with seven in seven games so far.by Nick Cafardo via twitter 4/5/2018 6:28:07 PM
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That pitch is significant - Price avoided his curveball for most of last year because of his elbow. If he's a four-pitch guy, that's a formula for a pitcher who can dominate 3+ times through an order.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 6:29:17 PM
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Mookie Betts shows ridiculous range to get a pop-up down the line in shallow right. He plays as shallow as anyone in baseball in RF -- especially critical now given some of the range deficiencies of Ramirez and Nunez.by Alex Speier via twitter 4/5/2018 6:32:20 PM
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Two reasons why Mookie Betts may be the best rightfielder in the baseball. In the second he cuts off a sharply hit ball by Brad Miller for a single which could have got passed him for extra bases and then a nice running catch of a pop up in short right.by Nick Cafardo via twitter 4/5/2018 6:32:58 PM
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Strange to think that the Rays played in cold weather (New York) before the Red Sox did.by Nick Cafardo via twitter 4/5/2018 6:33:32 PM
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Martinez gets a gift triple on a ball Keirmaier lost in the wind and/or sun.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 6:35:21 PM
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J.D. Martinez wondered whether Fenway would be good or bad for him since he hits a lot to center/right. His fly ball kept drifting over Kevin Kiermaier's head in center and tipped off his glove for a triple in his first AB at Fenway as a Red Sox.by Nick Cafardo via twitter 4/5/2018 6:36:36 PM
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Now unaggressive base running hurts the Sox. On a broken-bat slow roller between the pitcher and first basemen, Martinez stays put.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 6:36:48 PM
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Runner on 3rd, no outs, can’t score. Sox 12 of 58 with RISP.by Pete Abraham via twitter 4/5/2018 6:39:40 PM
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Tough not to score with a runner at third with no outs, but that's what your Boston Red Sox just did.by Nick Cafardo via twitter 4/5/2018 6:40:21 PM
