The Tuesday, April 4, 2017

* The Boston Globe

Five- fifth inning helped – and hurt – Rick Porcello

Anthony Gulizia

The flat that Rick Porcello left dangerously high in the strike zone was a clear indicator that the defending winner had finally began to tire.

Pittsburgh Pirates Francisco Cervelli belted it for a . After Porcello gave up a single, his third of the seventh inning, two batters later, his first outing of the season was finished.

He exited with a 5-1 lead, struck out five batters and allowed six hits, and received loud applause from the 36,594 in attendance. Aside from the seventh-inning blemish, Porcello pitched well in the Red Sox’ 5-3 win against the Pirates. He was charged with three earned runs, two of which reliever Matt Barnes inherited and allowed to score.

Porcello opposed Pirates ace , who did not falter until he surrendered five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Until then, he had held the Red Sox to one and one walk.

“Both guys were throwing a heck of a game into the fifth inning,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said. “They’re matching pitch for pitch, zeros into that fifth inning.

Farrell said he felt Porcello began to tire following a stagnant bottom of the fifth, when the Red Sox scored five and batted all nine hitters in the order.

“When we extended the inning in the fifth, it started to take its toll after a long inning,” Farrell said. “You could see the stuff maybe got a little bit tight going out for the sixth inning. He got through it fine. Any time you’re starting to elevate pitches — his cutter was up and in to Cervelli — those are pitches where maybe fatigue starts to set in.”

The Red Sox righthander worked through the sixth after Adam Frazier reached base following ’s throwing error. Porcello got Starling Marte to fly out and struck out Andrew McCutchen and .

He began the seventh inning with a single to David Freese on another pitch that was left up in the zone.

“It was a bit of a battle,” said Porcello, who was 22-4 last season. “I wasn’t that sharp with my sinker and some pitches throughout the game, just fighting it all the way through.

“You just kind of understand coming into it that physically, you might feel like you’re in midseason form,” added Porcello, who made his first start. “Mentally, there are some things, you just don’t want to get ahead of yourself. And that was my main thing in my head, not let any of the innings turn into big innings and slow the game when I need it to, but establish some tempo when I needed to.”

Barnes echoed a similar sentiment and said he would not rush to evaluate his performance after one game, but prefers to wait two or three because the scenarios are typically different than they were a few days ago in , when the results hardly mattered.

“I felt good today,” Barnes said. “It’s a little different pitching against these fans and big leaguers in an entire game that actually matters to our standings. It’s a completely different setting. It kind of takes an outing or two to get reacclimated to the setting and the scene and we’ll be ready to roll.”

Farrell, meanwhile, said he felt Porcello was well-prepared heading into the start.

“Very capable on his part,” Farrell said. “We talked about his preparedness, the competitiveness. All those things were here. He was ready for today and was very strong through sixth and for me kept the game under control.”

Porcello fended off hitters earlier in the game by establishing his fastball and mixing it with a slider against the Pirates’ righthanders. He retired the Pirates in order in the first, fourth and fifth innings.

He allowed a pair of singles and a walk in the second, but worked around it by getting the final two batters to fly out and strike out. It helped that catcher Sandy Leon threw Freese out when he tried to steal second base.

“He was getting ahead in the count,” Leon said of Porcello. “He was mixing in his and changeup. He did a great job. Get ahead in the count and go from there.

“We were working on [the slider] in the second and third inning and it was really good.”

That slider ended the third inning, a 2-and-2 offering to McCutchen that he missed.

After a day off on Tuesday, the Red Sox will turn to lefty , who makes his debut at after being acquired from the White Sox.

“Yeah, I’ve seen him pitch enough on the other side and I’m really excited to watch him on the same team,” Porcello said. “He’s as good as it gets. I don’t think there’s another lefthander in the game as nasty as he is.”

Andrew Benintendi blasts off for Red Sox

Julian Benbow

Andrew Benintendi has a cloak of cool that seems to never come off.

Even with the bunting hanging from the Fenway Park facades and the mayor of Boston, the owner of the Red Sox, and the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots on the field with all of their Lombardi trophies, Benintendi looked out at the field through his shades, leaning against one of the poles in the Red Sox dugout as if he were getting ready for the photo shoot for the cover art of his debut album and not his Opening Day debut.

If he had even the slightest bit of nerves, he never showed it.

“He’s just real cool, real chill,” Sox said. “But he has that quiet confidence that you love in a player.”

Benintendi took the pregame ceremony for what it was: the celebration of the start of another season.

He paid close attention to the ovation that Betts got a year after an MVP-caliber season, the praise that Chris Sale was showered with for his first game in a Sox uniform, and the euphoria still lingering as the Patriots were honored for bringing another championship trophy to New England.

“It was awesome,” he said. “The fans were awesome. The opening ceremonies and everything like that were cool to be a part of.”

But the moment didn’t overwhelm him.

He was well aware that at 22 years and 231 days old, he was the youngest player to start in left field for the Red Sox on Opening Day since Tony Conigliaro stepped on the field as a 20-year-old in 1965.

Hitting in the two-hole behind Dustin Pedroia, who was making his 11th straight Opening Day appearance, didn’t shake him either.

“I know my role,” he said. “I hit there all spring training, so I feel pretty comfortable with it.”

He was also aware of the expectations and attention that have been attached to him.

But he was pressure-free in the Sox 5-3 win Monday over the Pirates, smooth in the field and clutch at the plate, going 1 for 4 with a three-run homer that helped the Sox start their season on the right foot.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” Benintendi said. “Just go out there and play well. Our main goal is to win, and when you do that, people will be happy.”

In his first two plate appearances, Benintendi felt out Pirates starter Gerrit Cole, working six pitches out of him before striking out in the first inning, then seeing six more in the third.

But when the Sox were trying to string hits together and put runs on the board with two outs in the fifth, the youngest player on the field was the anchor.

Jackie Bradley Jr. sparked the inning with a two-out single into the right-field corner, and Pablo Sandoval kept it going by beating out an single to push Bradley across and give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Sandy Leon kept the inning alive, seeing the left side of the infield unattended and dropping down a bunt that caught the Pirates by surprise.

After Pedroia shot an RBI single up the middle to give the Sox a 2-0 lead, the table was set for Benintendi.

His approach didn’t change.

Cole, still rattled by Leon’s bunt, was having trouble finding the strike zone, and Benintendi waited him out. After Cole missed with a first-pitch changeup, he battled back to put Benintendi in a 1-and-2 hole.

Cole tried to put Benintendi away with a knuckle curve, but Benintendi didn’t bite, letting it dive into the dirt for ball 2.

When Cole tried to pump a 98-mile-per-hour fastball by him, up and in, Benintendi turned on it and launched it deep to right field.

As it sailed, Benintendi wasn’t sure if the wind would knock it down. Instead, the ball dropped into the Pirates bullpen, and Benintendi circled the bases.

As important as the homer was, what struck Sox manager John Farrell was the discipline at the plate that’s been Benintendi’s signature.

“He’s got a short track record we know,” Farrell said. “[But] there’s never been evidence of panic even in a two-strike situation. He sees the ball extremely well. He has a true understanding of the strike zone. Pretty special young player.”

Benintendi found himself in another pivot point in the seventh, when the Sox were trying to fend off a Pirates rally, their lead trimmed to 5-2 with the bases loaded and one out and Starling Marte at the plate.

Marte shot a liner toward the scoreboard on the Green Monster.

Had the ball gotten over Benintendi’s head, the complexion of the game would’ve shifted dramatically. But Benintendi tracked backward, stretched high to make the grab, and held Marte to a .

“At first, I thought it was a topspin, so it was going to come back down towards me, but it didn’t,” Benintendi said. “After that I was just trying to just time my jump, and I was fortunate enough to make the catch.”

Between his composure and his contributions, Benintendi never let the moment become to big.

“He’s a special ballplayer,” Bradley said. “When you’ve got a young guy that’s able to perform at a high level so early, that’s what you want.”

A step in the right direction for Pablo Sandoval

Chad Finn

One game into the new season is hardly a large enough sample to determine whether Pablo Sandoval will author a redemption story in 2017. But this much we do know: He came up with a decent opening line.

The box score tells us that Sandoval — playing his first regular-season major league game since last April 10, when a shoulder injury abruptly abbreviated his second season with the Red Sox — went 1 for 4 with a run scored and one batted in a season-opening 5-3 victory over the Pirates.

He drove in the Red Sox’ first run of 2017, legging out an infield single to score Jackie Bradley Jr. in the fifth inning in what was still a scoreless game. That’s one more RBI than Sandoval had in seven plate appearances during his lost 2016 season.

He acknowledged afterward that it was fulfilling not just to be back on the field, but also to have immediately found a meaningful way to contribute.

“It feels good, especially since we got the opening win,’’ said Sandoval, who smiles easily but doesn’t say much. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for the last year. So it’s exciting.”

Sandoval has been a polarizing figure since signing a five-year, $95 million contract with the Red Sox in November 2014 after seven seasons with the Giants. Nicknamed Panda for reasons that shouldn’t require much elaboration, he was a well-known and popular player nationally, having hit .294 with an .811 OPS in the regular season for the Giants.

He was especially potent during the Giants’ three World Series championships during his tenure: He owns a lifetime .426 batting average, with a 1.167 OPS, in 50 in the Fall Classic.

But his offensive performance declined for three consecutive seasons in San Francisco, and career-long weight issues were presumed a culprit. His OPS fell from .909 in 2011 to .739 in 2014, and it outright collapsed during his first season in Boston, falling to .658 in ’15. He hit just .245 with 10 home runs, and his defense significantly declined as well. Redemption was supposed to come last year. Instead, injury put his hopes of winning over Red Sox fans on a yearlong hiatus.

Sandoval received a lukewarm cheer from Red Sox fans — who were encouraged to applaud him by co- emcee Joe Castiglione — during pregame introductions. But that was an upgrade on the boos he heard a year ago. To his credit, he seems determined, in actions rather than words, to redeem himself to Red Sox fans and live up to that steep contract as best he can. He arrived at spring training down an estimated 40 pounds, and he swung the bat like his old self, hitting .339 with a team-high five homers in Grapefruit League action.

The Red Sox led the majors in runs last season (878), but with David Ortiz apparently intent on staying retired, Sandoval is among those who will be called upon to pick up the slack.

“We have a great lineup, and everyone does their part,’’ said Sandoval, whose next game will be the 1,000th of his career. “It was good to be able to be a part of that today.”

He did his part, though it should not be suggested that it was anything resembling a spectacular performance. It did have its imperfections. He struck out twice and left three runners on base, including a pair with two outs in the eighth inning after the Pirates had climbed within two runs in the top half.

And it remains uncertain whether he will return to his steady defensive form from his Giants days at third base. Monday, he made a throwing error on Pirates leadoff hitter Adam Frazier’s grounder to begin the sixth, slinging a throw to first that hopped and ate up Mitch Moreland, a Gold Glove winner a season ago.

It was not Sandoval’s throwing shoulder that was injured but his left one. He underwent surgery, performed by renowned Dr. James Andrews, to repair a torn labrum last May. But it’s taken him some time to rebuild his comfort level defensively. He indicated that his errant throw was not the byproduct of any lingering effects from the injury or discomfort with his shoulders in general.

“The arm feels good,’’ he said. “The shoulder, too. I’m not complaining. I’m confident. It’s part of the game.”

For Sandoval, it was satisfying after a year in injury limbo to be part of the game again. That he was a fairly important part of it meant a lot as well.

“It was a good day,’’ he said. “I’m happy I could help. It’s been a long wait.”

Full of promise, Opening Day and Red Sox delivered

Dan Shaughnessy

Opening Day is infinity. The numbers stretch beyond our universe.

And so here we are and the 2017 first-place Red Sox are perfect and the sky-beyond-the sky is the limit. Like the hopes of Red Sox Nation, the potential of the Local Nine is infinite.

Potential is a blessing and a curse. A small sample of the final weeks of 2016 — plus one game this year — tells us only that the Red Sox have a scruffy 22-year-old — part Marty McFly, part Tony Conigliaro — who might very well be Freddie Lynn or Yaz, or a bust named Juan Bustabad. All we know at this hour is that we want to see more.

Young Andrew Benintendi, who played 34 games in the big leagues last year, made his Opening Day debut at Fenway Monday and was the prototypical Rockwellian phenom, making a great Yaz-esque catch in left and dropping a three-run homer into the visiting bullpen in a postcard-pretty 5-3, Red Sox Opening Day victory over the mediocre .

