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The Red Sox Wednesday, July 1, 2020

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College lefties drafted by Red Sox have small sample sizes but big hopes

Julian McWilliams

There was natural anxiety for players entering this year’s Major League draft. Their 2020 high school or college seasons had been cut short or canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They lost that chance at increasing their individual stock, and furthermore, the draft had been reduced to just five rounds.

Lefthanders Shane Drohan and Jeremy Wu-Yelland felt some of that anxiety.

The two were in their junior years of college. Drohan attended State and Wu-Yelland played at the University of Hawaii. There was a chance both could have gone undrafted and thus would have been tasked with the tough decision of signing a free agent deal capped at $20,000 or returning to school for their senior year.

“I didn’t know if I was going to get drafted,” Wu-Yelland said in a phone interview. “My agent was kind of telling me that it might happen, it might not. Just be ready for anything.”

Said Drohan, “I knew the scouting report on me was I have the stuff to shoot up on draft boards but I haven’t really put it together yet. I felt like I was doing that this year and then once [the season] got shut down, that definitely played into the stress of it, like, ‘Did I show enough?’ ”

As it turned out, both players showed enough. The Red Sox selected Wu-Yelland in the fourth round and Drohan in the fifth. Both players plan on signing.

“Overall, it’s exciting,” Drohan said. “I’m ready to get going.”

There are some similarities in Wu-Yelland and Drohan’s college careers. First, they have a limited sample size. Wu-Yelland’s career high in came in 2019 at just 46⅓. Drohan’s season high came that same year (51⅔ innings).

As freshmen, both began in the bullpen. Wu-Yelland’s career has been a blend between starter and reliever, while Drohan’s role as a starter became a bit more defined by his sophomore season, and it’s a role he would like to remain in.

“I see myself as a starter,” said Drohan, who made four starts this year. “Like we said, the sample size has been small, so I’m still really figuring out how to pitch just because I didn’t really start pitching until late junior year of high school.

“For the most part, I’m fairly new to it. If you really dive into the numbers, each year I’ve made drastic strides.”

Wu-Yelland, on the other hand, is indifferent about being a starter or reliever.

“I don’t really get into roles too much,” Wu-Yelland said. “I just want the ball when it matters and help my team win games. That’s what the Red Sox are getting out of me, is someone who wants to win more than anything else.”

Wu-Yelland made his biggest impression during the summer of 2019 in the Cape Cod League. In 25⅔ innings, he struck out 26 and posted a 3.15 ERA.

“We had seen him pitch in the Cape Cod League, where he threw great,” Red Sox amateur scouting director Paul Toboni said. “He threw great again this season. [Area scout] J.J. Altobelli really drove it. We were really able to get a robust process early on the kid, which left us in a really good position to select him in the fourth round.”

Excelling in the Cape Cod League also gave Wu-Yelland confidence.

“Being around the best competition every day really helped, too,” Wu-Yelland said. “And just understanding in my own head that I’m right there with these guys and I’m not just as good, I can be better.”

Wu-Yelland’s fastball sits between 91 and 94 miles per hour, topping out at 96. He complements that with a loopy, low-80s that he keeps out of the middle of the zone, according to .

Drohan is more of a project but also has a big arm that tops out at 95 m.p.h.

“He’s another unique talent,” Toboni said. “He just does it so easy. Then you check the radar and it’s 94 to 95.”

Drohan was drafted in 2017, in the 23rd round, by the Phillies, when he was at Cardinal Newman High School in Florida. His father, Bill, played in the organization for four years (1987-90).

Drohan also was a standout quarterback on his high school team and is probably the best athlete the Sox selected in this year’s draft. He believes the football background helps him on the baseball field.

“It really helps for me more mentally than physically,” Drohan said. “Especially because I was a quarterback. Just the high-intensity situations in football and being the quarterback when stuff is going wrong. I know when I was a quarterback, I had to keep my cool, stay poised. It kind of relates to pitching, too.”

The most important homer in Red Sox history? It might not be what you think

Chad Finn

There are so many candidates for the second-most important home in Red Sox history that the MLB Network could put together an hourlong show counting them down before getting to the obvious No. 1. Frankly, after subjecting us to an entire weekend of content recently, it’s the least it could do.

Carlton Fisk’s if-it-stays-fair homer to win of the 1975 would be prominent on such a program. So, too, would another from that game, ’s improbable pinch- three-run blast in the eighth to tie it.

Dave Henderson’s ninth-inning, go-ahead homer — which brought a perfect, incredulous “… and it’s gone! Un-believable!” call from — in Game 5 of the 1986 Championship Series would get its due. So would ’s adieu at Fenway in the sunset of the 1960 season, Troy O’Leary’s against the Indians in 1999, and a half-dozen homers from the postseason oeuvre. Maybe more than a half-dozen.

(’s walkoff homer in Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS might not rank as one of the dozen or so most important homers in Red Sox history, but it might be my personal favorite. He annihilated that baseball. I can’t count the times I’ve watched that one on YouTube the last 13 years.)

But every one of those magical, memorable home runs is competing for second place on the podium.

The most important home run in Red Sox history is Johnny Damon’s second-inning grand slam in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS.

I’d say this is indisputable, except that every time the subject has come up in Twitter conversation, it becomes a matter of dispute, with the aforementioned home runs all drawing “yeah, but” mention as its equal or even superior.

As special as they are, they are not as important. And that should not be disputed. Damon’s grand slam changed Red Sox history. It changed everything.

The slam, which turned a 2-0 lead into a holy-cow-this-is-actually-happening 6-0 advantage and brought to stunned silence, was the hit that never happened before, the one the Red Sox could never quite muster in 1946 and ’67 and ’75 and, oh yes, in 2003, when a 5-2 lead in Game 7 of the ALCS slipped away in the eighth inning.

Damon’s slam eased some of the tension in the most tension-packed game we could ever imagine. And he did it, on the road, at Yankee Stadium, after the Red Sox had fought back from a three-games-to-none deficit in the series to force a Game 7.

If you were the cynical sort then — and most of us were, rightfully — the only way ’04 could have ended up more disappointing than ’03 is if the Red Sox had rallied from that 3-0 hole, made us believe that the greatest comeback in sports history was possible, and then somehow blown it in Game 7.

We’d waited generations for someone to come through in that manner under such important circumstances, especially against the Yankees. Damon is the one who finally did.

Some of you will cite Ortiz home runs — the extra-innings blast in Game 4 of the series that got the comeback started, or his two-run homer in the first inning of Game 7 that came right after Damon was thrown out at the plate — as the most important.

They are important, for sure. But none of what came before would have mattered a lick without Damon’s game-breaker. His home run was the punch to the throat, the fatal blow, the sea change that finally made Jeter look like he was the one seeing ghosts.

Without Damon’s slam, Ortiz’s earlier heroics in the series and in that game might have ended up as footnotes to another lost cause.

Sure, Ortiz’s Game 4 home run set change in motion. Damon’s was the change.

I believe the Red Sox’ success this century has dulled our memories of just how cynical we had become after the crushing loss in 2003, one that left our souls ground up into a fine powder, one that left our minds wondering why we bothered investing so much time in something that always let us down in the end.

Many among us talk now about having confidence going into Game 7 in ’04. If you did, you’re not someone I encountered that day. No one knew that — who began the postseason buried in the bullpen — would be untouchable on one day’s rest, or that Yankees starter Kevin Brown would melt into a puddle of ineptitude and rage.

I remember trying to be hopeful. I also remember reminding myself not to be too hopeful, because wouldn’t it be just like the Red Sox to come back from an embarrassing 3-0 hole in the series, then punt away Game 7 just when we believed again? We couldn’t truly believe until Damon and the Game 7 heroes allowed for it.

As one Twitter friend put it, “Let’s face it. Those 4 days in October was really just 96 hours of us all saying ‘Ok well HERE it comes’ over and over until Damon’s granny after which none of us knew WHAT to say.”

