The Boston Red Sox claimed a rare home win against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 13 after some home run heroics from Trevor Story and Ceddanne Rafaela — two homers in a single Sox game feel even more rare than a Fenway win, a this point.
Red Sox principal owner John Henry was in attendance for Boston's Wednesday win. NESN has made a greater point of showing him at games after another offseason marked by huge free agent misses, and Henry was most recently caught in a hilarious pose.
NESN panned to Henry and his wife, Linda Pizzuti Henry, in the owner's box while both were looking down, not out at the game. The best part of the shot was Dave O'Brien's commentary: "Principal owner John Henry in the house here, looking for some offense."
There's no denying that the Red Sox's offense has been the team's biggest issue this season — which was expected, since the team was built on quality pitching and improved defense. But Henry hasn't been able to escape the criticism as "sell the team" chants rang out at Fenway Park in the early weeks of the season. Weeks later, Red Sox fans have made a meme of his latest appearance.
NESN broadcaster gives hilarious commentary over John Henry appearance at May 13 Phillies-Red Sox game
What it feels like watching this lineup pic.twitter.com/v6OYyxHh5t
— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) May 13, 2026
When NESN showed Henry on the broadcast, the Sox and Phillies were locked in a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning. There wasn't much offense to be seen by either team at that point — Boston and Philadelphia are two of the most underwhelming teams in the league this season and both have fired their managers after ugly early stretches. The Phillies have largely turned it around since Rob Thomson's dismissal and Don Mattingly's promotion, having won their last three series.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, still look lost at the plate. Story, Jarren Duran and Caleb Durbin haven't performed consistently at all this season and Carlos Narváez has regressed offensively since his breakout first half last year. The Sox have the second-lowest slugging percentage in the league (.354), fourth-lowest team OPS at .667, they're tied for the third-fewest number of home runs (31) and Zack Wheeler set a record for the fewest pitches thrown in the first three innings of a game during the Phillies' Boston trip.
Whether Henry was actually disappointed in the Sox's offense on Wednesday or not, he saw the team he built. The Red Sox's "run prevention" strategy would be flawed if any team tried it, but it fails especially hard in Boston because the offense can't score enough runs to give the pitching staff the help it needs. Maybe seeing the disaster in person will inspire some real action and strategic change from Henry, either ahead of the trade deadline or next offseason.
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