As openers go, this one checked all the boxes. The Sox got a serviceable effort (6⅓ innings, three runs, five , one walk) from reigning Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, Pablo Sandoval established that he is again the nifty, nimble Pablo of his days with San Francisco (2008-14), and the prematurely beleaguered Boston bullpen did what it needed to do to hold a comfortable lead that was established when the Sox put up five runs after starting the bottom of the fifth with two outs and nobody aboard in a Premier League-like 0-0 game.

“The quick-strike ability offensively was key in this one,’’ said manager John Farrell.

Farrell’s abject calm demonstrates the difference between the beginning of this season and the beginning of the 2016 season after the Sox finished in last place for the third time in four seasons.

The first question Farrell heard before the first game of 2016 was “John, do you feel a sense of urgency to keep your job?’’

The question was asked by WBZ’s intrepid Jonny Miller, who was back at it again Monday, but without the party-starter, firing-line question. It was Milller’s 59th consecutive Fenway opener, a DiMaggio-esque streak which dates to 1958 when Yankee Don Larsen beat the Sox and young Jonny Miller paid $2.50 to sit in row A of lower box 69.

“We’re eager. We’re ready to go out and compete,’’ a less-urgent, more-secure Farrell said Monday morning. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way they prepared. They were hungry throughout the winter and spring training . . . We were left with a bad taste in our mouths and that hasn’t been forgotten.’’

Sandoval is particularly hungry. A guy who drops 30-40 pounds in the offseason is probably always hungry.

The Panda was in the middle of things when the Sox broke open a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. After a two-out, stand-up to right by Jackie Bradley Jr. Sandoval hit a grounder into the shortstop hole and easily beat the throw from Jordy Mercer to give the Sox their first run. This kept alive an inning that would produce the game’s ultimate moment: Benintendi’s three-run shot into the bullpen off Pirates starter Gerrit Cole.

“It was a fastball in,’’ said the flatline Benintendi. “I thought the wind was going to hold it up a little bit, but I was fortunate enough for it to go over.’’

Let’s stop here and consider The Kid. The Red Sox have had a lot of blue-chip prospects burst upon the big-league scene. Some turned out to be Ted Williams and some turned out to be Dwayne Hosey. Benintendi is not going to be Ted Williams but he is an electric player who has been big-league ready since he was rushed to the majors after just a few months of Double-A ball last summer. He is 5 feet, 10 inches and soft-spoken, but he does everything by the book on a baseball field.

“I guess you just have to let it go in one ear and out the other,’’ said Benintendi. “People like to talk about it. I don’t feel any pressure. Just go out there and play well.’’

In the Sox clubhouse, Benintendi has been assigned the stall closest to the door, which leads to the field. This is a locker formerly occupied by Jerry Remy and J.D. Drew. Zdeno Chara used it when the Winter Classic was played at Fenway on New Year’s Day in 2010. Hanley Ramirez has moved into the two lockers last occupied by David Ortiz, and Christian Vazquez has taken over the locker once used by Jason Varitek. is now occupying the “veteran” stall next to the manager’s office, which was last home to Clay Buchholz and famously rented to Carl Yastrzemski in the 1970s and ’80s.

After a wicked March winter, the Sox played the 117th franchise opener (106th at Fenway) on a cloudless, sun-splashed 48-degree Monday.

The traditionally overblown pregame ceremony was relatively understated.

We got a Red Sox version of the “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” song (homage to the “Mad Men” finale?), followed by nice introductions of both ballclubs (big hand for Chris Sale), then a video tribute to the New England Patriots, which gave way to an appearance by the living, breathing grid gods of New England.

It was a big pregame hit. Each carrying a Lombardi Trophy, Tom Brady, Bob Kraft, Rob Gronkowski, Dion Lewis, and James White emerged from the cornfield in left, walked across the Fenway lawn and gathered at the mound. Brady produced his recently recovered (by the FBI) game jersey, only to have it snatched away by Gronk. In a cornball scene that looked liked something from “A Hard Day’s Night,’’ Brady chased Gronk toward right field, tackled his tight end, and reclaimed the jersey.

When it was announced that Boston’s mayor, Marty Walsh, was presenting a baseball to “the greatest quarterback of all time,’’ a Pittsburgh official in the pressbox said, “Wait, is Terry Bradshaw here?’’

Fat chance.

Brady lobbed a strike to catcher Dustin Pedroia and it was “game on” for the 2017 Red Sox.

The Sox did what they needed to do. Porcello was strong, the bullpen bridge guys kept the lid on, and Craig Kimbrel notched a boilerplate .

And so the first one is in the books. The first-place Red Sox are undefeated. Looks like the pennant.

Jackie Bradley Jr. makes a pitch with his catch

Peter Abraham

Jackie Bradley has twice been a finalist for the American League Gold Glove in center field. But he has yet to win the award, something that rankles a player who takes immense pride in his defense.

Bradley made a catch on Monday that will help his campaign.

Pittsburgh’s Francisco Cervelli launched a Rick Porcello fastball to center field in the fourth inning, the ball headed for the triangle. Bradley sprinted to the warning track and stuck his glove out just before bouncing softly off the wall.

According to MLB’s Statcast system, which tracks plays with high-resolution cameras and radar, Bradley had only a 55 percent chance of catching the ball and had to go nearly 30 yards to get there.

“I don’t care about the wall. I’m going to catch the ball,” Bradley said.

Sox manager John Farrell was more impressed that Bradley avoided the wall and metal railing alongside the Red Sox bullpen as deftly as he did.

“For him to go full tilt and then be come under control in one stride and not slam into the wall, that was one a heck of a play,” Farrell said.

Said Porcello: “Yeah, that was huge. That ball gets down, it can be a different game.”

Bradley was 1 for 3 with a triple and a walk in the Sox’ 5-3 victory.

Message from Papi David Ortiz did not attend the game. But the retired slugger did post a 17-second video to Twitter before it started.

“What’s up Red Sox Nation?” Ortiz said. “Just want to wish my boys good luck this season. Always behind you, cheering for your guys. Let’s give Red Sox Nation what they deserve. Good luck, guys. Peace.”

Ortiz attended a World Baseball Classic game in Miami to see the play but did not spend any time with the Red Sox during spring training. He told friends he did not want to cause any distraction.

Pomeranz ready? Lefthander Drew Pomeranz, who is on the disabled list with what the team says is a forearm strain, threw six innings in a minor league intrasquad game in Fort Myers, Fla.

Pitching in JetBlue Park so he could be more accurately measured by a tracking system used by the Sox, Pomeranz threw close to 90 pitches, according to Farrell.

Pomeranz is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday in . The Red Sox, who are carrying four starters, will need a fifth starter for the first time that day.

Pomeranz has said his goal is to start that game.

“There was an uptick in overall stuff. It was an encouraging day for him,” Farrell said. “We have yet to discuss what the next step is. But for what he set out to do work-wise, he was able to accomplish that.”

Payroll drop for Sox According to research by the Associated Press, the Red Sox are fifth in the major leagues with a payroll of $178,818,052.

The Sox trail the Dodgers ($225.5 million), Tigers ($199.7 million), Yankees ($195.2 million), and Giants ($181.5 million).

The AP figures account for the active roster, disabled list, and prorated signing bonuses.

Principal owner John Henry, who also owns the Globe, said in January that he wanted to get under the competitive balance tax threshold of $195 million. That would allow the Red Sox to reset the financial penalty to a 20 percent tax for exceeding the limit in 2018. The penalty otherwise would be 50 percent.

Based on the contracts in place and possibility of contract extensions for one or more of the younger players, exceeding the limit in 2018 is almost inevitable.

The AP figure for the Red Sox does not include the salaries of Allen Craig ($11 million) and Rusney Castillo ($10.5 million). They were outrighted off the major league roster and now play for Triple A Pawtucket.

The Sox payroll, per the AP, did include $1.8 million for a prorated share of Castillo’s signing bonus.

Clubhouse politics A new season means new real estate in the Red Sox clubhouse.

Ortiz had a three-locker empire before he retired with Pablo Sandoval adjacent to him. That space is now divided between Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez.

With Clay Buchholz gone, David Price took the corner locker traditionally given to the most veteran starter. Chris Sale took Price’s old spot.

Xander Bogaerts moved down the row to the locker vacated by Ramirez. Andrew Benintendi happily took over Bogaerts’s former address.

Head clubhouse man Tom McLaughlin administers the locker assignments. The players with the most major league service time typically get first choice.

First day success The Sox are now 58-58-1 in openers, 4-1 under Farrell. They have won 7 of 10 . . . The Sox opened at home for the first time since 2010. They are 24-17 when starting the season in Boston . . . The Sox improved to 212-152 in interleague play, the best record in the majors since it started . . . Dustin Pedroia (1 for 4) is 18 of 45 (.400) on Opening Day with eight RBIs in 11 games . . . Xander Bogaerts stole two bases for the first time since last April 24 . . . Craig Kimbrel has converted all 18 of his save chances at Fenway Park going back to 2012, when he was with the Atlanta Braves.

Opening acts For Benintendi, Heath Hembree, Eduardo Rodriguez, Robby Scott, Steve Selsky, Ben Taylor, and Christian Vazquez, Monday was the first time they were on an Opening Day roster . . . It was the 1,399th career game for Pedroia, tying Dom DiMaggio for 11th in team history . . . With assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez getting over the flu, Triple A Pawtucket hitting coach Rich Gedman was with the team helping out. The PawSox open up on Thursday at Lehigh Valley . . . Oil Can Boyd watched batting practice from behind the cage. Believe it or not, the Can is 57 . . . As part of the pregame ceremonies, there was a moment of silence to honor the memory of former Sox Dave “Boo” Ferriss, Ruben Amaro Sr., and recently retired MLB executive Katy Feeney. Amaro, whose son is the first base coach of the Sox, was a longtime player, scout and coach with the Phillies.

It’s OK to miss David Ortiz on this occasion

Nick Cafardo

Opening Day was all it was cracked up to be.

Nice weather. Nice pregame ceremony, with the introductions of both teams and Tom Brady leading a Patriots contingent from left field holding their Super Bowl trophies. Even the funny and typically creative Charles Steinberg’s skit of Rob Gronkowski stealing Brady’s Super Bowl jersey was cute.

The Red Sox beat the Pirates, 5-3, on Monday. Andrew Benintendi bopped a three-run homer to right. Rick Porcello opened the defense of his AL . There was Jackie Bradley Jr.’s phenomenal catch in center field and his triple in the fifth, which opened the floodgates for a five-run inning.

But there’s one thing that stood out for me: the absence of David Ortiz.

I’ve received enough feedback from readers who were tired of the Ortiz farewell and were glad to move on. It’s just that this was the first year since 2002 that Ortiz wasn’t present for a Red Sox Opening Day.

The Sox didn’t miss him at the plate. They scored plenty of runs.

But there was a void. The Red Sox clubhouse wasn’t as jovial. That’s just one intangible Ortiz brought to the table. The tangible stuff was his enormous presence in the lineup. He was the guy teams game-planned for when they faced the Sox.

Ortiz was the only player in the majors last season (among qualifiers) who had an OPS above 1.000. And he did it in his final season in the majors at age 40.

You can say until you’re blue in the face that the Red Sox won’t miss that, and that others will pick up the slack. That may be true. It was true on Opening Day. But what you’re also missing is the drama and excitement of Ortiz’s at-bats. He was an event in and of himself.

Why are we writing about someone who is no longer with the team?

Well, because he was one of the most compelling figures in Red Sox history, and his absence is noteworthy. We know the Sox inquired about his availability for the Opening Day ceremony, and Ortiz informed them that he was away through mid-April, according to team president Sam Kennedy.

We think Ortiz probably declined because he didn’t want to be a distraction, which is why he never made an appearance during spring training.

Give him credit for thinking this way. He wanted his ex-teammates to forge their own identity. He has tweeted now and then to let everyone know he’s still paying attention to what’s going on.

Maybe the next time we see him will be at his number retirement ceremony June 23. Maybe he is truly enjoying life without baseball, but we’re not sure baseball can say the same without him. He brought a certain joy to the game every day. He was a colorful figure who didn’t respond with the same programmed answers that so many young players are accustomed to giving us. He spoke from the heart. He didn’t have much of a filter at times, and that was OK because the Red Sox needed some of that. They needed a bit of attitude.

Everybody associated with the Red Sox, if asked, will tell you how much they miss Ortiz, but they’ll also follow with, “But it’s time to turn the page.” Of course it is, but the first day without Ortiz felt strange.