Did I mention — you may have heard about this — that they also won the World Series that year? This is why Pudge, Bernie, Hendu, and their classic postseason blasts from the past can’t be No. 1. They didn’t win in the end. They had a moment. But someone else had the parade.

Yeah, Damon bolted for the Yankees as a free agent two years later. He got booed at Fenway in his later years. I understand not liking that he left for them, but any animosity was misplaced. Damon could have batted .997 against the Red Sox as a Yankee and it never would have equaled what he did to the Yankees as a Red Sox player.

Every day he played for the Yankees was a reminder to Yankees fans that the ghosts had been exorcised. I don’t know how they could stand to look at him.

Call it opinion. Argue with me on Twitter if you wish. But I’m calling it fact. Damon’s grand slam in Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS is the biggest home run in Red Sox history. And it always will be.

Here’s to the Idiots. Especially that particular one, on that special October night, when he slammed the Yankees and everything changed.

His second homer that night wasn’t bad, either.

Minor League Baseball’s 2020 season is officially canceled

Michael Silverman

One week after flipping the lights back on for its 2020 season, pulled the plug on the minor league season Tuesday.

The announcement of the official cancellation of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic was expected. The impact on the 160-team industry is grim.

More than half the teams will not be able to survive without congressional intervention or equity infusions, and the effects could linger for as long as until the 2024 season, president Pat O’Conner said in a teleconference Tuesday night.

“We are in dire straits, and I still have grave concerns,” said O’Conner, who speaks for an industry dependent on having fans in the stands. Add on the fact that minor league baseball already was facing a precarious future because of contentious talks with Major League Baseball over a new Agreement, and the magnitude of Tuesday’s development is apparent.

“This is the perfect storm,” added O’Conner. “There are very many teams that are not liquid, not solvent, not able to proceed under normal circumstances, and these are anything but normal circumstances given the PBA and the uncertainty of the future for some of these ball clubs.

“I think the coronavirus has really cut into many clubs’ ability to make it. I think we’re looking at, without some government intervention, without doing something to take on equity partners, you might be looking at half of the 160 who are going to have serious problems.”

MLB had put off a formal decision pending the resolution of protracted negotiations with the MLB Players Association over the contours of a shortened major league season. The sides agreed last Tuesday on a 60- game schedule beginning July 23 or 24.

In the 160 communities across the country where affiliated minor league teams play, fans have been without their low-cost family-entertainment summertime option since early April for full-season leagues. For -based Red Sox affiliates, they include the A , who were scheduled to play their final season at McCoy Stadium in before moving to Worcester next year, and the A in Maine.

The of the short-season New York-Penn League were supposed to begin playing June 17.

In a statement, the PawSox noted that this will be the first season in 137 years — since the was founded in 1884 — that there will be no baseball. They hope to stage a “fitting farewell” to their home park, 78-year-old McCoy Stadium, before moving to Worcester’s Polar Park next year.

“Naturally, as baseball fans, we are deeply disappointed to not have a summer of PawSox baseball, especially in our 50th anniversary season,” said club president Dr. Charles Steinberg. “Yet all of us recognize that the health, safety, and well-being of our players, fans, and entire community are paramount. But we will keep the faith; this may not be how the story ends.”

Fans with tickets to 2020 PawSox home games will be contacted by the club’s ticket office for refund options.

In a statement, the Sea Dogs said: “While this decision was not unexpected, we are saddened to know we will not be hosting games at Hadlock Field this summer. As an organization we are now shifting our attention to planning and preparing for 2021.”

The Sea Dogs said fans can hang on to their 2020 tickets for the 2021 season or request refunds.

In their statement, the Spinners said they are “officially on hiatus” but “look forward to developing opportunities to bring joy and excitement to LeLacheur Park at the appropriate time later this year.” The club also said all ticket deposits and group purchases for 2020 will be credited for next season at 110 percent of ticket value.

With no fans coming through the turnstiles, minor league teams have been trying to find alternate revenue sources. The PawSox have established “Ballpark Dining” at McCoy Stadium, while the Sea Dogs will open a nine-hole, target-style golf course at Hadlock Field in early July.

The development of thousands of players in the farm systems of the 30 major league clubs was interrupted when the pandemic prompted the closing of camps in Florida and Arizona in mid-March.

Spring training resumes Wednesday, with major league clubs inviting varying amounts of minor leaguers to camps. The numbers will increase to fill out “taxi squads” when the games begin in late July.

O’Conner had been hopeful that MiLB might be able to stage its own shortened season, but the spike in COVID-19 cases in certain areas of the country dashed those dreams.

O’Conner is more hopeful that a new loan program before Congress will help keep clubs afloat.

Talks with MLB over a new PBA are at a standstill, but O’Conner believes they can resume once MLB is able to get its abbreviated season underway in late July.

“I don’t think there’s any question this will change minor league baseball as we know it going forward,” said O’Conner. “Regardless of the number of teams, there is going to be some attrition along the way, either financial or logistical. This is going to change the country, it’s going to change the way we look at our country, the way we operate as a country. Baseball is not going to escape that change.”

* The Boston Herald

Minor League Baseball cancels 2020 season, PawSox to keep McCoy Stadium open this year

Jason Mastrodonato

Across the country, small and mid-size towns received a blow on Tuesday, when Minor League Baseball announced the cancellation of the 2020 season.

While it was expected, some teams were still hopeful of a 60-game season.

But with big league clubs allowed to carry 60-man rosters for the season, there simply weren’t going to be enough players to get a minor league season going, nor were the health and safety protocols ironed out.

“The International League (the oldest league in all of Minor League Baseball) traces its history back to 1884, and it is with deep regret that I confirm that for the first summer in 137 years the league will play no games in 2020,” International League president Randy Mobley said in a statement. “Until just a few hours ago, the league and its 14 member teams continued to plan and prepare for the possibility of playing a 60- game, shortened season. Due to the many COVID-19 related challenges that would accompany staffing team rosters for a two-month season, Major League Baseball has now advised that they will not be providing players to the teams of Minor League Baseball in 2020.”

It’s a particularly tough pill to swallow for the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, which was set to host its 50th and final season of PawSox baseball before the team moves to Worcester.

Instead, McCoy Stadium will be the home to some Red Sox players on the taxi squad. It’ll also continue to host “Dining on the Diamond,” where fans can reserve tables for dinner on the field during select summer nights.

The club will also explore other ways of using the 78-year old ballpark and still plans on opening the 2021 season at Worcester’s Polar Park.

“Naturally, as baseball fans, we are deeply disappointed to not have a summer of PawSox Baseball, especially in our 50th-anniversary season,” said club president Dr. Charles Steinberg. “Yet all of us recognize that the health, safety, and well-being of our players, fans, and entire community are paramount. But we will keep the faith; this may not be how the story ends.

“We continue to speak with the mayor of Pawtucket (Donald R. Grebien) and other public officials, about the uses this summer — and beyond — of McCoy Stadium. So many high school and college players have loved playing on this field through the years, and we will see if there is a way to continue to provide that opportunity. We have also loved welcoming so many Rhode Island families to enjoy Dining on the Diamond, and we will see if we can continue to offer that experience as well.”

Fans who have purchased tickets to Red Sox minor league games this season will have a variety of options.

Those with tickets to PawSox games will be contacted by the club and given a variety of options, including refunds.

Double-A Portland is offering fans a chance to mail their tickets back for a full refund or hold onto them and exchange them for tickets in 2021.

Single-A Salem will contact those who purchased tickets to discuss options.

And there will be no refunds offered to those with tickets for games in Lowell, but the team is offering 110% credit toward tickets in 2021.

The Red Sox begin official summer camp workouts on Friday at and hope to begin the MLB season on July 23 or 24.

* MassLive.com

How Red Sox will be tested for coronavirus upon arrival in Boston for training camp this week

Chris Cotillo

Red Sox players are due to arrive in Boston for summer training camp Wednesday, but the reporting process will be anything but normal. As baseball attempts to launch its season in the middle of the COVID- 19 pandemic, players and coaches will undergo rigorous testing before they’re allowed to begin working out later in the week.

