Opening Day
The first game of the 2016 season was postponed due to rain, but Opening Day proved to be worth the wait for the Red Sox.
Freshly minted ace David Price earned the win in his team debut, out-dueling Cleveland Indians star Corey Kluber in a 6-2 victory. Price tossed six innings, allowing only two runs while striking out 10.
Red Sox fans also caught their first regular season glimpse of the other big addition to the pitching staff, as Craig Kimbrel closed out the ninth. It wasn’t a save situation, but the fire-breathing closer still looked sharp, collecting a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless inning.
Boston’s offense was fueled by Mookie Betts, who homered in the third inning to give the Red Sox a lead they would not relinquish. With a pair of hits on Opening Day, a strong start foreshadowed a breakout season from Betts.
David Ortiz would tack on a couple of insurance runs in the ninth with a two-run blast, adding to his career home run total in the final Opening Day of his career.
The tables would turn on Price and the Red Sox six months later when they failed to pick up a win on this same field in Cleveland in the ALDS, but at least the season got off to a promising start.