If the offense and pitching perform as well as they did Monday over 162 games, and the Red Sox win 93- 95 games and make it to the World Series, Ortiz will become a distant memory.

But it’s hard to be comfortable with his absence after the season he had last year. So many players have left the Red Sox or the game under different circumstances, and you didn’t have any “wish he were still here” feelings.

You knew when had reached the end of the line. You knew that Carl Yastrzemski had seen better days. Ted Williams could obviously still hit when he hung it up after 1960, but he wasn’t the player he once was, even though that was still better than most players.

With Ortiz, you feel there’s a lot left in the tank. We all knew about his problems with his feet and legs, and that made it understandable that he was going to hang it up. But you know something? Prolonged rest could cure that. He’s probably feeling pretty good right about now.

Ortiz is busy with his charity and building a new home in Miami. He’s got a thousand things to occupy his time and his emotions, but his first love has always been baseball. He legitimized the designated hitter position. Five years from now, Hall of Fame voters will probably make Ortiz the first DH to be elected, in his first time on the ballot.

Is there a chance he’d come back if, let’s say, there were an injury to Hanley Ramirez or Mitch Moreland? Ortiz would probably answer with a vehement no if you asked him now.

Players dream about ending their careers in the manner Ortiz did, at the top of their game and on their own terms. If he came back and wasn’t as good, he would probably kick himself for doing so. But who knows if he’s bored without baseball? Who knows if he’s hitting in the batting cages at his house and he gets the feel for it again? Who knows if his feet and legs feel better?

It’s pie-in-the-sky thinking, but is there an itty-bitty chance it could happen?

Ah, well, it’s just the first game with the David-Ortiz-not-being-around blues, I guess.

Another show of force for the Red Sox’ talented outfield

Alex Speier

In case anyone needed a reminder about why the Red Sox’ outfield is considered as talented as any in the big leagues, a 5-3 Opening Day rout over the Pirates offered it.

Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi delivered the highlights of a five-run fifth inning in a demonstration of the rare electricity that they, along with 2016 AL MVP runner-up Mookie Betts, can generate.

Here are the key elements from the Red Sox’ season-opening victory:

ANDREW BENINTENDI REMAINS ON THE FAST TRACK: Andrew Benintendi actually betrayed a hint of emotion on Opening Day, but he could be forgiven a small fist pump after blasting a 98 m.p.h. fastball from Pirates starter Gerrit Cole into the Pirates’ bullpen for a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning. At 22 years, 271 days, Benintendi became the fourth youngest Red Sox of the last 100 years to go deep on Opening Day.

When one layers that mark of distinction on top of the fact that Benintendi became the youngest Red Sox ever to homer in the playoffs last year, it takes little imagination to realize why the 2015 first-rounder is so highly regarded as a hitter.

JACKIE BRADLEY JR. SHIFTS THE SCALES: In the top of the fourth inning, when Rick Porcello’s command lapsed, Bradley prevented the stumble from costing his team any runs. He tracked down a ball drilled into the left-center gap by David Freese at 106 m.p.h., then perfectly timed a 104 m.p.h. Francisco Cervelli liner against the Red Sox’ bullpen wall in the triangle, 390 feet from the plate – a brilliant catch that few even attempt given the potential for significant injury when trapping a wrist against the wall.

Then, at a time when Cole was cruising through the Red Sox order, Bradley turned on a 97 m.p.h. fastball and drilled it off the base of the grandstand wall in right field for a triple. The ball had an exit velocity of 111 m.p.h. – the highest exit velocity of any ball Bradley had put in play since the introduction of Statcast data in 2015.

In 2014, Bradley seemed overwhelmed by mid- to upper-90s velocity. That is no longer the case. Instead, his comfort hunting – and driving – has turned him into a difference-making two-way talent.

SANDOVAL’S REDEMPTION TOUR GETS OFF TO A SOLID START: Pablo Sandoval swung at everything he saw, hacking at four of five offerings he saw from Cole in his first two plate appearances (the exception was a pitch on which Sandoval had to bail out, a fastball near his head) and then five of the nine pitches he saw from a pair of Pittsburgh relievers.

Nonetheless, Sandoval’s free swinging occurred to positive effect, as he golfed a curveball that was inside to the opposite field in left-center for a warning track flyout. In the pivotal fifth inning, Sandoval beat out an infield single on a grounder he shot into the hole at short to put the Red Sox ahead, 1-0.

His ability to move well down the first base line – and later that inning to score easily from second on a Dustin Pedroia single – attested to some of the improved conditioning and agility that the third baseman worked to attain this winter. (Sandoval scored from second on a single on just three of 11 occasions in 2015, when Fangraphs pegged him as one of the worst dozen qualifying baserunners in the majors.)

Sandoval did commit an error and struck out twice in his 1-for-4 day, but the image of his hustle nonetheless offered, if not a positive statement, then at least a first phrase of 2017.

RICK PORCELLO DIDN’T FORGET HOW TO PITCH: In a familiar performance, the reigning American League Cy Young winner attacked the strike zone (62 of 96 pitches for strikes – 65 percent) with a diverse array of pitches to unbalance the Pirates over 6 1/3 innings in which he allowed three runs, walked one, and struck out five. Porcello actually carried a shutout through six innings before he appeared to start missing his spots in the seventh, when two of the three runs he permitted were of the inherited variety when Matt Barnes gave up a single, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly.

THE RED SOX’ MIX-AND-MATCH BULLPEN REMAINS A WORK IN PROGRESS: Red Sox manager John Farrell acknowledged before Monday’s game that he lacked a singular, lockdown, eighth- inning presence. As such, Farrell said, he’d likely navigate through the late innings with a mix-and-match approach – one in which he suggested that Heath Hembree and Barnes might prove his righthanders of first resort (meaning a slip for Joe Kelly on the depth chart) with Robby Scott and looming as his initial options against lefties (a statement in which Robbie Ross Jr. seemed prominent by omission). While the Sox ultimately preserved a victory, the fact that two inherited runners crossed the plate with Barnes on the mound will do little to quell the sense of uncertainty about the state of the team’s relief corps while Tyler Thornburg is on the disabled list. That said, Scott (1 out) and Hembree (2 outs) effectively split the eighth inning in front of closer Craig Kimbrel.

Red Sox pick up Opening Day victory

Peter Abraham

One of the lessons preached by Red Sox coaches during spring training was finding a way to beat defensive shifts instead of complaining about them.

Several workout days were dedicated to the idea of hitting the ball to the opposite field or laying down a bunt. With so many teams willing to configure their defenses based on even small sample sizes, hitters are almost obliged to adjust.

Still, February ambition often gives way to April reality and hard-to-break habits. But Sandy Leon paid attention.

His bunt single in the fifth inning on Monday led to four runs as the Red Sox opened a promising season with a 5-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates before a sellout crowd of 36,594 at Fenway Park.

With the Red Sox leading, 1-0, Leon came to the plate with two outs and a runner on first base and saw the Pirates move their infielders to the right side of the diamond, leaving third base vacant.

Leon had grounded into the shift to end the third inning. This time he pushed the first pitch toward third base. Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole bobbled the ball and had no play.

“I’m trying to take advantage of it this season. That was good timing,” said Leon, who had one previous bunt single in his career. “I’m playing for the team there, just try to get on base. It worked.”

Leon wasn’t told to bunt. But it was presented as an option before he went to the plate.

“We want our guys to play the game,” Sox manager John Farrell said. “We talked about a number of different situations in the moment there.”

Dustin Pedroia was next and he drilled a single up the middle that scored Pablo Sandoval from second. Then Andrew Benintendi homered to right field, making it 5-0.

A bunt single by a slow-footed catcher had kicked the door open. Five runs scored with two outs.

“Sandy taking what the defense gives him. That’s how big innings start. It’s the little things like that,” said Benintendi, who connected on a 98-m.p.h. fastball from Cole and dropped it into the visiting bullpen.

Leon hit a surprising .310 with an .845 OPS last season after taking over the catching duties in June. But he was 11 of 63 (.175) in his final 20 games of the regular season and 1 for 10 in the playoffs against Cleveland.

That explains his willingness to try something unconventional.

“We have a great lineup,” Leon said. “I need to get on base for those guys like Benintendi.”

Cole retired the first two batters of the fifth inning and to that point had faced one batter over the minimum and not allowed a runner beyond first base. The only Red Sox hit was a soft single by Hanley Ramirez in the second inning.

The Sox got the spark they needed when Jackie Bradley Jr. lined a standup triple to right field. ’s Statcast system measured the ball at 111 miles-per-hour off Bradley’s bat. That’s Giancarlo Stanton territory.

Sandoval then grounded a ball to the left side that shortstop Jordy Mercer tracked down. Sandoval, showing previously unseen hustle in a Red Sox uniform, beat the throw for an RBI infield single.

That set up Leon and the inning sprouted like spring flowers from there.

“I loved what Sandy did,” teammate Mookie Betts said. “Even with two outs you can get something going. [Cole] was pitching great and we found a way to get to him.”

The five-run lead was enough for the pitching staff. Rick Porcello took a shutout into the seventh before giving up three runs, two that scored after he left the game. Four relievers combined to get the final eight outs with Craig Kimbrel earning the save.

Porcello wasn’t at his sharpest, allowing three runs on six hits. But he walked only one and struck out five. The Sox are 16-1 in his starts at Fenway since the start of last season.

Leon did well to nurse the relievers through to the end. Matt Barnes allowed two inherited runners to score in the seventh but left two runners stranded, striking out Andrew McCutchen to end an inning that was close to boiling over.

Robby Scott and Heath Hembree were an unexpected tandem for the eighth inning but got the job done with no fuss.

Scott needed one pitch to get Gregory Polanco to ground out. Hembree then built on a strong spring training by retiring David Freese and Francisco Cervelli on 11 pitches.

Kimbrel came in to face the bottom of the Pittsburgh order and allowed a leadoff double by Josh Bell, then hit Adam Frazier with a two-strike, two-out curveball. But he got Starling Marte on a foul out to end the game.

The first game of the 117th Red Sox season is done. The second game is Wednesday night and there won’t be a flyover before Tom Brady throws out the first pitch this time. But Chris Sale will be starting and you just may see the catcher bunt for a hit.

“You never know,” Leon said. “You have to be willing to try.”

* The Boston Herald

Rick Porcello delivers like an ace

Chad Jennings

Just admit it, Rick Porcello was not an exciting choice for the Red Sox on Opening Day.

Yes, he earned the start, and of course there was nothing wrong with giving him the ball, but when this Sox rotation was listed on paper, Porcello’s name was supposed to be third.

That’s why Chris Sale got the big ovation during yesterday’s pregame ceremony, and that’s why David Price has hands wringing with every long-toss session and vague update on his status.

If we’re ranking individual pitches thrown at Fenway Park this year, the list goes Tom Brady and then everyone else.

Porcello? He’s just another guy with a low-90s fastball and a five-pitch mix, and he just happens to have last year’s Cy Young Award on his resume. He’s also the guy who — ho hum — did it again yesterday, going 61⁄3 innings with six hits, one walk and five strikeouts in an Opening Day win, 5-3 over the Pirates.

Just admit it, the guy was really good, and the Red Sox needed that with Price on the shelf.

Three runs scored in the seventh, two after Porcello left the game, but the right-hander asserted himself in familiar fashion.

“Pounding the strike zone, using his two-seam really well,” Price said with a we’ve-all-seen-it-before shrug. “That was something that kind of hindered him in 2015, getting away from that. He was throwing a lot harder then. Today, you can’t worry about what the radar gun says. The weak contact and the defensive swings, they tell him all he needs to know.”

For the record, the radar gun showed Porcello sitting at 90-91 mph, topping out at 94. According to Brooks Baseball, he threw 13 sliders — a little more than usual — including particularly good ones for inning- ending strikeouts against Andrew McCutchen and Jordy Mercer.

He went six-plus innings for the 19th regular-season start in a row, the longest active streak in the majors.

“That’s my job,” Porcello said. “That’s what I look to do every fifth day is give us a chance to win. Pitching deep into ballgames, that’s why I’m here.”

Technically he’s right, but that’s also why and (eventually) Drew Pomeranz are here, to eat some innings and give the Red Sox a chance. Guys with that job description are supposed to round out rotations or pitch the fourth game of the season (which Porcello’s done six times in his career, including last year).

They’re not supposed to get the ball on Opening Day.

Then there’s Porcello, the non-ace who’s starting to deliver like one, even if he doesn’t look the part.