Here’s what members of the Red Sox will have to do when they arrive at Fenway Park this week:

BEFORE ARRIVING Before arriving at Fenway Park for what’s referred to as “intake screening” on Wednesday and Thursday, members of the Red Sox will have some homework.

One or two days before showing up, players and coaches are required to complete a “symptom and exposure questionnaire” that will be collected by the club’s medical staff. The survey asks if players have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms in the prior 72 hours and give an exposure and travel history to determine if there’s a chance they have been exposed to anyone with the virus.

The Red Sox can follow up on any incomplete answers on the survey, as long as they have permission from MLB to do so. If a player or staff member tells the club that he or she might have contracted the virus or been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, the screening process may be delayed.

MLB recommended club employees report in a certain order, with essential clubhouse personnel and support staff arriving first, followed by coaches and field managers. and are supposed to come next, followed by position players. The Red Sox have had most of their staff and coaches go through the process already and players will undergo testing Wednesday and Thursday.

INTAKE SCREENING As baseball begins preparing for its regular season, the “intake screening” process is perhaps the most important piece of the league’s calendar.

An independent collection service has set up shop at Fenway Park to test members of the organization, with all testers wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. Each player has a designated appointment time and location for his screening, and those times and locations will be staggered throughout the day and throughout the ballpark. Once players arrive, they will be subjected to a three-part collection process that includes:

A temperature check with contactless thermometer A body fluid sample (saliva or oral/nasal swab) for diagnostic/PCR testing (this is the normal nose-swab COVID-19 test) A venous blood collection or dried blood spot sample for serology/antibody testing Players will then be required to self-quarantine for approximately 24-48 hours as they wait for their results to come back. All testing samples will be sent to the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah, so the results will not come back immediately.

Results will be reported to MLB and the Red Sox, who will promptly share the results with the individuals who were tested. If the player is negative, he can report to camp and start participating in workouts as soon as Friday. If a player tests positive for COVID-19, he will be told to self-isolate for weeks and test negative on two occasions before being cleared to rejoin the team.

Once the intake screening process is complete, all players and staff members must complete a COVID-19 educational course created by the league focused on the protocols MLB has put in place to keep everyone safe this summer. Players will go through a separate players-only course from club’s employees regarding schedules and expectations during summer training camp.

* RedSox.com

Four Red Sox storylines to watch for in 2020

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- When Spring Training came to a sudden halt on March 12, we were still trying to get a feel for what the 2020 Red Sox could be without .

Manager was still in the process of making his imprint on the team as ’s successor.

Chris Sale was close to finding out there would be no 2020 season for him, but instead, surgery.

With baseball coming back following the coronavirus shutdown and the first workout of Summer Camp expected to happen at Fenway Park on Friday, it’s time to re-visit the top storylines for the Red Sox heading into what will now be a 60-game season.

What impact can Verdugo make?

The biggest difference between now, and when Spring Training was suspended? Right fielder Alex Verdugo, the key acquisition piece in the trade for Betts, is a full-go. Verdugo had spent the first several weeks of camp confined mainly to the trainer’s room due to an L5 stress fracture in his back. Over the last several weeks, Verdugo has worked relentlessly to get back to full playing capacity.

“This guy, he’s probably further along than all of them,” said Roenicke. “This guy has been doing his rehab assignment and hitting in the cage, on the field, probably more than anybody has, so I feel good with where he is. Hopefully there won’t be any setbacks with him in these three weeks, and he’ll be ready to go.”

In the three weeks of Summer Camp, the Red Sox are looking forward to getting a full glimpse of what Verdugo’s dynamic skillset looks like on a daily basis. He has a cannon arm in right field and a line-drive stroke at the plate. Verdugo had become a very effective player for the Dodgers last year before the injury. Is it fair to expect him to be Betts? No. Is it fair to expect that if things go well, he could provide similar value as someone like ? Sure.

Can E-Rod, Eovaldi come up aces?

Not only did the Red Sox lose (traded to the Dodgers) and (signed with the Mets) from their 2019 rotation, but they are without ace Sale until June or July of ’21. This means that even in a shortened season like this one, the only way Boston can be successful is for Eduardo Rodriguez and to be a strong 1-2 at the front of the rotation. Rodriguez proved himself over the final four months of last season, going 15-3 with a 3.21 ERA over his last 24 starts.

Eovaldi was never himself last year. Perhaps it was the wear and tear of the innings he pitched the previous October. Perhaps it was the fact he had to have another elbow surgery two weeks into the season. But he sure looked dominant in the shortened Spring Training this year, firing eight shutout innings in three starts. Rodriguez looked equally powerful, giving up two runs in 11 innings while striking out 20.

Now, they must recapture that momentum in the three-week, ramp-up to the season.

“I feel good about the starting pitchers,” Roenicke said. “They’ve done a really good job of not just throwing a simple bullpen but of throwing a three- and four-inning bullpen. You look at Nate Eovaldi, what he’s done so far, he’ll probably be ready for a season in a week. Everybody is a little different, so we’ll see exactly where they are.”

Integrating an opener

Lefty Martín Pérez -- who was effective for the Twins in the first half of last season, but shaky in the second half -- is the No. 3 starter. , a 29-year-old finesse with just 11 career starts, seems to have the inside track on the No. 4 slot. So who will fill out the rotation? The answer is likely to come in the form of an opener.

Red Sox chief baseball officer helped create the position when he was with the Rays, and he’s already given the coaching staff his thoughts on the best way to implement it. But Boston could go about it a few different ways. If Collin McHugh, a one-time effective starter for the Astros is healthy enough, he could start games with three or four-inning stints.

Or the Red Sox could have the opener pitch just an inning or two and then bring in a strong arm to give them bulk innings. Powerful young lefty Darwinzon Hernandez could be the perfect person to shut down an opposition in the mid innings if he commands well enough. This is one of the areas the Red Sox will evaluate the most during camp.

Christian’s backup

After several years of back and forth, the Red Sox finally know that Christian Vázquez is not only their primary now, but likely through 2022, the season the team holds a club option for him. The goal now is to figure out who will back him up. Initially, it looked like that would be Kevin Plawecki, a defensive specialist the Red Sox signed as a free agent. And it still might be.

But there is now competition. Early in Spring Training, Boston signed veteran Jonathan Lucroy to a Minor League contract that included an invite to Spring Training. Not only did Lucroy used to be one of the best offensive catchers in the game for the Brewers, but Roenicke was his at that time. For the last three years, Lucroy played with a herniated disc in his neck. He finally got that fixed over the offseason, and the hope is that his production can return along with his health.

Lucroy wasn’t in Boston’s initial pool of 47 players announced on Sunday. But it was just a technicality. He is expected to restructure his contract and report to the first workout on Friday along with the rest of the roster. With the roster at 30 games for the first two weeks of the regular season and at 28 for the two weeks after that, there’s a chance the Sox will carry three catchers for the first month. That would give Roenicke and his staff more time to evaluate which backup best fits the team.

* WEEI.com

Some MLB players opting out of season, but all Red Sox will be reporting

Rob Bradford

One of the first reminders that this is going to be anything but an ordinary Major League Baseball season came Monday.

Three players -- Washington's and Joe Ross, along with Ian Desmond of Colorado -- announced they wouldn't be participating in the upcoming 2020 season due to concerns over COVID-19.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has made this baseball season one that is a risk I am not comfortable taking," wrote Desmond, adding, ""With a pregnant wife and four young children who have lots of questions about what's going on in the world, home is where I need to be right now,'' Desmond wrote. "Home for my wife, Chelsey. Home to help. Home to guide. Home to answer my older three boys' questions about Coronavirus and Civil Rights and life. Home to be their Dad.''

As for the Red Sox, it appears as though all the players on their recently-submitted roster will be in attendance for Wednesday's first day.

