Red Sox News: Everything you need to know for Opening Day

Opening Day for the Red Sox is a week away and it’s time to get hyped

The moment is almost here Red Sox Nation! We’re a mere eight days away from the gang heading back to Fenway Park and taking the field against the Baltimore Orioles for Opening Day. Now this spring has been pretty good for Boston and things are generally looking up for the team, but there’s still plenty of season left before we hit October.

With that said, there’s plenty of things that fans should know about before April 1st hits their calendars so I’m going to break things down right here. I’ll cover everything from the Opening Day starters, tickets, game time, and how to watch the Red Sox begin their tour of redemption. As we enter the home stretch of spring training, anticipation is building to see if this team can rebound from one of its worst seasons in history.

The Starters

First, let’s take a look at our two starting pitchers. For the Orioles, it’ll be lefty John Means who once again will be carrying the weight of the Baltimore starting rotation. Means is 0-1 in spring training so far with a heavy 5.87 ERA through 15.1 innings pitched. He’s carrying a 1.370 WHIP with a 2.9 BB/9 and 6.5 K/9. I’m sure those aren’t the numbers that the Orioles are hoping to see from the southpaw and as we all know Means is damn good when he’s on, so I wouldn’t let spring fool you.

For the Red Sox, it’ll be the heir apparent ace of the staff, Eduardo Rodriguez. Eddie rose to prominence during the 2019 season when both Chris Sale, David Price, and Nathan Eovaldi all spent significant time on the IL and never seemed to get out of the gate. When Boston needed someone to carry the load and put in the innings it would often be Eduardo. He’d finish the year 19-6 and own a 3.81 ERA in 203.1 IP with an MLB leading 34 starts. He missed the entirety of 2020 due to COVID and myocarditis but has looked incredibly strong so far in spring to the tune of 3-0/2.63/13.2/0.951.

Fans in the Stands

As far as tickets are concerned, finding a way into Fenway Park for Opening Day is going to be damn near impossible, but don’t lose hope on the rest of the month. The Red Sox are opening up ticket sales for the month of April starting tomorrow morning (Thursday, March 25th) at 10 am. In an email earlier this week the team mentioned that all 81 home games will have a dynamic pricing structure and will fluctuate based on demand, weather, and availability.

All tickets sold will fall under a “Pod Seating,” format of either two or four ticket bundles. This will allow fans to attend games in person while also being able to remain at a safe distance. Tickets will also be fully digital in 2021 to allow for contactless entry into Fenway Park. Bags will also not be permitted into the park which is a change from the norm but as we all know, we gotta pay some prices to see the Sox play.

The biggest bullet points from the release that that face coverings must be worn at all times unless you are actively eating/drinking in your ticketed seat. Also, there will be a health survey made available through the MLB Ballpark App that must be taken prior to entering Fenway or the ticket holder will not be allowed in.

Obviously, things aren’t going to be the same for those that get to attend games this year with the new COVID restrictions but even having the park at some capacity will be fantastic. Based on the allowance from the state of Massachusetts, the Red Sox will be able to allow around 4500 fans into Fenway Park for home games. Long gone are the days of piped-in crowd noise and cardboard cutouts, it’s time to get weird at Fenway once again!

How to Watch and Listen

Despite rarely getting to see the Red Sox play during spring training they will once again be back on NESN for the regular season. The schedule is a bit tricky as for much of April the team will find themselves in day games as opposed to their usual evening clashes. Opening Day will be the kickstart to that as they’ll be facing the Orioles with a 2:10 first pitch scheduled. Coverage for the game will begin at 12:30 on NESN with Red Sox First Pitch Live and continue through the post-game analysis.

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There’s also the MLB.TV option which allows you to see every game, unless the Sox are playing a team in your area, then you get the dreaded blackout. Since I live in New York, anytime they play the Yankees or Mets I’m forced to watch their insufferable broadcasts, it’s the worst. But it’s a price I pay to be able to watch all but a few dozen games a year. FuboTV is another option and will allow you to catch games at home or on the go!

As I said, April is going to be a bit wonky as 15 of their 27 games will be during the daytime. Considering people still have jobs and may have to work during the day they’ll need another outlet to get their Red Sox fill. Well, don’t worry faithful friend as WEEI and the MLB App have you covered.

You can listen to the WEEI team call every Red Sox game through the MLB App, though it does require a subscription. I work plenty of days and tend to use this route a lot during the season since I won’t be able to be home for those early outings. You can also catch games on WEEI proper through the Radio.com app.

Opening Day is right around the corner and I for one can’t wait for the Red Sox to get back to work this summer. Last year was an absolute nightmare and based on what we’ve seen this spring these guys want to wipe that memory from everyone’s minds. That level of grit and determination will be needed if they want to find themselves back in the postseason come October. With just a week left until the games start counting, let get that anticipation up and get ready to do some work!