To be fair, there was reason to be concerned. Last time we saw Porcello in a game that mattered, he was being knocked around by the Indians in last year’s Division Series. More recently, he had a 7.07 ERA in four starts this spring.

If one playoff start and a few exhibition games seem to be an unfair sample size, how about the first seven years of his career when he pitched to a 4.39 ERA as a middling former first-round pick who continued to struggle through his 2015 debut with the Red Sox.

Let’s not forget he threw 223 innings last year after averaging closer to 180 the rest of his career. It wasn’t exactly hard baseball analysis to suggest he was due for a step backward, but just for good measure, most of the fancy projection algorithms expect his ERA to jump into the high 3.00s this season. So it was fair to worry about him.

“Absolutely not, no,” Price said. “He’s a hard worker. You don’t have to worry about Porce. Not like that.”

Apparently not, because Porcello matched Gerrit Cole — a prototypical Opening Day starter — pitch for pitch. Porcello is 1-0, while Cole is 0-1.

Let the pregame ceremony bring the thrills. Porcello brought the win.

“You understand coming into it that maybe physically you might feel like you’re in midseason form,” he said. “But mentally, there’s some things that, you just don’t want to get ahead of yourself. That was my main thing in my head today was just not let any of the innings turn into big innings. Slow the game down when I needed to, but also get some sort of a tempo and rhythm going.”

The rhythm looked familiar. It looked a lot like last year.

Tomorrow night, Sale will make his much-anticipated debut, and Price will continue to rehab his way through an elbow injury. Porcello will quietly wait his turn.

“I’m satisfied with the win,” he said.

“At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”

Craig Kimbrel survives another roller-coaster ninth inning

Jason Mastrodonato

One thing’s for sure after Opening Day: Watching Craig Kimbrel pitch the ninth inning still resembles a high-speed roller-coaster ride in the dark.

Rarely can a pitcher be so erratic against one batter and so dominant against the next. Kimbrel opened the season with a fastball that touched 99 mph, but the ninth inning of the Red Sox’ 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday was its own prime-time drama.

Josh Bell came about 12 inches from taking Kimbrel deep over the Green Monster to lead off the ninth, but the ball graciously bounced off the top of The Wall and fell for a double. Kimbrel then overpowered Josh Harrison, striking him out on three pitches. He struck out Jordy Mercer after that.

Ahead 0-2 on Adam Frazier and one strike away from ending the game, he hit the Pittsburgh in the back.

Finally, he induced a foul pop from Starling Marte to end the saga.

“I thought in spring training he had much better direction, much more consistent,” manager John Farrell said. “He yanked a couple of pitches today, none more so than the (0-2) curveball to Frazier. . . . Still, there were a number of quality strikes well located with the premium velocity he has.”

With Tyler Thornburg (shoulder inflammation) and Carson Smith (Tommy John recovery) on the shelf for the time being, the Red Sox know it won’t be easy once they get to the bullpen.

Matt Barnes relieved Rick Porcello with two men on in the seventh inning and allowed both to score before he finally escaped.

Barnes had no idea he would pitch the seventh until “they called down and said, ‘Get Barnes going,’ and I started throwing.”

“Everybody knows Craig has the ninth,” Barnes said. “For right now, it’s going to be based off matchups, I think, who’s got the hot hand, who’s coming up in their lineup. That’s what we know. We’re all ready.”

After Barnes, Robby Scott needed one pitch to retire lefty Gregory Polanco to start the eighth. Heath Hembree finished that inning before Kimbrel walked a tightrope in the ninth.

Farrell said he’s going to play the matchups when identifying who to use in set-up situations.

“Without a lock-down eighth-inning guy, we’re going to have to mix and match,” he said. “The guys that had been throwing the ball well late coming out of spring training were the three on the mound before Kimbrel today. Polanco clearly is much stronger against right-handers. For the one pitch, (Scott) did his job. Hembree once again, strike-thrower with good stuff.”

Thornburg dormant

Thornburg still is shut down and will not begin throwing until at least this weekend.

“That was going to be a . . . seven-to-10-day no-throw after the last images were taken,” Farrell said. “We’re still in the first five days of that. We’re probably another five days (away). . . . He’s got to get it re- checked before a ball gets put back in his hand. And that’s going to be all strength measurement again and how he tests out in the training room.”

Small ball

Gerrit Cole had been throwing as hard as 100 mph with a vicious slider when Sandy Leon, hitting ninth, crossed up the right-hander.

Facing a standard defensive shift to Leon’s pull side, the Red Sox catcher bunted a 96-mph pitch nice and easy down the third base line. Cole picked up the bunt and flashed a look of disgust toward his dugout. The Pirates called timeout for a visit to the mound, but Cole never recovered, allowing three more two-out hits, including a three-run homer to Andrew Benintendi, as the Red Sox scored five in the fifth inning.

Leon said he has been working on bunting against the shift.

“I was getting ready to hit, and I saw the shift way over to second base, and I just wanted to get on base,” he said. “I’ve got (Dustin Pedroia) on deck, and I know what he can do. Just playing for the team, just trying to get on base for the team and for Pedey.”

Farrell said in spring training he wanted his players to try bunting more frequently against shifts.

“We want our guys to play the game,” the manager said. “We talk about a number of different situations in the moment there. He’s a guy that’s going to get a number of shifts, particularly (hitting) left-handed. It’s something he did a couple of times in spring training. That’s an attack on Sandy’s part that he’s worked on, and it worked here today.”

Pomeranz unsure

Drew Pomeranz is getting closer, but the Sox won’t say if he’ll be ready to start the sixth game of the season Sunday in Detroit against the Tigers.

The lefty is dealing with a forearm strain after receiving a stem-cell injection in his balky elbow during the offseason. He threw six innings against minor leaguers in Fort Myers yesterday. If he isn’t ready to pitch Sunday, Kyle Kendrick likely will get the start.

“There was an uptick in overall stuff, so it was an encouraging day for him,” Farrell said. “We have yet to discuss what the next step is. But for what he set out to do work-wise, he was able to accomplish that.”

For Pablo Sandoval and Red Sox, new beginning a winning one

Jason Mastrodonato

“Who said pandas couldn’t run?”

That’s what Chili Davis had to say, the Red Sox hitting coach not at all surprised to see Pablo Sandoval’s newfound speed. Panda was clocked by the team at 3.9 seconds from home plate to first base after bunting in spring training.

Yesterday, Sandoval sparked the Red Sox’ 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day with his legs. He went from home to first in 4.1 seconds to beat out an infield hit to shortstop that scored the Sox’ first run of the 2017 season and brought the Fenway Park crowd to its feet.

“That’s what I was doing in the offseason, trying to get my agility back, my first step, all the quick feet I was working on,” Sandoval said. “I feel pretty good.”

Sandoval won’t find redemption after one useful game. The third baseman was anything but useful during his first two seasons with the Sox, and making $17 million to boot. But the 36,594 in attendance for Game 1 of 2017 welcomed him back with polite applause during pregame introductions, recognizing nine months of effort to slim down and revitalize his abilities following shoulder surgery.

The standing ovation after his infield hit with two outs in the fifth inning, which drove in Jackie Bradley Jr. (triple) from third and led to a five-run frame, wasn’t lost on Sandoval, who said he’s been working hard for a moment like that.

“It felt good,” Sandoval said. “Especially when you have the support from the fans and the teammates. You have to keep working hard to pull everything together, forget about the past, keep playing hard and do everything you can to be better this year.”

If the season opener was any indication, Sandoval is committed to the rebound. Not just for one game. But a whole season.

Those close to him have said he’s been looking forward to winning the fans back since late last season, when he thought there was a chance he’d be added to the postseason roster. Had the Red Sox made it to the American League Championship Series, that was possible, though the Sox weren’t planning on discussing such a move unless they advanced past the Division Series.

The belief is Sandoval can be highly motivated by the desire for approval.

“He likes (the ovation from the crowd),” Davis said. “He likes that. He’s a sensitive guy. He wants to be liked. And he wants to please everyone. He wants to please the fans. And you know, it’s a long year. There are going to be ups and downs. But just try to minimize the downtimes.”

With quicker hands than he displayed a year ago, Sandoval sliced off a 91-mph slider from Pirates ace Gerrit Cole and then put his legs to work.

Andrew Benintendi punctuated the inning by knocking a 98-mph, up-and-in offering 386 feet over the right-field fence for a three-run homer.

Then came the bad from Sandoval. A poor throw from the third began the very next inning and he was charged with his first error of the season, but Rick Porcello retired the next three hitters, so no harm done.

“It happens,” Sandoval said, noting that his arm strength is not an issue.

Sandoval’s arm isn’t what the Red Sox are counting on. He’s in the lineup for his ability to make hard contact, something he did as well as anybody during a Grapefruit League schedule in which he hit .338 with a team-leading five homers and 20 RBI.

“That’s how big innings kind of start — it’s the little things,” Benintendi said. “Pablo hustling down the line and Sandy (Leon) taking what the defense gives him (the catcher beat an overshift with a bunt single). That’s how innings start.”

Even a shaky, achy bullpen couldn’t tarnish the celebratory mood, nor could it deny Porcello of a win after the reigning Cy Young Award-winner threw 61⁄3 mostly excellent innings. Porcello tired in the seventh and was charged with three runs when reliever Matt Barnes couldn’t escape a jam.

Sandoval, who finished 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, has 161 more games to prove himself. He’s off to a good start. The Sox see a totally different player.

“Oh yeah,” Davis said. “He’s energetic. He’s always been energetic. He’s happy to be back playing.”

Andrew Benintendi’s big day helps team, fans move on from David Ortiz

Michael Silverman

David who?

Big what?

Yesterday, for the first time in 14 years, David “Big Papi” Ortiz was nowhere to be found at a Red Sox season opener.

His spirit and his smile were dearly missed.

To the surprise of everyone at sold-out Fenway Park, his thunderous bat was not.

Sparked by the delightfully oblivious rookie Andrew Benintendi’s three-run clout into the visitors’ bullpen — where Ortiz deposited so many of his home runs, the Red Sox rolled to a 5-3 victory over the Pirates yesterday.

For a team that is supposed to be all about run prevention without Ortiz, it looks as if the kids running the run-production unit are going to be all right.

Given that it was a rookie who was responsible for the fifth-inning shot off Gerrit Cole, one of the best starting in the , it looks as if the Red Sox have another left-handed hitter on their roster with pop who’s unfazed by pressure.

I reckon it’s still premature to anoint Benintendi as the AL Rookie of the Year.

And fine, I’ll hold off on forcing the Benintendi-Ortiz comparisons.

But man, Benintendi’s was magnificent enough to send the most casual Sox fan’s hopes soaring while grounding their fears.

It’s just one game, but beginnings count as much as endings. And for a special hitter at the beginning of his first full season, it counts that Benintendi can shut out all the noise and still live up to and even exceed the hype.

“I guess you just kind of let it go in one ear, out the other — people like to talk about it,” said Benintendi. “I don’t feel any pressure. I just go out there, play well, and the main goal is to win. When you do that, people will be happy.

“We got the win, so that’s all that matters. We still have 161 games, so we know it’s a long season. I’m good getting that first one under our belt.”

Manager John Farrell has been trying to deflect attention away from Benintendi all spring long, yet he and the coaches marvel privately at how Benintendi makes hitting a baseball with selectivity, authority and power look so easy.

Benintendi looked so good this spring that Farrell realized that he could throw him in the No. 2 spot like he did yesterday and not worry about much.

“We talked about it pretty much since the time he’s come to the big leagues, he’s got a short track record we know, but there’s never been evidence of panic even in a two-strike situation,” said Farrell. “He sees the ball extremely well. He’s got a true understanding of the strike zone. Pretty special young player.

“His swing is so effortless and smooth, you can’t tell if he ever over-swings the bat or not but for a guy of his stature, there’s such great timing and fluidity to the swing, he creates easy power. That was the case on that swing.”

Benintendi’s body language at the plate suggested he knew the instant he struck the ball that it was headed somewhere special. He did not stand and gaze at it as Ortiz might have and he did not trot around the bases as slowly as Ortiz would have, but he knew — even if he said he didn’t.

“I thought the wind was going to hold it up a little bit,” said Benintendi. “I was fortunate enough for it to go over.”

As much as it felt as if Benintendi stole the show, he had a ton of help from the rest of the lineup. Eight of the nine batters had at least one hit — Mitch Moreland’s Sox debut (0-for-4) was far from storybook — and the bottom third of the lineup looked particularly sharp. Jackie Bradley Jr., batting seventh, hit a stand-up triple, drew a walk and scored a run; Pablo Sandoval knocked in the first run of the season earlier in the fifth when he beat out a two-out infield single; and No. 9 hitter Sandy Leon notched two hits, including a perfect bunt down the third-base line against the shift.