“I don’t know any of our guys who are on the fence about playing. They’ve told me that they’re ready to go,” Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said on a Zoom call Monday. “Is there a couple guys that are concerned? Yeah, there is. But as far as I know, what they’ve told me from today, yesterday, the day before, I expect everybody to come in."

Former Red Sox pitcher recently offered some insight to why a player may or may not choose to play, citing devotion to his teammates as the reason for his return despite having jus welcomed twins into his family.

Red Sox reliever : 'This season is important whether we like it or not'

Rob Bradford

Ryan Brasier walked off the mound in Port Charlotte, Fla. March 11 feeling pretty good about things.

The 32-year-old had just turned in his fourth Grapefruit League outing, having gone through spring training giving up just one run over five innings. While 2019 was far from perfect for the reliever, all signs were pointing to better times. Then he walked off the field and started hearing the news.

"I found out about it when I walked in the clubhouse, some of the guys were talking about the NBA (shutting down). The next day we had an off day, I went fishing with a few buddies and my phone started blowing up and they were talking about MLB suspending spring training and a few days later I came home," Brasier remembered during a phone conversation with WEEI.com.

"My last one in Tampa Bay I felt like I was ready to roll. I’m hoping these three weeks, getting a couple of outings under my belt, it will be back to normal after that."

This is where Brasier is at. Banking on, like so many other major leaguers, he can pick up where he left off when COVID-19 closed everything down. A tall task, but as the pitcher points out, an important one to so many.

The reliever is making his way back up to Boston Tuesday prior to joining his teammates to get tested for the coronavirus Wednesday. Then, if all goes well, the plan is to start throwing around again at Spring Training 2.0 in Fenway Park Friday. While some doubted baseball would ever get to that point, and others are choosing not to partake (see Ian Desmond and Ryan Zimmerman), it was of the utmost importance for guys like Brasier to find a way back.

"I’ve been ready to go since we got home," he said. "People ask, ‘Do you want to play 60 games?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah!’ The only guys who wouldn’t want to play are the ones making $20 million and most of those guys still want to play. I understand if you’re wife is pregnant and you want to stay home to be with them I get that, but this is an important 60 games for me.

"Hopefully, I can go out play 60 games and put up 25 zeros it will go a long way for me next year."

The reality for guys like Brasier and others is that these 60 games could make or break their careers.

In his case, he will be arbitration-eligible for the first time next offseason if he remains on the roster for the entirety of the abbreviated 2020 season. If he turns in a solid stretch, his career path continues down the right road. If there are the kind of bumps in the road he experienced at times in 2019? Different story.

"Sixty games … If you have 11 or 12 starts and you go out and go 9-1 and you do well people are going to be like, ‘Maybe he still has it.’ I’ll be 33 in August and I’ve told people close to me it’s really important for me to go out and throw well," Brasier said. "If I do I might get a little more than I would have got either way and if I don’t it will probably be tough to get a job."

He added, "I think players (get it). Most guys know the situation they are in. Even guys like J.D (Martinez). If J.D. goes out and hits 25 home runs in 60 games he’s going to get a ton more money. So there are a lot of guys, whether you’re making J.D. money or Ryan Brasier money this season is important for whether we like it or not."

Brasier is confident heading into this sprint, but he is joining most in bracing for the unknown.

The rush to be ready and then more urgency to be good? This isn't really how baseball players are built.

"One hundred percent," Brasier said when such a notion was surfaced.

"I think you’re going to see a lot of guys get hurt. I don’t know if it will be major but you are going to have a lot of guys in spring training who are going to need a few days."

So be it. This is what all players -- rich and not-as-rich -- will be dealing with.

And while players like Brasier are preparing for potentially two of the most important months of their professional lives they will be taking tests, staying socially distant, trying not to spit and, in some cases, where they can find a two- or three-month lease for an apartment in Boston.

There is baseball ... "As far as my arm and stuff, I feel pretty good. But there is a difference in throwing at a high school out in the country off of a turf mound as opposed to pitching against guys in a real game. It will take a couple of outings to get back to 95-96 but I don’t think it will be a problem getting there," he said.

And then there is everything else ... "Not being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it," Brasier added when asked what he is most wary of in the coming months.

Through it all, as much as society is desperate for baseball, and owners are yearning for revenue, there is that other reality that the Red Sox reliever and plenty of others represent: the players need results.

* NBC Sports Boston

Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke ready for MLB season despite being at higher risk of COVID-19

John Tomase

Ron Roenicke isn't the average 63-year-old. He spent eight years in the big leagues and if anything has dropped below his playing weight of 180 in retirement. He remains lean and fit.

He also belongs to a high-risk group when it comes to Covid-19, the illness that disproportionately affects older populations. According to the CDC, over 90 percent of Covid deaths in the United States have occurred in people over 55.

With spring training opening this week at Fenway Park and Roenicke back to work in Boston, the manager was asked in a Zoom call on Monday if he fears for his safety.

"I don't have a lot of concerns for myself," Roenicke said. "Of course I don't want to get this thing, but I think the protocols we've put into place have covered as much as we think we can cover. I think it's always uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable when I was home in California going to the grocery store. Anytime I left the house was uncomfortable. So that's going to be there. But our people I know have put so much into place in trying to protect myself, all the coaches and players, that we feel pretty good coming in."

As baseball prepares to enter the great unknown while gathering hundreds of players from all over the world to prepare for in late July, safety protocols like daily heat checks, social distancing, and mask-wearing will become the game's new reality. Players are expected to arrive at Fenway on Wednesday and Thursday for Covid tests in the hopes that everyone will be cleared to begin workouts on Friday.

Roenicke underwent a test of his own on Monday and expects results by Wednesday. He looks forward to addressing his team in person as soon as it is safe to do so.

"I think whenever I'm allowed to talk to the guys as a group, I hope it's not on Zoom, because I really do want to look these guys in the face instead of having to do it through a monitor," he said. "But whenever we can and feel comfortable, probably in an outdoor setting, I'll address the different things that we all know can really hamper what we're trying to accomplish. It's not just worrying about keeping everybody safe and healthy, but we also realize we have a job to do and trying to get in shape and the challenge of trying to do both of those, and it is a challenge."

In the bigger picture, Roenicke trusts that baseball is doing everything it can to keep him safe.

"I'm really not that concerned," he said. "I still don't feel I'm old, I guess. I feel good health-wise. My doctors all say I'm healthy. I feel good that way. Obviously it's a concern, because you don't know how it affects different people. Whether you're 20 years old or whether you're 63 as I am, you still have to be concerned about trying to stay away from it and certainly the people that are older than I am, we're worried about them. . . . Hopefully we can stay as clean as possible. We know it's there. We know players are going to get it. So we'll just go along our business and try to figure out this very difficult schedule."

* BostonSportsJournal.com

Red Sox could utilize platoons at a number of positions

Sean McAdam

In recent seasons, the Red Sox everyday lineup has been pretty predictable.

Injuries aside, it was easy to forecast who would be playing each position on a daily basis. But like a lot of things associated with the 2020 MLB season, that’s about to change.

Some positions will remain predictable. will start most every game at third and the same can be said for at . Ditto for Christian Vazquez behind the plate. And unless he’s getting a day off or a (very) occasional start in the outfield, count on J.D. Martinez as the team’s regular DH.

If anything, the Sox might be willing to ask more of their established position players, given the concentrated nature of the 60-game schedule.

“You feel like, if (your best players) are in shape, you kind of want them to have them out there more often,” said manager Ron Roenicke, “because we know it’s a shortened season. We know how important every game is.”

But beyond those four spots, expect some fluctuation at several other positions. In the modern game, having advantageous matchups based on opponents pitching plans is seen as critical.

Additionally, the novel nature of training camp (three weeks instead of seven; few, if any exhibition games) makes it difficult for Roenicke, his coaching staff and the front office to evaluate players in a conventional way.

