Red Sox take to the road for the first time in 2020
After an absolutely miserable homestand to kick off the 2020 season, the Red Sox will be taking to the road and are heading for the Big Apple. Next on the schedule is a two-game stand at Citi Field followed by a trio of games at Yankee Stadium. This will be the first time the organization has ventured away from Fenway Park since everyone re-convened at the beginning of July.
As we all know, the league is under fire right now due to the massive COVID outbreak with the Marlins and how it’s already thrown the schedule into a tizzy. So far the worst case of coronavirus in MLB has been with Miami but their mistakes have caused other teams to postpone games. For the Red Sox, heading to New York isn’t as scary of a trip as the state has done relatively well with controlling the virus.
However, after their five games in NYC they’ll be making their way to Florida to pay a visit to the Rays, that’s where things get dicey. Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke spoke about some of the increased measures the team is taking to keep everyone on the trip as healthy as possible.
Per Chris Cotillo of Masslive.com:
"“It’s unknown about going there and what it’s going to be like,” manager Ron Roenicke said. “We know New York is doing well right now with the COVID. We know when we go to Florida from there, it’s a little different story and we’ll probably approach that a little differently. A little more cautious.”"
As far as the safety measures are concerned, they’re not drastic but could mean the difference in staying healthy and having the entire team get sick. Boston will be using the same hotel for the entire week they’re in New York, eliminating exposure through unnecessary travel. They’ll also have meals catered and will have a training room set up in the hotel’s ballroom area.
The Red Sox will also be using a handful of buses for transport to get between the fields and hotel. This will allow fewer players and personnel on each bus and will give them more of an opportunity to spread out, giving the chance for social distancing. Again, nothing too dramatic or out of the ordinary, but could go a long way in keeping everyone safe.
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When I looked at the measures that Chris laid out from today’s conference with Roenicke the biggest in my eyes was not wanting the players and staff to leave the hotel. Roenicke explained that the team has made it clear that players aren’t to be going out to bars or clubs while on the road. It’s pretty much the ballfield or the hotel, which may sound awful, but the Red Sox don’t seem to be messing around.
"“We have told them not to go out,” Roenicke said earlier in the week. “You do not go into nightclubs. You do not go into bars. I don’t think these things are open anyway. I’m not sure in New York, but I think in Florida, they’ve shut down things. There are definitely things we tell them not to do.”"
Before the season started we heard from some of the veteran players like J.D. Martinez and Mitch Moreland that they’re not messing around with the virus. The message seems to have made its rounds pretty clearly as we haven’t had a positive case on the team since the beginning of camp.
To me the scary thing isn’t as much the virus anymore as it is the long-lasting side effects, just look at Eduardo Rodriguez. He’s over the sickness but is now having heart issues as a result, something that’s come to light in the last few weeks.
This season has been a nightmare for the Red Sox, there isn’t a single aspect of the game that’s clicking for the team. Add in the fact they now have to travel and will eventually hit one of the hottest COVID areas in the country, the stress has to be through the roof. Hopefully, things can turn around for the team while on this road trip and everyone makes it back to Fenway safely.