“The big hit obviously with Benny, but we’re able to turn the lineup over and at the bottom of the order, where Panda beats out an infield base hit, Sandy bunts against the shift so some good awareness inside that, but still, the quick-strike ability offensively was the key in this one,” said Farrell.

He who hits the home run tends to receive the headlines, and nobody got headlines like Ortiz.

Bradley did say, “I do miss him” about Ortiz, but that he hadn’t given his absence much thought.

Can’t blame him.

Not with the day he, Benintendi and the new-look Red Sox offense had.

Sandy Leon's bunt against the shift keys Red Sox rally

Jason Mastrodonato

Gerrit Cole had been throwing as hard as 100 mph with a vicious slider when Sandy Leon, hitting ninth, looked like he threw Cole for a spin.

Facing a standard defensive shift to Leon’s pull side, the Red Sox catcher took a 96 mph pitch and bunted it nice and easy down the third base line to turn the lineup over. Cole picked up the bunt and flashed a look of disgust toward his dugout. The Pirates called time out for a visit to the mound, but Cole never recovered, allowing three more two-out hits, including a three-run homer to Andrew Benintendi, as the Red Sox scored five in the fifth inning.

Cole told reporters he wasn't irked by the bunt, but it certainly appeared different on the field.

Leon said he has been working on bunting against the shift.

“I was getting ready to hit and I saw the shift way over to second base and I just wanted to get on base,” he said. “I've got Pedey on deck, and I know what he can do. Just playing for the team, just trying to get on base for the team and for Pedey.”

Manager John Farrell said in spring training he wanted his players to try bunting more frequently against the shift.

“We want our guys to play the game,” Farrell said Monday. “We talk about a number of different situations in the moment there. He’s a guy that’s going to get a number of shifts against, particularly left-handed. It’s something he did a couple of times in spring training. That’s an attack on Sandy’s part that he’s worked on and it worked here today.”

* The Providence Journal

Good start for Sox but red flags remain

Kevin McNamara

BOSTON — There was much to be thankful for on a beautiful Opening Day Monday at Fenway Park.

There was also much to be concerned about as the Boston Red Sox kicked off a much-anticipated 2017 season.

Sox fans enjoyed a little bit of everything in a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In pre-game festivities, they whooped it up as four members of the Super Bowl champion Patriots walked to the pitcher’s mound sporting the franchise’s five Lombardi Trophies. Rob Gronkowski playfully stole a jersey from Tom Brady, but the franchise quarterback chased his pal down and then threw a high strike in the season’s first ceremonial pitch.

Once the game began, reigning Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Rick Porcello kept the Pirates in check long enough for his team’s bats to come alive. Playing for the first time in 15 years without David Ortiz’s booming bat in the lineup, the Sox scored in just one inning but made the most of it. Flashy rookie Andrew Benintendi struck the key blow with a three-run home run blast that led the fifth inning outburst.

Both Benintendi and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. made sparkling running catches on sharply hit fly balls. Benintendi’s was the biggest as it helped quell a three-run seventh-inning uprising by the Bucs.

Yet despite the positives — and most importantly the win — the day’s events did little to alleviate any of the concerns fans have about this version of the Olde Towne Team.

The Red Sox may be the consensus favorite to win a second straight American League East title, but this is a team that’s enjoyed success in the playoffs only one time (2013, World Series champs) in the previous eight seasons.

The Sox have a few large hurdles to clear over the course of the 162-game season if they hope to morph into a winner.

No barometer of baseball success rings truer than a healthy starting pitching staff. Before the start of spring training the Red Sox appeared to be brimming with high-priced arms, but by the time the team hit the Back Bay there was more talk of sore joints and rotator cuffs than sliders and cutters.

While Porcello looked good in picking up the win and every Sox fan can’t wait to see newly acquired Chris Sale pitch Wednesday night, the fly in the ointment is the health of talented lefty David Price.

A year ago, Price was the team’s Opening Day starter and went on to earn his team-high $30-million salary by winning 17 games and becoming Boston’s first starter in six years to make 35 or more starts. Now he’s hurt.

Price developed elbow soreness in spring training and has already seen two noted orthopedic surgeons. No major surgery is needed, but the mystery on his condition has the franchise on edge. Put a healthy Price alongside Porcello and Sale come October and the Red Sox can win the World Series. If we don’t see Price until July, the Sox pitching staff becomes rather ordinary.

Another source of anxiety is the bullpen.

While closer Craig Kimbrel looked dominant throwing 98-mile-an-hour heaters in the ninth inning, the array of hurlers between him and the starters appears shaky. The fact that recent pickups Tyler Thornburg and Carson Smith currently join Price on the disabled list isn’t helping the cause.

Finally come concerns over filling Ortiz’s Hall of Fame shadow.

Baseball boss Dave Dombrowski chose not to add any high-priced bats in the offseason, so it’s hard to fathom who can replace Big Papi’s 38 home runs and 127 runs batted in. A return to health from overweight third baseman Pablo Sandoval would be good, and the Sox feel Benintendi can quickly blossom into a star.

He looked the part on this day. The 22-year old from Cincinnati said he began the day by joining hundreds of other major leaguers who’ve scribbled their names inside the Green Monster wall in left field. Then he went out and belted a 2-2 pitch into the right-field bullpen for the game’s biggest hit.

“His swing is so effortless and smooth,” said manager John Farrell, “that he creates easy power. That was the case with that one.”

It’s hard to read much into this season-opening, three-game series against a foe from the National League.

If anything, the matchup emphasizes how uneven the deck is stacked in favor of the Red Sox and other teams that can afford to charge $180 for primo Opening Day tickets. Revenue like that helps the Sox pay five players — Price, Porcello, Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Dustin Pedroia — more ($105 million) than the entire Pirates roster ($92 million).

Recent baseball history tells us that throwing money at big-league stars doesn’t guarantee a World Series, but it’s certainly a great place to start.

So is a perfectly healthy pitching staff on Opening Day.

Mix-and-match Red Sox bullpen gets job done in Opening Day win

Brian MacPherson

BOSTON -- The bullpen door swung open for the start of the eighth inning.

Robby Scott jogged out.

“Without a lock-down eighth-inning guy,” Boston manager John Farrell said after the game, much as he had before the game, “we’re going to have to mix and match.”

Injuries to Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg as well an erratic spring for Joe Kelly left Farrell without that lock-down eighth-inning reliever -- the reliever Koji Uehara was a year ago, the reliever Junichi Tazawa and Daniel Bard and Hideki Okajima have been on Red Sox teams of recent vintage. Instead, Farrell has opted to go with setup-by-committee, utilizing relievers with what he called “momentum” in a situation-by-situation basis.

Other than an early hiccup with runners on base by righty reliever Matt Barnes, whose role often will be to pitch with runners on base, the plan worked out about as well as it could.

Barnes finished the seventh inning in relief of Rick Porcello, albeit while allowing a pair of inherited runners to score. Scott and Heath Hembree combined to retire the side in order in the eighth. Craig Kimbrel allowed a leadoff double in the ninth but stranded the runner to close the game out.

“For right now, it’s going to be based off matchups -- who’s got the hot hand, who’s coming up in their lineup,” Barnes said. “That’s what we know. We’re all ready.”

It was Barnes who got the call when Porcello ran into trouble in the seventh inning, 90-plus pitches into his outing. Barnes stranded nearly 80 percent of the runners he faced last season -- the big-league average was 70 percent -- and will be used to clean up messes frequently this season.

Barnes began his outing with a run-scoring single and a walk and then got a gift of an out when a Starling Marte line drive wound up in the glove of Andrew Benintendi in left field. He finished the inning with a of Andrew McCutchen, who chased a curveball in the dirt.

“It takes you the one, two, three outings to get reacclimated to everything,” he said. “I promise you, after that first couple of hitters, it was like, ‘Uh oh, we’re here.’”

Scott already was warming while Barnes pitched to McCutchen, preparing to face lefthanded-hitting Pittsburgh cleanup hitter Gregory Polanco. When Barnes escaped the jam in the seventh, that meant Scott would face Polanco to lead off the eighth.

Scott threw one pitch, a sinker down and in, and Polanco grounded to second base.

“I’m just happy to be here and help this team with whatever I can do,” said Scott, who might not even be on the roster if not for injuries to Thornburg and Drew Pomeranz. “Whatever my role is, I’m happy with it. It doesn’t matter what inning it is. It doesn’t matter how many hitters I face. I just want to help this team win.”

Hembree then took over for Scott to face righties David Freese and Francisco Cervelli. He retired both. Had he allowed either to reach, Fernando Abad was warming to face switch-hitter Josh Bell and Joe Kelly was warming to face righties Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer behind him.

(The only Red Sox reliever who didn’t warm up Monday was rookie Ben Taylor.)

Instead, Kimbrel -- the only Red Sox pitcher who knew before the game when he’d pitch -- struck out Harrison and Mercer with fastballs and got a pop-up from Marte to end the game. Kimbrel seemed to have little feel for his curveball but did enough with his fastball to strand Bell at second base.

Wednesday will bring another opportunity for Farrell to mix and match with his bullpen. How long he takes to define roles will depend on how long it takes for a pitcher or two to seize a role -- or for Thornburg, acquired in December to be the eighth-inning reliever, to come back.

“We know Craig Kimbrel has got the ninth,” Barnes said.

Everything else remains in flux.

*

Rick Porcello was happy to point to the sensational catch Jackie Bradley Jr. made in center field in the fourth inning, the defensive highlight of the game for the Red Sox.

“That ball gets down,” he said, “and it’s a different game.”

But Porcello mostly cruised in his first start as the reigning Cy Young Award winner, minimizing hard contact in 6 1/3 solid innings of work in his first start of the season. He struck out five and issued one walk -- and even the Francisco Cervelli blast that forced the Bradley catch came with two outs and the bases empty.

The end for Porcello began with Mitch Moreland failing to scoop a throw from Xander Bogaerts that a Gold Glove first baseman not a day or two removed from the flu otherwise might have scooped, allowing David Freese to reach. Cervelli hit a towering fly ball that scraped the Green Monster but might have been caught in most other ballparks. Josh Harrison hit a single to left field that plated Freese. That was the end for Porcello.

Still, while it wasn’t quite up to his Cy Young standard of a year ago, it was enough to get the job done.

“I wasn’t as sharp with my sinker throughout the game, just fighting it all the way through,” he said. “We made some good plays defensively, and we were able to keep them at bay for the most part.”

*

Tom Brady lost his jersey again.

In an awkward but endearing sketch in front of many of the same Fenway Park fans who so often chanted “Free Tom Brady!” a year ago, Brady was one of five representatives of the New England Patriots to carry Lombardi Trophies onto the field as part of Monday’s festivities. He was joined by Patriots owner Robert Kraft as well as Rob Gronkowski, Dion Lewis and James White.

Brady seized the spotlight when he stripped off his blue No. 12 jersey to reveal a white No. 12 jersey underneath -- the jersey that had been stolen from the champions’ locker room after the Super Bowl and recovered in Mexico only recently. Brady held the jersey aloft in triumph on the pitchers’ mound.

Gronkowski then leaped up and snatched the jersey from Brady and took off, to the delight of the crowd, at which point Brady gave chase -- showing off the same lack of footspeed as he does on his rare scrambles from the pocket. Brady tackled Gronkowski in shallow right field.

Red Sox 5, Pirates 3: One big inning good enough to carry Red Sox on Opening Day

Tim Britton

BOSTON — Opening Day can be a minefield of false first impressions. Following months of idle prognostication, the urge to extrapolate from one game to 162 proves hard to resist, and thus Clay Buchholz can look like an ace (2015), Pedro Martinez can look over the hill (2002) and Tony Clark can look like a legitimate middle-of-the-order slugger (2002 again).

And so it’s with a touch of trepidation that we make any grand proclamations after just nine innings of the 2017 season. Yet, in their 5-3 win over the Pirates on Monday at Fenway Park, the Red Sox looked fine without David Ortiz.

Ortiz was the centerpiece of everything Boston did last season. His imminent retirement touched all aspects of the organization, and he was the focal point of every on-field ceremony and every opposing pitcher’s game plan.

Opening Day 2017 represented the official break from that era, the Red Sox showcasing their diverse set of replacement plans for the retired slugger.