On the right side of the infield, Roenicke has a number of options, with and potentially forming a platoon at first base. Moreland has struggled against lefties in recent years (.684 OPS vs LHP in 2018; .598 vs. LHP in 2019), so having a righthanded option like Chavis makes more sense against lefties.

Oddly, Chavis was actually slightly more effective against righties (.774 OPS) than lefties (.742) last year, but that can probably be attributed to a relatively small sample size (347 at-bats) than anything else.

Equally unsettled is second base. The Sox signed Jose Peraza as a free agent last winter, but he’s coming off a poor season offensively (.631 OPS) and he particularly struggled against righties (.586 OPS). The Sox don’t have an established lefty option for second base — unless, that is, Rule 5 pick Jonathan Arauz, a switch-hitter, emerges — but it’s easy to envision Chavis getting plenty of starts at second when Moreland is slotted at first.

Lefty-hitting Marco Hernandez, who made 48 starts at second last season, has seemingly seen his stock drop within the organization and was outrighted over the winter. He was, however, included in the team’s initial 60-player pool over the weekend, indicating that he could still be in their plans. The same is true for Tzu-Wei Lin, who is out of options, but has yet to demonstrate he can hit major league pitching with any consistency.

“Probably those two positions (first and second base) are going to change,” predicted Roenicke.

There’s also the potential for some mixing and matching in the outfield.

The three projected starters in the outfield — Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Alex Verdugo — are all left-handed hitters.

But the addition of gives Roenicke the ability to plug in a righty bat at any of the three outfield spots.

“You look at right field and center field: if a lefthander is pitching, is Pillar going to play there?” asked Roenicke rhetorically. “So I think there’s going to be some platoons there that will happen at times.”

Verudgo is likely to be an everyday player, both for his overall talent level and his ability to hit lefties (.843 OPS last season). But it’s easy to imagine Bradley sitting in favor of Pillar in center, or, even, Pillar playing right and Verdugo shifting to center.

Benintendi will likely start most games, too. In an otherwise disappointing season, he posted a respectable .796 OPS against lefties in 2019. Still, the presence of Pillar provides the Sox with something they didn’t have the last two seasons — a defensively responsible off the bench who can provide decent offense, too.

* The Athletic

Meet the new Red Sox neighbors: Examining the reshaped division

Chad Jennings

Back when Major League Baseball was planning a normal 162-game schedule for 2020, FanGraphs projected 12 teams would finish with at least 85 wins.

Half of those teams now play in the newly formed Eastern Division.

Given travel and timing concerns, MLB is moving forward with an unusual arrangement that erases the traditional American League and distinction and instead lumps teams together by location: 10 teams in the east, 10 in the west and 10 in the middle. The Red Sox, of course, will play in the East, which seems to be the deepest division.

The West is top-heavy with legitimate favorites in the Dodgers and the Astros. The Central is mediocre with only the Twins originally projected to win more than 85 games. But the East has a combination of high-end favorites and contending depth. Only three of the 10 teams were expected to finish below .500 this year.

Of the four teams FanGraphs originally projected to win at least 90 games, two, the Yankees and Rays, are in the East. Of the eight teams originally projected to win at least 87 games, again, half are in the East, including the Nationals and Braves. The Red Sox and Mets represent the middle of the division — each projected to win 85 — but they would be projected to finish second in the Central or to be competing with Oakland for third place in the West.

Here’s a look through the new Eastern Division through the eyes of the Red Sox. The teams are listed in order of their 2019 record, starting with the team that’s most familiar, a rival that will not be going away any time soon.

New York Yankees 2019 record: 103-59

Shared history: More than 100 years of head-to-head rivalry, plus a shared connection to players like Johnny Damon, and . Even the great Red Sox once rode a police horse while wearing pinstripes at Yankee Stadium.

Boston connection: Pitching prospect Michael King went to Boston College, where he picked up a win in its only trip to the NCAA Super Regional in 2016. He was drafted by the Marlins that summer and traded to the Yankees in 2017.

Worthwhile storyline: Presumably, the primary audience here is Red Sox fans, and is there really a Yankees storyline you would find worthwhile other than “Science proves pinstripes are the worst?” There are lingering injury issues throughout their outfield (, Aaron Hicks, ) and young starter Domingo Germán has to serve an 81-game suspension for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. From the Red Sox perspective, though, it’s the Yankees. You know the deal.

Are they better than the Red Sox? Well, while the Red Sox were trading Mookie Betts, the Yankees were signing to a record $324 million contract. Their biggest losses from last year’s 103-win season, CC Sabathia and Didi Gregorius, were essentially replaced by Cole and Miguel Andújar, who’s back from injury to add some infield flexibility. On paper, the Yankees look like World Series contenders.

Atlanta Braves 2019 record: 97-65

Shared history: The franchise started in 1876 as the Boston Red Stockings. It became the Beaneaters, the Doves, and for one year, the Rustlers before becoming the Braves in 1912. The franchise moved to Milwaukee and then to Atlanta, where it’s been since 1966.

Boston connection: The Braves’ is Mark Melancon, who spent a forgettable year with the Red Sox in 2012, the worst of his career. Their shortstop is Dansby Swanson, the top pick in 2015 when the Red Sox drafted Andrew Benintendi seventh. (Benintendi has more than double Swanson’s career WAR).

Worthwhile storyline: This is a National League team loaded with young talent, but it does have an American League mainstay competing for a job. The Braves’ fifth starter might very well be Félix Hernández, the former Mariners ace who had to settle for a minor-league deal this offseason. He’s been pretty bad the past two years but he was terrific in spring training.

Are they better than the Red Sox? They have the kind of young core that the Red Sox eventually grew into their 2018 juggernaut. Ronald Acuña Jr. is a superstar, is consistently productive and the up-the-middle combo of Swanson and Ozzie Albies is awfully talented. The Braves have a good young rotation headlined by and rounded out by veteran additions in Hernández and . It’s a good team and would have been one of the favorites in the National League.

Tampa Bay Rays

Blake Snell (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images) 2019 record: 96-66

Shared history: In their first 10 years, the Devil Rays were a punching bag in the , always finishing in last place and never winning more than 70 games. That changed in 2008 when they dropped “Devil” from their nickname, won the division and beat the Red Sox in a seven-game ALCS, which ended any of hope of back-to-back Red Sox titles.

Boston connection: Former Red Sox prospects and are on the Rays, former Red Sox catcher is the manager and pitcher is the pitching . But the real connection these days is Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, who was hired this winter after 15 years in the Rays’ front office.

Worthwhile storyline: The Rays always seem to pitch well. They develop pitchers, trade for young pitchers and always seem to have more prospect pitchers waiting in the wings. This winter, though, the Rays made some moves for hitters, specifically Hunter Renfroe, José Martínez and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, a Japanese slugger making his MLB debut.

Are they better than the Red Sox? Their pitching is deeper, and any one of their top three starters — , or — would probably qualify as the Red Sox’ ace. Their bullpen doesn’t have the same punch as the rotation, but you just know they’ll make it work. The Red Sox probably have the better lineup, but the Rays seem deeper with significantly better pitching.

Washington Nationals 2019 record: 93-69

Shared history: The original Washington Senators became the , so the Red Sox and Nats don’t share this game. The next Washington Senators became the , so the Sox and Nats don’t share this game, either. The Nationals once were the , which means they’re the franchise that traded Pedro Martinez to Boston for and .

Boston connection: Veteran starter Aníbal Sánchez was signed and developed by the Red Sox, but he was traded in the Hanley Ramírez/ deal and never pitched for the Red Sox in the majors. Nationals lefty Fernando Abad did pitch for the Red Sox (but he was only in Washington’s camp on a minor-league deal). Another Nats lefty, Roenis Elías, is on their 40-man roster, but he pitched only four times for the Red Sox in during a forgettable two-year stint in the organization.

Worthwhile storyline: The Nationals are the defending World Series champs, having won in their first season after losing to free agency. The Nationals lost as a free agent this winter, and if they won a World Series after losing Harper, imagine what they can do after losing Rendon.

