Brock Holt makes hilarious request of Red Sox fans ahead of Andrew Benintendi’s first game at Fenway since being traded to the Yankees
On Friday night, Andrew Benintendi will play his 239th career game at Fenway Park.
But for the first time in his seven years in the majors, it won’t be for the home team.
The Boston Red Sox traded Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals ahead of last season, and last week, they traded him to Boston’s biggest rival. So, when he returns to Fenway for this three-game set, he’ll be wearing the pinstripes of the enemy.
Rivalry aside, Benintendi will likely get a warm welcome when the Sox and Yankees open their series. After all, he was a fan favorite and he didn’t choose to get traded. He’s certainly no Johnny Damon or Jacoby Ellsbury, choosing the Evil Empire after bringing trophies to Boston. Sox manager Alex Cora agrees; he had nothing but kind words for his former player before the series opener:
"“I love that kid… He has a special place in my heart… He deserves a great ovation here.”"
But if his longtime friend and former teammate, Brock Holt, has anything to say about it, Benny will get booed all weekend.
bahahaha pic.twitter.com/UNTRBeJGU9
— Gabrielle (@gfstarr1) August 12, 2022
Just kidding. Probably.
Holt and Benintendi go way back. After a brief debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Holt joined the Sox in 2013 and spent seven of his 10 big-league seasons in Boston. When Benintendi debuted in August 2016, the two became fast friends. To Holt’s kids, he’s Uncle Benny. Holt and the rest of their teammates called him Benny Buttcheeks.
It’s going to be a conflicting weekend for Holt, who is still deeply involved in the local community. He remains an active supporter of the Jimmy Fund, a relationship that goes back to his first season on the Sox when he became the team’s Jimmy Fund captain. Next year, he and his wife will run the Boston Marathon for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Watching a close friend and teammate get traded around is never easy, especially when they land up with your bitter rival. And let’s be honest, no one who isn’t a Yankees fan wants to root for the Yankees. The Sox will probably welcome him back as a former World Series champ and most of the Fenway Faithful will give him an ovation.
And then they’ll proceed to root, root, root for the home team.