A year after his daughter sang the national anthem at the Fenway opener, Ortiz himself wasn’t even in town for the festivities — his potential presence ably taken over by a quintet of Lombardi trophies and Tom Brady tackling Rob Gronkowski.

A year after Ortiz anchored the Boston lineup with 38 home runs and 127 RBIs, a deep Red Sox lineup bunched together a five-run rally with two outs in the fifth off Pittsburgh ace Gerrit Cole.

And a year after Ortiz fought tears on the mound after an abrupt playoff sweep, the Red Sox won their first game back at Fenway.

The Sox did not enter this season with one solution to replace Ortiz’s production. They eschewed the simple one presented them last winter in the form of Edwin Encarnacion, opting instead to boost their run prevention by acquiring Chris Sale and Mitch Moreland and hope for internal improvement from their young core.

Their fifth inning on Monday supported that decision.

Boston felt its lineup was deep enough to withstand the loss of its anchor. Its five-run rally in that fifth came with two outs and was sparked by the No. 7 hitter in the order.

The Sox thought they could play more small ball with a more athletic lineup. An infield hit and a bunt against the shift extended the inning and turned the lineup over.

Boston hoped its youngsters could build off breakout seasons a year ago to mitigate Ortiz’s absence. Jackie Bradley, Jr.’s triple started the rally and Andrew Benintendi’s three-run homer capped it, both off Cole fastballs in the high 90s on the inner third.

“His swing is so effortless and smooth,” said manager John Farrell. “He creates easy power.”

“You’ve got to be able to hit a fastball,” Benintendi said. “I feel pretty confident.”

In between, Pablo Sandoval legged out a ball to deep short to drive in the season’s first run. Sandy Leon laid down a perfect bunt against the shift for a single. Dustin Pedroia went up the middle for a base hit, ensuring he’s reached base in all 11 of his Opening Day starts.

“That’s how big innings start,” Benintendi said. “It’s the little things.”

“We can score from any point in the lineup at any time,” said Mookie Betts. “That’s definitely a positive.”

“We have a lot of different guys who can beat you a lot of different ways,” Bradley said.

What this means for the next 161 is as predictable as Robby Scott and Heath Hembree locking down the eighth inning of an Opening Day win. Outside of the fifth, Boston’s bats were largely quiet against Cole and the Pittsburgh bullpen, getting just two other runners into scoring position — both times Xander Bogaerts, both times with the assistance of a .

And thus the Red Sox survived the first day of life without Ortiz. They have 161 more dates to confirm whether this was a first impression or a lasting one.

“Just the beginning,” said Sandoval. “We have to keep working.”

Benintendi hitting second on Opening Day for Red Sox

Brian MacPherson

As he had suggested he’d do back in January, John Farrell wrote the name of rookie Andrew Benintendi into the No. 2 spot in the Red Sox batting order for Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.

The first Red Sox batting order of the season, with first pitch at 2:05 p.m.:

2B Dustin Pedroia LF Andrew Benintendi RF Mookie Betts DH Hanley Ramirez 1B Mitch Moreland SS Xander Bogaerts CF Jackie Bradley Jr. 3B Pablo Sandoval C Sandy Leon

SP Rick Porcello

Of note, Farrell chose to go with Moreland to hit ahead of Bogaerts and break up the string of righties, rather than Bradley or Sandoval. That might change based on the way those three hitters perform in the early going. Moreland last season hit .233 with a .298 on-base percentage and a .422 for the , though he won the Gold Glove at first base.

“What he showed in spring training is a pretty clear understanding to how he is going to manage and handle his at-bats,” Farrell said. “He wasn’t overaggressive in certain situations.”

* The Hartford Courant

Porcello Starts, Kimbrel Closes, And Benintendi Homers As Sox Win Opener

Dom Amore

Even with an ace down, the Red Sox have two. And they feature with thunder in their bats, and the speed to blanket the arena.

These are the things that filled Fenway Park with optimism Monday as the sun came up, rather brilliantly, on a new baseball season. But the middle relief corps — a potential soft underbelly that can sink a team's high hopes — that is what manager John Farrell must figure out make the optimism last.

"The bullpen is the most unpredictable component of any team," Farrell said before the Red Sox took on the Pirates. "So the sooner we can settle on the roles, the better."

A few hours later, Farrell put his mix-and-match approach to the test, with five outs to bridge Rick Porcello's solid start and Craig Kimbrel's overpowering finish. UConn's Matt Barnes, followed by Robby Scott, followed by Heath Hembree, got those outs to put away a 5-3 victory before 36,594 at Fenway Park.

This was an opener with no flips to the Boston script. Andrew Benintendi unfurled the swing some have compared to his boyhood idol, Ken Griffey Jr., and drove Gerrit Cole's 2-2 pitch over the right field wall for a three-run homer in the fifth inning. That followed a triple by Jackie Bradley Jr., an RBI single by Pablo Sandoval, Sandy Leon's bunt single to beat the infield shift and Dustin Pedroia's RBI single.

"Same as every other plate appearance," said Benintendi, 22, who was playing as a sophomore for the University of Arkansas less than two years ago. "Feel out his pitches, hit the ball hard.

The lightning-strike rally broke up a pitchers' duel between Cole and Porcello, and gave Farrell a 5-0 lead to nurse to the end. Porcello, coming off a 22-4 season and the Cy Young Award for the AL East champs, got the Opening Day assignment and pitched shutout ball into the seventh.

"Rick was more than primed for today," Farrell said. "We talk about his preparedness, his competitiveness, all those things were here."

Porcello pitched 61/3 innings, allowing six hits, walking one and striking out five, getting some help from Bradley's range in center field. "It was a bit of a battle," Porcello said. "I established my fastball early, but I wasn't as sharp with my sinker, and on some pitches throughout the game I was fighting through it."

In the seventh, David Freese led off with an infield hit, then ex-Yankee Francisco Cervelli, after twice being brushed back, doubled off the Wall. After an out, Josh Bell singled in a run and Farrell called on Barnes, who allowed only 11 of 51 inherited runners to score last season.

"I've learned that one of the worst things is giving up somebody else's runs – it sucks," Barnes said. "I'd rather give up mine any day of the week than give up somebody else's."

Barnes gave up a hit to Jordy Mercer, threw a wild pitch and walked Adam Frazier. Barnes, after a visit from pitching coach Carl Willis, settled down. Benintendi made a fine running catch on Starling Marte's fly to left, a sacrifice fly, then Barnes struck out five-time All-Star Andrew McCutcheon on a 2-2 curveball in the dirt. Barnes allowed two of Porcello's runners to score, but stranded the tying runs on base.

"If you look over the course of [Barnes'] career, it has been two steps forward, one step back in his progression," Farrell said. "I think last year we saw more physical stuff on the mound. He was leaned on kind of heavily in certain spots. I think he's understood the importance of the one inning later in games and the result in quality location in the outings has been there, where in previous years it has not been as consistent."

The Red Sox revamped their bullpen, acquiring Tyler Thornburg to pitch the eighth inning in spots like this. But he is hurt, and Farrell instead went to lefty matchup man Scott to get Gregory Polanco, and Hembree to get the next two outs. Like Benintendi, Scott and Hembree were among seven Red Sox on an MLB Opening Day roster for the first time.

"It's a dream come true," Scott said, "whether it's the fourth inning, the seventh inning, the eighth inning, Opening Day. I'm just happy to be here. Whatever my role is, I'm happy with it."

The bridge was crossed. Kimbrel made things interesting in the ninth, when Bell led off with a double. But he struck out Josh Harrison and Mercer with high, 98 mph fastballs and, after hitting Adam Frazier with an 0-2 pitch, got Marte on a foul pop to first.

So for starters, the Red Sox formula worked. Now, for Chris Sale's much anticipated debut on Wednesday. With David Price working his way back from his elbow injury, Porcello and Sale, acquired from the White Sox in a blockbuster trade, anchor Boston's pitching.

"I've seen him pitch enough on the other side that I'm really excited to watch him pitch for the same team," Porcello said. "He's as good as it gets."

* The Springfield Republican

Joe Kelly should pitch 8th, but John Farrell didn't use him in opener

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- Red Sox manager John Farrell said March 18 that Joe Kelly would pitch the eighth inning if setup man Tyler Thornburg wasn't ready for the start of the 2017 regular season.

Thornburg (right shoulder impingement) is on the 10-day disabled list and Farrell did not use Kelly in the eighth inning in a two-run game on Opening Day.

"Without a lockdown eighth inning guy, we're going to have mix and match," Farrell said after Boston's 5-3 win over the Pirates at Fenway Park. "The guys that have been throwing the ball (well) of late coming out of spring training were the three that were on the mound before (Craig) Kimbrel today."

Farrell replaced starter Rick Porcello with Matt Barnes with one out in the seventh and two runners on base in a 5-1 game. Barnes allowed both inherited runners to score.

Lefty Robby Scott got left-handed hitting Gregory Polanco to ground out on the first pitch of the eighth inning. One pitch and one out capped a successful day for Scott.

Then entered Heath Hembree who retired David Freese on a fly out to center field and Francisco Cervelli on a ground out to shortstop to end the eighth inning.

There should be no second-guessing or complaining because the bullpen got the job done, right?

Well, here's something to consider: The reason the Red Sox traded for Thornburg is his effectiveness against left-handed and right-handed hitters. Last year, Farrell clearly trusted Brad Ziegler only vs. right- handed batters. And the Red Sox ended up with a matchup bullpen for most of the second half of 2016 (until Koji Uehara returned from the DL).

Farrell again went with matchups yesterday: Scott pitched against the left-handed hitting Polanco and Hembree faced the two right-handed batters.

Hembree dominated right-handed hitters during 2016. He held righties to a .201/.255/.336/.591 line but left-handed batters slashed .338/.397/.493/.890 against him.

Thornburg might only miss a few weeks. Or he could miss significant.

As written on MassLive.com after Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski traded for Thornburg on Dec. 6, the righty has dealt with elbow issues in the past. He avoided Tommy John surgery in 2014 by rest and rehab.

If Thornburg misses significant time, the Red Sox should want a reliever who has the ability to pitch vs. both lefties and righties -- someone who can handle the eighth inning no matter who steps to the plate.

We saw how chaotic that inning became last year when the Red Sox were without someone who fit that description.

Without Thornburg, Kelly is the Red Sox's second best reliever behind Kimbrel. He should pitch the eighth. But clearly he lost the job during the final two weeks of spring training.

He didn't allow a run in his first five spring training outings. But only two of his final five outings were scoreless.

Who cares though? It's spring training. And this was a longer spring training than normal because of the WBC. Players got tired of playing exhibition games. They wanted to begin actual, meaningful games.

The extra adrenaline that kicks in during the regular season certainly can help the stats of any reliever.

He allowed one run in 14 innings during the final month last year. He struck out 20, walked three and held opponents to a .180/.226/.240/.466 line during that stretch.

He's certainly better than Barnes and Hembree. Don't be afraid to use him in the eighth inning, John.

Andrew Benintendi punctuates first Opening Day with three-run homer to help Red Sox to victory

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - It's a little early in the season to start thinking about Rookie of the Year candidates, but Andrew Benintnedi started making his case on Monday.

The 22-year-old left fielder's three-runner homer in the bottom of the fifth inning propelled the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Pirates on Opening Day.

"There's such great timing and fluidity to the swing, he creates easy power," manager John Farrell said. "That was the case on that swing."

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole cruised through four innings before Jackie Bradley Jr.'s two-out triple in the fifth. Pablo Sandoval drove him in on an RBI single and Sandy Leon laid down a bunt single. Dustin Pedroia followed up with another RBI single and then Benintendi stepped to the plate.

Cole started Benintendi off with a changeup for a ball then the lefty hitter fouled off the next pitch, another changeup. The third pitch of the at-bat came in as a 96 mph fastball on the inside corner.

Cole tried to put Benintendi away with a curveball, but Benintendi laid off the pitch that dove into the dirt, bringing the count to 2-2.

So Cole went back to his fastball, this time at 97 mph, but Benintendi was sitting on it, and deposited it into the visitor's bullpen to give the Red Sox a 5-0 lead. As he rounded the first base bag, he pumped his fist in triumph.

"It's awesome," he said afterward. "Something you dream about as a kid. For it to be here, it's awesome."

Much like Mookie Betts before him, Benintendi, at least in the early going, has taken his success in stride.

The 2015 first-rounder has faced little adversity in his path to the majors and despite the enormous expectations placed upon him, pressure doesn't seem to be a word in his vocabulary.