Are they better than the Red Sox? They’re built very differently. and Trea Turner are excellent young position players, but the Red Sox might have a better/deeper lineup. Where the Nationals appear significantly stronger is in the rotation with , and Patrick Corbin. The Red Sox can’t match that firepower.

New York Mets 2019 record: 86-76

Shared history: “Little roller up along first. Behind the bag. It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!”

Boston connection: After five years, one championship and one Award in Boston, Rick Porcello signed a one-year deal with the Mets this offseason. He was not scheduled to face his former team until the schedule was redrawn following the shutdown. The Mets also have former Red Sox players (2008-11) and Yoenis Céspedes (2014), plus a couple of players better known for their years as a part of the Yankees rivalry in Robinson Canó and . Well-liked former utilityman Eduardo Núñez is also with the Mets on a minor-league deal, and Stephen Nogosek is still in the Mets organization after the Red Sox traded him in the deal in 2017.

Worthwhile storyline: just set record for home runs in a season, Jacob deGrom might be the best pitcher in the majors and Jeff McNeil is becoming a Boggs-like hitter (seriously, just look at his FanGraphs comparison). Lots of worth-seeing talent on the roster, but it’s the Mets we’re talking about. Is any organization more associated with bungled decision-making and botched opportunities?

Are they better than the Red Sox? Before the revised schedule, FanGraphs predicted 85 wins for the Red Sox and the Mets. Similar to the Nationals, the Mets were expected to get there by scoring fewer runs than the Red Sox, but also allowing fewer runs. Their rotation, though, took a hit when underwent Tommy John surgery around the same time as .

Philadelphia Phillies 2019 record: 81-81

Shared history: The Phillies lost to the Red Sox in the , but those were the days of versus Pete Alexander (and the Phillies were the last of the original World Series-era teams to finally win a title, which happened in 1980). The Red Sox and Phillies have some shared history with , who won World Series games for each franchise.

Boston connection: was a Red Sox feel-good story as a 36th-round pick who made his big- league debut last season, but the Phillies claimed him off waivers this winter. The stronger connection is general manager Matt Klentak, who grew up in Medfield, Mass., and went to college at Dartmouth.

Worthwhile storyline: Last winter, the Phillies loaded up by signing Harper, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson and trading for J.T. Realmuto and . They finished with a .500 record. This winter, they added more talent by signing Gregorius and Zack Wheeler. They also hired ex-Yankees manager as their new field boss. They’re definitely trying to win. The question is whether they can.

Are they better than the Red Sox? FanGraphs predicted another 81-win season for the Phillies, but there seems to be some boom-or-bust potential. Girardi is used to high expectations and an expensive roster. The Phillies have never had a payroll higher than this year’s. They’re a key reason the Eastern Division feels so deep. They seem to be one of the worst teams, but even they could be dangerous.

Toronto Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Mark Brown / Getty Images) 2019 record: 67-95

Shared history: In very recent history, the teams were supposed to play one another on Opening Day on March 26. Obviously, that didn’t happen. They’ve played in the same division ever since the Blue Jays came into existence in 1977, but there’s not a ton of shared history or animosity. Clemens played two years in Toronto. played one year in Boston. It’s not exactly a heated rivalry.

Boston connection: Red Sox outfielder Kevin Pillar will be best remembered for his six-plus seasons with the Blue Jays and Blue Jays infielder should be familiar for his strong first half with the Red Sox in 2016. This winter, the Blue Jays added Santiago Espinal to their 40-man roster. He’s the infield prospect traded from the Red Sox in the deal in 2018.

Worthwhile storyline: The Blue Jays have gained a lot of notoriety because of young infielders Jr., and — all high-potential prospects, and each the son of a very good big-league player (Bichette’s dad, Dante, played a couple of years with the Red Sox). Beyond the young hitters, though, is on-the-rise pitching prospect , one of the top young talents who could be a factor this season.

Are they better than the Red Sox? Probably not. There’s a lot to like about their young talent, and they did sign Hyun-Jin Ryu this winter, but the Blue Jays finished 17 games behind the Red Sox last season. Have their young players really developed enough to make up that gap?

Miami Marlins

Remember these guys? (Mark Brown / Getty Images) 2019 record: 57-105

Shared history: Each organization won a World Series with running baseball operations. They’re also significantly linked by the 2005 trade that sent Ramírez to Florida (where he’s No. 2 in career WAR for the Marlins) and Beckett and to Boston (where those two were key pieces of the 2007 championship season).

Red Sox connection: The Sox made a small trade for Marlins reliever Austin Brice this winter. Red Sox fans probably feel more passionately about Marlins manager and CEO Derek Jeter, two remnants of the old Yankees rivalry now looking out of place in Marlins gear.

Worthwhile storyline: seems like a pretty good player, and the Marlins did bring in , Jesús Aguilar and to help in the short term, but they’re still a pretty bad team that doesn’t seem particularly exciting. Sandy Alcantara throws pretty hard. Maybe he’s worth watching?

Are they better than the Red Sox? Let’s hope not, or else even this shortened season is going to feel awfully long. The Marlins’ farm system has improved quite a bit the past few years – it’s now ranked fourth by MLB.com – but it’s not yet graduating enough talent to make the Marlins even remotely competitive.

Baltimore Orioles 2019 record: 54-108

Shared history: From Milwaukee (for one year) to St. Louis (as the Browns) and finally to Baltimore (since 1954), the Orioles are one of the original American League teams, so there’s a lot of history to consider. The 1970s were a high point for the Orioles, and the Red Sox were pretty competitive at that time as well, but recent history has been lopsided in the Red Sox favor.

Boston connection: De facto Red Sox ace Eduardo Rodríguez was acquired from the Orioles in the trade in 2014, but there’s more familiarity going the other way. The Orioles now have Hector Velázquez, Travis Lakins and José Iglesias. They also have Chandler Shepherd in their minor-league system. He’s a former Red Sox prospect claimed off waivers twice last season.

Worthwhile storyline: FanGraphs projected another 100-loss season for the Orioles, and that was before they had to play the Braves, Nationals, Mets and Phillies a bunch of times. It’s not going to be a good year for the Orioles, but it’s worth following the progress of Trey Mancini, the O’s best player, who’s recovering from Stage 3 colon cancer.

Are they better than the Red Sox? In the past six months, there have been many negative things written and said about the Red Sox. It’s happened on social media, on television and through various blogs and websites. But neither the most dispirited fan nor the most ornery writer would ever suggest the Red Sox are going to be worse than the Orioles this season.

In 1995, MLB also had weird spring training. That worked out nicely for Red Sox

Steve Buckley

Until 1995, spring training had always been a happy time for baseball fans, a time to welcome back trusty veterans, a time to mull the fate of untested prospects decked out in comically high uniform numbers, and, yes, a time to conclude that this is going to be the year.

But then came the craziest spring training anyone had ever seen. (Not counting what may happen this time around, of course.) Oh, the 1995 edition of spring training kicked off with all the basics — batting practice, base-running drills, throwing programs, wiseass public address announcers who delight in pointing out that’s a balmy 78 Down Here and a chilly 26 Up There — and yet it looked more like tryouts for a sequel to the film “Major League” than the training regimen for the start of an actual major-league season.

Remember Mike Carista? Didn’t think so. The Saugus native had been a 14th-round selection by the Red Sox in the 1985 draft, and by 1990 he was in his sixth season in the Boston farm system when he suddenly walked out on Double-A New Britain. He had been a his whole life but now the organization was telling him he’d be of more value as a reliever. Carista said to hell with that and went home. He was released at the end of the season, his pro career over.

Nearly five years later — spring training, 1995 — he was invited back by the Red Sox as a so-called “replacement player,” with MLB and the players staring down each other in a work stoppage that started the previous August and wiped out the . The summer before, Carista had pitched for Serra Club in the amateur Boston Park League, throwing against teams whose rosters included guys whose day jobs ranged from plumbing to accounting. But with big-league players still on strike and MLB resorting to dusting off old Rolodexes in pursuit of various castoffs, rejects and other former prospect/suspects, Carista signed what was put in front of him and headed to Fort Myers believing he had a chance to make the Sox Opening Day rotation.

“I worked out at BU to get in real baseball shape,” said Carista, now 53 and living in Canton, N.C. “I was up to 245 pounds, and I wanted to get down to 210-ish. I did that and I went to spring training like it was a big-league spring training.

“I was treated very well,” he said. “Just like big-league players, basically. The whole deal. Meal money, this, that. It was regular spring training. And then we began to play the original spring training schedule.”

He made some starts, he said. He was interviewed by on NESN, he said. He was going to make a start in the Sox season-opening series in Minnesota, he said.

But it wasn’t really big-league baseball, said everyone else.

Finally, on April 2, with the Red Sox and other big-league teams days away from opening the season with replacement players, a deal was struck to end the strike.

“It was kind of odd,” Carista said. “We were, oh boy, we were about to start the regular season with replacement players and we were getting our itinerary and all that stuff to head to Minnesota. Everybody was excited.

“We went to the ballpark the day before, and that’s when (manager) came in and got everybody together in the clubhouse and said, ‘Well, guys, the strike has ended.’ And everybody was really disappointed.”

The regulars returned. As for the replacement players, most of them, including Carista, were now the equivalent of game show contestants who didn’t get past the lightning round. And were thus sent home. A hastily arranged 12-game Grapefruit League schedule was worked out for the Red Sox — mostly against the Twins, who also train in Fort Myers — and then, finally, the Sox flew to Boston to begin a for-real 1994 Major League Baseball season. Against the Twins. (By Opening Day that year most Red Sox fans knew more about the Twins than actual Twins fans.)

Who could have predicted that such a crazy spring training would lead to such a crazy season for the Red Sox? And crazy in a good way.

This is where the current Sox should take note: Weird things can happen in unusual seasons, which MLB is heading into now after unveiling plans for a 60-game season that will begin later this month. Red Sox players are reporting to Fenway Park today to begin their “spring” training.

In 1995, the Sox had been a sub-.500 club for three straight seasons under manager , and now, with Hobson out and Kevin Kennedy running the shop, the outlook wasn’t improved. The Sox opened the season with an expanded roster of 28 players, 21 of whom were not on the Opening Day roster a year earlier. Ace Roger Clemens was still in Florida, nursing a shoulder injury that would keep him out until June. And yet when the regular season came to an end it was the Red Sox in first place in the American League East by seven games over the second-place Yankees.

How did it happen?

It helped that several Sox hitters had career years. Slugging first baseman won his only MVP Award, hitting .300 with 39 home runs and 126 RBIs. Shortstop hit .298 with 27 homers, 102 RBIs and a .399 on-base percentage.

It helped that , though not the Bash Brother he’d been with the Oakland A’s and not yet the poster boy (and tattletale) of steroid use he would later become, hit .306 with 24 home runs

It helped that waiver-wire pickup Troy O’Leary, whose previous big-league experience consisted of parts of two seasons with the , hit .308 with 10 home runs.

It helped that Erik Hanson, a veteran right-hander who signed a one-year deal in April, won 15 games.

It helped that veteran reliever Stan Belinda, coming off an atrocious season with the Kansas City Royals, was 8-1 with a 3.10 ERA and 10 saves.

It helped that Clemens, who didn’t make his first start until June, still won 10 games.

And perhaps most surprising of all, it helped that knuckleballer , a playoff hero for the in 1992 who by ’94 had become so discombobulated that he was back in the minors, was signed by Red Sox general manager after he’d been released by the Bucs near the end of spring training.

Talk about good timing. The Pirates were in free fall and wouldn’t make another playoff appearance until 2013. Wakefield, 28 at the time, hopped in his car and drove down I-75 from the Pirates’ Bradenton spring training base to Fort Myers, not so much to talk with the Red Sox but to seek the tutelage of the famed knuckleballing Niekro brothers, Phil and Joe. They were coaching the Colorado Silver Bullets, a professional women’s barnstorming team that was training in Fort Myers — one of their pitchers was Gina Satriano, whose father, Tom Satriano, played for the Red Sox in 1969 and ’70 — but they found time to work with Wakefield. The Niekros studied his mechanics, looked for flaws, tweaked his . Coming off a 1994 season with the Triple-A in which he had gone 5-15 with a 5.84 ERA, Wakefield was starting over.

The Sox then signed him, the idea being that he’d open the season at Triple-A Pawtucket.

“On the day I arrived at , the Red Sox bus was pulling out of the parking lot,” Wakefield said. “They were headed to the airport to fly to Boston to open the season. I was trying to find my way around, who to report to and all that. Clemens was there, because he was hurt and wasn’t going to start the season on time. They told me to head down to the minor-league complex.”

He wasn’t in the minors for long. After working out in Fort Myers and then making four starts with the Pawsox, Wakefield then made history. Called up in late May while the Red Sox were on a West Coast trip, he started against the Angels and allowed just one run in seven innings in an easy 12-1 victory. He was then pressed into service in Oakland and on all of two days’ rest pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings in Boston’s 1-0 victory. Between June 29 and Aug. 13 he won 10 straight starts. By the time the season was over, his 16 wins led the staff.

We did say crazy, right? Crazy as in beginning spring training with replacement players. Crazy as in Duquette overhauling the roster on the fly, with the likes of O’Leary, Belinda, Wakefield and others being picked up in April. Crazy as in Wakefield working out with the coaches of a women’s team before signing with the Red Sox.

And crazy as in the Red Sox winning the division after practically nobody gave them a chance.

It may be the most unheralded good Red Sox team in history. The team was disrespected at the beginning, this because of replacement players and nothing in the way of expectations. To put it another way — and this should ring a bell, given the wrangling over how to play a shortened 2020 season in the face of the coronavirus pandemic — everybody was pissed off with Major League Baseball.

And then, in the end, the 1995 Red Sox were quickly forgotten after losing three straight to the in a best-of-five .

Mo Vaughn, who went 0-for-14 with seven in the series, still feels terrible 25 years later.

“I always look back, we clinched the AL East with 10, 12 games to go,” Vaughn said. “And the reason why I remember that so well is that I had a mental letdown in the postseason. I wasn’t able to recharge when we got to the playoffs. We never got that edge back. I remember that vividly. And I always said the next time I got back there that I wouldn’t let that happen again.”

Vaughn kept his word. Though the Red Sox did not return to the postseason until 1998, when they were again eliminated by the Indians (this time in four games), Vaughn was 7-for 17 (.412) with two home runs and seven RBIs.

But he remains bullish about those crazy 1995 Red Sox. Though we can all agree Duquette did one of the best jobs of his career in terms of roster building — 53 different players suited up for the ’95 Red Sox — Vaughn points out that the contributions of Kennedy should not be forgotten. And by Vaughn’s way of thinking, those contributions began in spring training, as Kennedy was shifting his focus from replacement players to the real McCoy. (As well as the real Willie McGee, the former Gold Glove outfielder and batting champion with the St. Louis Cardinals. He hooked on with the Red Sox in June and hit .285 in 67 games.)

“In 1994, I was an established big leaguer,” Vaughn said. “Then came the strike and everything got shut down. So coming back in ’95, you’re back in spring training, and, to me, it almost felt like I had to start all over again as to establishing myself. But Kevin Kennedy was the new manager and he was the right manager for me at the time. He was saying, ‘We’re gonna go out, we’re gonna play, and we’re gonna win,’ and I needed to hear that at that exact time.”

Valentin remembers the beginning of spring training this way: “We didn’t think we were going to win the American League East. We were thinking, OK, let’s grind it out and see what happens. We didn’t play well in ’92, ’93 and ’94. But then the season started, and as we started to win games we’re saying, ‘Oh, we can compete with the best.’ You gain confidence and that starts to snowball.”

Plus, Valentin said, the 1995 Red Sox wanted to show their fans what real big-league baseball is all about.