"I guess you just have to let it go in one ear, out the other," he said. "People like to talk about it. I don't feel any pressure. Just go out there, play well and the main goal is to win. When you do that, people will be happy."

Benintendi is lucky that a few of his teammates have dealt with similar expectations, none more than Betts. And the Red Sox right fielder likes what he's seen so far.

"He's just real cool, real chill, he has a quiet confidence," Betts said. "You love it in players. Batting behind it and seeing it and knowing that he's got a chance to go deep or get on base and more times than not, it seems like he's going to get on base when we have somebody on, so he's definitely fun to hit behind."

If Benintendi keeps producing the way he did on Monday, he'll be a shoe-in for the league's top rookie.

Chris Sale's Red Sox ties run deep; he first pitched at Fenway in Cape Cod League All-Star Game

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - The first time Chris Sale took the mound at Fenway Park for the Red Sox, he faced three batters and retired them quickly, two groundouts and a strikeout.

That was eight years ago when the lanky left-hander was coming off his sophomore year at Florida Gulf Coast University. He was in the midst of a defining summer in the pitching for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, of all teams.

Sale tossed just six pitches in the bottom of the third inning at Fenway during the Cape League's All-Star Game. He was so dominant for the East squad, in what turned out to be a rain-shortened affair on a damp day in the city, that he won MVP honors for the losing side in the 3-0 defeat.

That day, Brandon Workman (Wareham) started for the West and Dan Butler (Y-D/Brewster) was a reserve catcher for the East. And that summer, Sale was teammates with Josh Rutledge and Steve Selsky and he faced Jackie Bradley Jr. (Hyannis). He pitched on the same mounds as Workman, Matt Barnes (Wareham) and Tyler Thornburg (Brewster).

A blockbuster trade this December shipped Sale from Chicago, his home for the first seven years of his major-league career, to Boston. The lefty arrived in the Red Sox clubhouse at JetBlue Park this spring and saw all of those familiar faces from that summer on the Cape, adding another layer of ease to his Red Sox transition.

Butler, for instance, was roommates with Sale for a few weeks when the catcher was a temporary player with the Yarmouth-Dennis club. The two hadn't seen each other since that summer.

"I was just sitting there when I first got here, because I came here a few weeks before camp started," Sale said. "I'm looking around the room and I saw Rutledge and then I was like 'Dan Butler? No way!'"

Sale had a car and would drive Butler to and from the field every day. The two were battery mates until Butler transferred to Brewster in early July.

"He was intense on the mound and you're like, 'Who is this guy?'" Butler recalled. "Just firing up zeroes like it's nobody's business. Dominant. And he didn't even have a breaking ball then, just fastball, changeup."

Butler followed Sale's success and progress over the years, but hadn't seen him until this spring. He didn't catch Sale in camp because the Red Sox catching tandem of Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez were getting acquainted with their new pitcher, but Butler did face Sale in live batting practice one day. He noted how much more electric Sale's stuff was compared to the last time he'd seen him live.

While Butler will be in Pawtucket this season (barring anything unforeseen) the connections this spring made the trade to Boston seem even more serendipitous.

"It was definitely a pleasant surprise and it's nice having people you knew from your past when you're embarking on a new journey," Sale said. "It makes it nicer for me to feel comfortable."

Sale takes the mound for his first Fenway start as a member of the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.

"From the first phone call with Chris when we acquired him, the way he spoke about the opportunity here, I know (Wednesday) is a day he's certainly looking forward to as well," manager John Farrell said.

So while Wednesday's start will be different in a lot of ways for Sale, familiarity breeds comfort and there's plenty of familiarity for Sale in Boston.

"Coming here everyone is like, "Oh you're changing teams, such a drastic change,'" Sale said. "This is seamless."

Rick Porcello 'very capable' of another strong season and showed it on Opening Day

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- Rick Porcello's first start of 2017 looked similar to many of his 2016 starts. And in the end, he accomplished something he did 22 times last year: He won.

How Porcello follows up his 2016 AL Cy Young season will be one of the most fascinating 2017 Red Sox stories.

Last year's dominance came out of nowhere -- and after the 28-year-old righty went 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA in 28 starts during 2015.

Porcello had pitched well at points during his career before 2016 but he had never pitched like an ace.

And so a legitimate question entering 2017: Is Porcello, who has a career 4.20 ERA, actually an ace now?

Porcello was sharp here on Opening Day vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. He went 6 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, all earned, on six hits and one walk while striking out five.

The Red Sox won 5-3 over the Pirates here at Fenway Park in front of 36,594.

All three runs came in the seventh when Porcello clearly began to tire.

Red Sox manager John Farrell gave the perfect answer when asked how encouraging it was for Porcello to follow-up his 2016 season with this type of performance.

"Very capable on his part," Farrell said. "We've talked about his preparedness, his competitiveness. All those things were here. He was ready for today. And was very strong through six. And to me, kept the game under control. Did a great job of controlling their potential running game with the varied looks and holds. (Catcher) Sandy (Leon) helps him out with a throw out of (Gregory) Polanco at second base. So Rick was more than primed for today."

Yes, Porcello is very capable of another strong year. Sure, he probably won't win 22 games again. His ERA probably will increase some. But Porcello clearly has learned to pitch and knows exactly what works best for him to be successful.

And his ability to locate makes him so tough. Porcello was so good last year because of his command. He led the majors with a 5.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and he ranked second in fewest walks per nine innings (1.29).

"I'm satisfied with the win we got," Porcello said. "At the end of the day that's all that matters.

"Establishing the fastball early in the game was a bit of a battle," he added. "I wasn't as sharp with my sinker and some pitches throughout the game kind of just fighting it all the way through. But we made some good plays defensively and I was able to keep them at bay for the most part."

Drew Pomeranz experiences 'uptick in overall stuff' while pitching in Fort Myers

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- While the Red Sox won their regular season opener here at Fenway Park today, Drew Pomeranz threw in a minor league game in Fort Myers.

Pomeranz pitched 6 innings and threw approximately 90 pitches.

The Red Sox placed Pomeranz on the 10-day disabled list with a left forearm flexor strain March 30.

He's eligible to return from the disabled list April 9, the first day the Red Sox need a fifth starter. But Red Sox manager John Farrell said a decision has not been made yet on whether Pomeranz will start that day vs. the Tigers in Detroit.

If Pomeranz is unable to make the start, the Red Sox could select Kyle Kendrick onto the 40-man roster.

"There was an uptick in overall stuff," Farrell said about Pomeranz's outing in Fort Myers on Monday. "So it was an encouraging day for him. We have yet to discuss what the next step is. But for what he set out to do work-wise, he was able to accomplish that."

Jackie Bradley Jr. comes up clutch for Red Sox on Opening Day with key triple and big catch

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Last year, Jackie Bradley Jr. began to prove he wasn't just a defensive star. He emerged as a respectable hitter and didn't back off this spring.

But his defense has always come first, as it did on Monday.

In the fourth inning, Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli clocked an outside fastball from Rick Porcello toward the triangle in center.

Bradley sped back, reached out his glove and made a terrific catch just before using his hands to soften the impact of the wall.

It would have been an eye-popping catch for any player, but for Bradley it was merely routine.

"I don't care about the wall, I'm going to catch the ball," he said on Monday after Boston's 5-3 Opening Day win.

Bradley makes the most athletic of catches seem ordinary, but it's become commonplace the last few seasons.

"The toughest part was I knew the sun was going to be in my eyes so it momentarily was in the sun for the last second," he said. "It came out but I kind of knew the spot where I needed to be so I kind of took off, took my first three or four steps, not looking and kind of picked up the spot."

Having roamed the outfield for parts of the last four seasons, the 26-year-old has gotten to know the intricacies of the field, with a quasi internal clock for how much time he has before hitting the wall.

"It's kind of innate a little bit," he explained. "Just go out there, I know how many, when I touch the track, I kind of have a feel of how close I am. I never really panic about hitting a wall."

It's that composure and confidence that's made him one of the best outfielders in the game.

When a seemingly tough ball comes streaming into the outfield, his teammates know to let him take care of it.

"I know when he goes up in the air you pretty much expect him to catch it, so you kind of watch him," Mookie Betts said. "I'm getting close to the fence and I didn't yell anything because I thought he could catch it and I didn't want to scare him from trying to catch it. I had a front-row ticket to a Top 10 play."

But Bradley came through with the bat on Monday, too.

The center fielder had a breakout year at the plate last season, hitting .267 with an .835 OPS and 26 homers after two seasons struggling for consistency at the plate.

Bradley hit .281 with an .886 OPS, two doubles and four homers in spring training.

So in the fifth inning, when he hit a two-out triple that sparked the Red Sox offense in a scoreless game, it was another promising sign that his offense will be as much a mainstay as his defense.

"When it left the bat I thought maybe it was going to hook for a homer but it stayed in," Bradley said.

Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole held the Red Sox bats silent for 4 2/3 innings before Bradley's clutch triple. It was the first of six straight hits that inning for the Red Sox, with Andrew Benintendi's three-run homer proving to be the game-winner.

Bradley is hoping for more days where his defensive prowess matches his offense, and it seems like there are plenty to come.

Pablo Sandoval, Boston Red Sox 3B: 'I was waiting for this moment since last year'

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- Pablo Sandoval's offseason workout routine even included boxing.

The reenergized third baseman trained hard throughout the winter. And he wasn't worried about how Red Sox fans would react when he was introduced Opening Day at Fenway Park after last year's disappointing season.

"Whatever the fans do, I'm going to happy, man," Sandoval said Feb. 22. "It's going to be another Opening Day wearing a uniform. That's the most important thing for me. Like I say, 'You have to earn that respect. You have to work hard for it.'"

The fans reacted positively. Sandoval received cheers during player introductions here at Fenway Park on Monday. He then received a much louder ovation when he legged out an infield single that scored the game's first run with two outs in the fifth inning.

Sandoval went 1-for-4 in the Red Sox's 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. A throwing error was the only real blemish on a solid return.

Sandoval worked on his agility during the offseason and he said felt he got a good first jump out of the box down to first base.

"Try to get my agility back, my first step," Sandoval said.

And about the fan reaction?

"Felt good, felt good, especially when you got the support from the fans and your teammates," Sandoval said. "You have to keep working hard, pull everything together and forget about the past and keep playing hard and do everything you can do be better this year."

Sandoval -- who is in the third year of a five-year, $95-million contract -- had been looking forward to today for a while now.

"I was waiting for this moment (since) last year, after the season ended, so it's exciting," Sandoval said.

He said his arm strength feels fine. As for the throwing error, he said, "It happens. It's part of the game."

He made only one error in 42 total chances at third base during spring training.

He's now looking forward to watching Chris Sale's start Wednesday from third base.

"I'm going to be there in the first row watching the big man throwing," he said.

* The Lowell Sun

Picture-perfect beginning thanks to one swing of bat

Matt Langone

BOSTON -- As the annual Opening Day festivities unfolded at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon, there was a touch of nervousness sunken deep in an otherwise sea of optimism.

Mother Nature did her part by delivering a gem -- bright sun, comfortable temps. It was picture-perfect for baseball's return to Boston, making the weekend's nasty snow storm almost seem as if it never happened.

But this was Game No. 1 of the post-David Ortiz era. The lovable, generational superstar slugger who helped the Boston Red Sox win three World Series titles has moved on to retirement, leaving a gaping hole in the Sox lineup and an open casting call for someone -- anyone -- to fill those vast production needs.

Well, it seems as though 22-year-old Andrew Benintendi would like to take a stab at it.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound phenom blasted a three-run home run, on a 2-2 pitch, over the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth to propel the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in front of a sellout crowd of 36,594.

The Red Sox scored all five runs in the fifth inning to take a 5-0 lead and help reigning American League Cy Young winner Rick Porcello (6.1ip, 6h, 3er, 1bb, 5k) start his 2017 campaign at 1-0.

"His swing is so effortless and smooth, you can't tell if he ever over-swings the bat or not," said Red Sox manager John Farrell of Benintendi. "For a guy of his stature, there's such great timing and fluidity to the swing. He creates easy power, and that was the case on that swing."

It's hard not to be hyperbolic about Benintendi, a guy who whizzed through the minor leagues like baseball's answer to Doogie Howser -- check the tape, kids, still Neil Patrick Harris' greatest role.

The Red Sox increased their win total from 71 to 78 to 93 over the past three seasons. They won the AL East in 2016 but were swept out of the Divisional round of the playoffs by the . Continued progression in 2017 will hinge significantly on Benintendi's performance.