“When you have replacement players and they’re looking to take your job, you’re coming out to show everyone that you are what they pay for,” he said.

It’s impossible to make a statistical argument for this, but the Red Sox may have profited by not getting caught up in petty grudges over the labor strife that had stopped the ’94 season cold and then got spring training off to a train-wreck start in ’95. Just weeks earlier, the Sox clubhouse at City of Palms Park had been filled with replacement players. Some of those replacement players were still-active Red Sox minor leaguers who had been nudged by management to report to the big-league clubhouse for spring training. And some of them, including outfielder Ron Mahay, were brought back to the big club after the regulars returned.

As to how Mahay wound up with the replacement players at the beginning of spring training, “The front office came down and started talking to players, asking things like, would you help the organization and so on,” he said. “A lot of the questions back then were, what’s going to happen if we don’t help the organization? And the response I got was that it wasn’t guaranteed they were going to call you back if you don’t do this. When I heard that, I saw my dreams fly out the window.”

He was concerned, confused. And then he was a replacement player. He was only 23, but entering his fifth pro season. He hadn’t been hitting much. And so he “did a lot of thinking, a lot of soul searching. I talked to my parents, I talked with older guys that had big-league time, and, you know, it was something that I did. And I didn’t regret it. I knew there was going to be some kind of backlash with the players.”

It was an impossible situation. Whereas players such as Mike Carista had nothing to lose other than the beginning of the Boston Park League season, Mahay was an active Red Sox minor leaguer. If you don’t go, it’s in your head that management is going to bury you. If you do go, it’s in your head you’ll be ostracized by the veterans.

Framingham native found himself in a similar situation. An infielder who was selected in the 10th round of the 1993 draft following a stellar career at Providence College, he had only two seasons of Single-A ball on his resume when he arrived for spring training in 1995.

“So my story was I was just a minor leaguer going to camp,” Merloni said. “And I showed up with the rest of the minor leaguers and they told us we were not going to be involved in (replacement games) unless we chose to. They’d already signed guys off the streets and they paid them some money to show up in big- league camp so it’s like, OK, we’re not going to be involved.”

But then the Red Sox asked one of their top prospects, shortstop , to visit big-league camp. Not to play, mind you. They just wanted to see him work out.

And then they called for Merloni.

“They said they wanted me to work out with Nomar because we had been playing together at short and second, and they wanted to keep us working out together,” he said. “But on the third or fourth day, I was in the lineup of a big-league game. And I walked in and I told Kevin Kennedy I’m not playing. I said ‘I’m not here to do this. I’m here to just work out.’ And basically the front-office people kind of told me they’ll take me out of the lineup today but I’m going to be in the lineup tomorrow. And if I refuse to play I’ll be released.

“I spent that night calling friends, calling family. We had a long discussion. And I viewed it as a minor leaguer who got called up for a big-league game. I told them I wasn’t going to sign anything. I sure as hell wasn’t gonna go to Boston, and I told them I didn’t view myself as part of this. So I played one game.”

In that one game, Merloni went 2-for-5 with two RBIs against the St. Louis Cardinals.

But the next day they put him in again and in a split-squad game against the Twins he had three hits. In that same game, pitcher Mike Carista, the former Sox farmhand who’d been signed out of the Boston Park League, allowed one run in four innings.

In the next game, according to a dot-dot-dot item in Globe baseball writer Nick Cafardo’s notebook, Merloni “fouled a ball off his leg but did not appear seriously hurt.” But Merloni did not play another spring training game with the big-league club. According to various newspaper accounts, he was among several Sox minor leaguers who refused to appear as replacement players in any more games.

“I kind of faked an injury with my quad,” Merloni said in his interview for this article. “A couple of days later they put a contract in front of us and said here, sign this and we’ll give you guys, I think it was 11 grand.

“And I refused to sign it. And I walked out and went back to my hotel room, not knowing if I just got released or not.”

Later that night, Merloni received a call from , the director of field operations for the Red Sox.

“Schaef told me to report to minor-league camp,” Merloni said. “I was ecstatic that I wasn’t released.”

Mahay, who was sent to the minor-league camp but then brought back to big-league camp after the regulars returned, said, “I guess I had opened some eyes.” If there was a blowout in the clubhouse when he walked in the door, it was never made public. What did make the papers was coverage of a conversation that veteran outfielder had with Mahay and infielder Randy Brown, another minor leaguer who’d been a replacement player and then brought back to big-league camp.

“They were put in a tough situation,” Greenwell told the Boston Herald after the meeting. “You have to be realistic about it. I feel for those guys a little bit. They’re in a bad situation. It’s like anything else. Time heals all wounds, but we haven’t had much time yet.”

Mahay recalls there was “definitely tension in the air” when he returned to big-league camp.

“Those guys had just come off their negotiations and emotions were still high,” he said. “And then you add me into the mix and there’s going to be more tension.

“But there was no nastiness from any player, to be honest.”

Mo Vaughn remembers it this way: “There was some tension, and as a veteran I understood exactly what the other veterans were feeling. But Mahay, he was a good kid. He was quiet, didn’t say too much. He walked into camp and he was like, this is what we’re going to do and he went out and did it.”

Mahay wound up with Triple-A Pawtucket. The Sox flew to Boston and began what would be a 144-game season by rolling to a 9-0 victory over the Twins.

And yet Mahay played for the 1995 Red Sox after all, making his major-league debut as Boston’s starting on May 21 and going 2-for-5 in a 12-10 loss to the Indians. He played in five games before returning to the minors.

“The way I look at it,” Vaughn said, “even though he was only with us a short time, the fact that he was there at all meant that we needed him, which meant he was important to us. As a player you just try to massage the situation and let it go and try to win.

“And whatever else happened that year, and how it all started with the replacement players and everything, we went out and won the East,” Vaughn said. “I was really proud of that. I’m still proud of that.”

His baseball dream over, Mike Carista returned to Boston. He has remained involved in baseball over the years, offering private pitching lessons in Canton, N.C. Having survived a cancer scare, he’d like to be a college coach.

“If there were things that I could have changed, I absolutely would have changed them,” he said. “But crossing the picket line was a no-brainer for me because it was a way back in for me.”

What he would have changed, he said, is his decision to go home in 1990 rather than continue to work out of the bullpen at Double-A New Britain.

“I was a prospect heading my way to the big leagues,” he said. “I fought against them putting me in the bullpen. I think bad blood came between me and their management. And it made me look like I was a selfish kind of guy and I wasn’t a team player. Now looking back on it, I can see what they meant about that. I would have stayed there and pitched in the bullpen if I could have changed it.”

Mahay’s career took a surprising turn: After struggling as a hitter he reinvented himself as a pitcher in the Boston farm system and returned to the big leagues in 1997. He carved out a 14-season big-league career as a journeyman lefty reliever with the Sox, A’s, Marlins, Cubs, Rangers, Braves, Royals and, finally, in 2010, the Twins.

He made 514 big-league mound appearances, compiling a 27-12 record and 3.83 ERA. Mahay, who turned 49 on June 28, lives in Calabasas, Calif., and helps coach a high school baseball team.

Lou Merloni made it to the big leagues with the Red Sox in 1998 and, with his parents sitting in the stands, hit a home run in his first Fenway Park at-bat. He enjoyed a nine-year big-league career, most of it with the Red Sox, along with stints with the Padres, Indians and Angels. He has gone on to a successful media career with NBC Sports Boston and as part of WEEI’s afternoon drive show with Glenn Ordway and former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria.

Mahay and Merloni are among a group of former big-leaguers who have not been allowed to join the Major League Baseball Players Association because of their limited participation in replacement-player spring training games in 1995. Because of that, they never received licensing money during their playing careers but are eligible for their pensions and other retirement benefits.

The Red Sox 1996 media guide includes the team’s spring training statistics from 1995 — but only for the 12 games that were played after the strike ended.

The stats from the replacement-player games are not included. It’s as though they never happened.