Sox fans should breathe easy at that notion.

If there was a sixth tool in baseball, Benintendi would have it. The seventh overall pick of the 2015 draft made his Red Sox debut last August and proceeded to bat .295 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 34 games. He homered in his first postseason plate appearance in Game 1 of the ALDS at Cleveland, becoming the youngest Red Sox player ever with a playoff home run. He entered this season ranked by as baseball's No. 1 prospect, and he's arguably the clear-cut favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year.

"We've talked about (Benintendi's approach) pretty much from the time he came to the Big Leagues. He's got a short track record, we know, but there's never been evidence of panic, even in a two-strike situation," said Farrell. "He sees the ball extremely well, he has a true understanding of the strike zone -- a pretty special young player."

Right fielder Mookie Betts (1-for-3, walk) is only 24, center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (1-for-3, triple, run) is only 26, and shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2-for-4) is only 24. The cupboard is full of young talent for the Sox. All of them will be counted on to chip in for what was lost when Ortiz decided to call it a career.

But Benintendi, assuming he stays healthy, will play his first full Major League season in 2017, and the possibilities are endless. The hope in Boston is that he's barely scratching the surface of his magnificent potential. He just may be the most fascinating subplot within this new Red Sox season.

Benintendi's youthful spirit was evident when he was asked after the game to reflect on his first Opening Day with the Red Sox, and a pregame ceremony that included Robert Kraft, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, James White and Dion Lewis of the New England Patriots. That quintet entered the field to a roaring applause with the Patriots' five Super Bowl trophies before Brady lobbed the ceremonial first pitch.

"It was awesome. The atmosphere was really good. We were all really excited," said Benintendi.

With Benintendi here for the long haul this season, the excitement should only continue.

* The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Jackie Bradley Jr. sparks win with glove and bat

Bill Ballou

BOSTON — Baseball was a numbers game even before Bill James went to work as a security guard at the pork n’ beans factory, except the numbers that really mattered were on the back of uniforms.

Ted Williams was No. 9, Carl Yastrzemski 8, 6, Jim Rice 14, 21.

There has been some number changing with this year’s Red Sox, and one of the switches is Jackie Bradley Jr., who has gone from No. 25 to 19. It was an event that announcer Joe Castiglione mentioned in Monday’s pregame introductions, saying that it was an appropriate numeral for the Sox center fielder and that could have had only one meaning.

Fred Lynn wore No. 19.

In fact, Lynn is the only full-time Sox center fielder to wear No. 19. It hasn’t decorated a center fielder’s attire since then and Lynn’s final year here was 1980. Koji Uehara wore it well and so did Josh Beckett.

No. 19 was first found on the back of pitcher Milt Gaston in 1933 and he lived to be 100. Lefty pitcher Mickey McDermott wore it around 1950 and years later won $7 million in the Arizona lottery. Maybe Bradley can do both some day.

One Red Sox player or another has had No. 19 on his back since 1943, and that’s the longest continuous streak in franchise history.

Lynn’s legacy is one reason Bradley switched from No. 25 — also a great ’s number, as in Tony Conigliaro, who was Boston’s temporary center fielder in 1964 — but not the only one. In any case the early returns are good because Bradley had a splendid game Monday in helping the Sox beat the Pirates, 5- 3.

His contributions were somewhat overshadowed by Rick Porcello’s and Andrew Benintendi’s, but they were important and seemed to have a direct impact on the direction of the game.

It was 0-0 in the top of the fourth when Francisco Cervelli, one of those Geno Petralli-type players who always, always, always seems to annihilate Boston pitching, drilled a bomb toward the triangle with two outs. Cervelli is not that fast — it looked like a triple, maybe, not an inside-the-park homer — but turned out to be neither. Bradley grabbed it on the run, bounced softly off the bullpen fence and the inning was over.

An inning later, it was Bradley’s turn to come up with two outs. At that point in the game, the bottom of the fifth, Pirates starter Gerrit Cole had befuddled Sox batters, holding them to Hanley Ramirez’s bloop single in the second.

Bradley tripled off the low fence in right. It was the first of six straight hits for the Sox and by the time the inning ended, Boston had the five runs it would need to win.

There is something about triples. They are the game’s rarest, most mysterious and most unpredictable hits. Maybe that’s why they tend to lead to good things. The Red Sox hit triples in 22 games last year and won 20 of them. Bradley has tripled in 13 games during his career and Boston is 12-1 in those games.

“I think any time you see a triple,” John Farrell said, “it’s probably the most exciting play in the game, and it energized us.”

Ever since Bradley emerged as an effective player at the end of August 2015, he has been a catalytic player, one of those unique souls whose best hits, throws and catches seem to come at a game’s fulcrum point. David Ortiz did that with the bat, and Boston is looking for a player with that kind of impact.

There will probably only be one Ortiz, but a couple of Bradleys can fill some of that void.

It was an easy triple, as it turned out, but it did not necessarily look that way as it headed off the bat. Bradley wasn’t sure of the outcome, either.

“When it left the bat,” he said, “I thought maybe it was going to hook for a homer. But it stayed in, and maybe two or three steps past first base, I kind of saw where he was playing. Then, like the first or second step before you hit the base, that’s when you know you have a chance.”

Bradley scored on Pablo Sandoval’s infield single to shortstop and Boston had the lead. That was better than having to play catch-up, which might have happened if Bradley had not snared Cervelli’s blast.

“That was one heck of a play,” Farrell said, “and I think it gave us some momentum, was a bit of a spark.”

“The toughest part was,” Bradley said, “I knew he sun was going to be in my eyes for a second. When the ball came out, I knew where I needed to be. I wasn’t worried about the wall. I knew that ball was not going to fall, so I would have run through the wall if I had to.”

He didn’t have to, which left him in good enough shape to leg out the key triple. If he can avoid a few more walls, Bradley might live to be 100, and that would give him decades more time to win the lottery.

* The Portland Press Herald

On Baseball: Benintendi is mature beyond his years

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — Andrew Benintendi added muscle in the offseason. But what still amazes are his nerves of steel.

Benintendi is a 22-year-old rookie. Really, he is.

Pittsburgh’s Gerrit Cole should have had the Red Sox left fielder chasing a curveball for strike three to end the fifth inning.

Benintendi had just fallen behind in the count, 1-2, on a 97-mph fastball. Boston had two runners on base. Benintendi had to be looking to swing, and swing quickly at Cole’s heat.

Cole came with a curveball and Benintendi stayed away for a 2-2 count.

“He has a short track record, we know, but there has never been evidence of panic, even in a two-strike situation,” said Red Sox Manager John Farrell.

Cole stood on the mound and looked in. Catcher Francisco Cervelli put down one finger and Cole gripped the ball for another four-seam fastball. This one came in at 98 mph.

It went out faster. Benintendi applied his Michelangelo swing – a thing of baseball beauty – and swatted it. The exit velocity was 103 mph as Benintendi’s bash sailed into the Pirates’ bullpen.

“His swing is so effortless and smooth, you can’t tell if he ever overswings the bat,” Farrell said.

“For a guy of his stature (5-foot-9), there is such great timing and fluidity to the swing, he creates easy power. And that was the case with that swing.”

That swing produced a three-run homer for a 5-0 lead and the eventual winning runs in Boston’s 5-3 victory Monday on Opening Day at Fenway Park.

And if we can offer this reminder: Benintendi was first promoted last year on May 16 – from to the Portland Sea Dogs. He eventually reached Boston last season.

Now he is batting second in the Red Sox lineup – and producing.

Dustin Pedroia, who knows a little about high rookie expectations, sees a lot in Benintendi.

“The sky’s the limit on his potential,” Pedroia said. “His at-bats are very professional. He always controls the at-bat.

“He’s great in the outfield. He’s instinctive. Everything … it’s right in front of him. It’s a matter of going out and doing it.”

In the outfield, Benintendi may have saved the game in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, and the Red Sox leading 5-2, Pittsburgh’s Starling Marte smoked a line drive to left-center off Matt Barnes.

Benintendi got a good jump, ran it down and made a leaping catch, changing a multirun, extra-base hit into a sacrifice fly.

“I thought I had a good first step,” Benintendi said. “After that I was trying to time my jump. I was lucky enough to catch it.”

Benintendi sounded almost as nonchalant about his home run.

“Fastball in,” Benintendi remembered. “I thought the wind was going to hold it up a little bit, but I was fortunate enough that it went over.”

And how about the curveball before the home run? Benintendi shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

Red Sox fans will remember Benintendi.

There are so many expectations placed on him. He deflects them as well as other players before him.

Mookie Betts homered in the past two season openers. In 2015, all Betts talked about was the improvements he needed to make.

Ask Benintendi about his success and he smiles.

“You let it go in one ear and out the other,” he said. “It all comes down to playing well and winning.”

If Benintendi stays off the bad pitches and squares up fastballs like he did Monday, the Red Sox have a chance to win.

“He sees the ball extremely well. He’s got a true understanding of the strike zone,” Farrell said.

“Pretty special young player.”

Benintendi is the youngest Red Sox left fielder to start on Opening Day in 55 years. Carl Yastrzemski was 40 days younger than Benintendi was when he started in left in 1962.

Too early to make those kind of comparisons.

But, geez, the kid can swing the bat.

Boston bullpen a work in progress

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — For all the good feelings that a five-run fifth inning produced for the Boston Red Sox in their season opener, things look hairy in the seventh. Matt Barnes allowed two inherited runners to score, making the score 5-3 with two runners on base.

With Robby Scott warming up, Barnes got out of the inning, striking out Andrew McCutchen.

Scott began the eighth with a one-pitch effort – getting lefty Gregory Polanco to ground out. Heath Hembree retired the next two batters. Closer Craig Kimbrel made things interesting, but got his first save.

But where was Joe Kelly or Robbie Ross in that seventh or eighth inning?

“The guys who have been throwing the ball well coming out of spring training were the ones on the mound before Kimbrel today,” Boston Manager John Farrell said.

Farrell said the bullpen is in flux with newly-acquired setup man Tyler Thornburg out with a sore shoulder (and still five days away from even throwing). Farrell had to go with the hot hand.

Craig Kimbrel’s first season as Boston’s closer was the worst of his career. He struggled again Monday in the 2017 season-opener. Associated Press/Elise Amendola

“Without a lock-down eighth-inning guy, we’re going to have to mix and match,” Farrell said. “We have to settle into roles as quick as possible …

“You’d like to be able to assign an inning and let them run with it. But if need be, we have others guys to bail somebody out.”

So before relievers settle into roles, the pen looks like it could be in for a wild ride. Of course, Kimbrel adds to the excitement, like Monday when he allowed two base runners (double, hit-by-pitch) before closing it out.

Eventually, Farrell will have to call on Kelly, Ross and Fernando Abad.

“We’ll see how things unfold,” Farrell said.

WHEN BEN TAYLOR was called into Farrell’s office near the end of spring training, he figured he was headed to the minors.

“They told us they were going to give us an update on where we were going,” said Taylor, a reliever who finished last season with the Sea Dogs. “I was expecting Portland, maybe Pawtucket.

“To get the call to come here … can’t even describe it. This is going to be a special day.”

Taylor did not get into Monday’s game. He may only be up until the end of the week when Drew Pomeranz is expected to come off the disabled list.

THERE ARE QUESTIONS about Boston’s bullpen depth after the promotion of Taylor. Two relievers with major league experience were sent to Triple-A Pawtucket. Brandon Workman is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery in 2015, and Noe Ramirez was not consistent enough this spring. That Chandler Shepherd, Austin Maddox and Jamie Callaghan stayed in major league camp longer than Ramirez and Workman speaks volumes about who Farrell and company have confidence in.

BRIAN BUTTERFIELD WAS as excited as anyone about opening day. Butterfield, 59, of Standish, was able to coach third base for the Red Sox for the first time this year.

“I’ve been working all spring toward this game,” said Butterfield, who underwent knee replacement surgery in the offseason. He was not able to coach third base during spring training.

“I didn’t take bus trips. I didn’t hit fungoes. I worked toward this day.”

Butterfield was out hitting ground balls during batting practice. He had some experienced help, with Jason Varitek catching the infielders’ throws.

THE OTHER THIRD BASE coach Monday was Joey Cora, whom the Pirates promoted in the offseason. Cora, 51, a native of Puerto Rico, managed the last year. When the Curve were in Portland last August, Cora spoke about the lack of Latin American managers in Major League Baseball. Cora had interviewed for major league managing job six times but, he believes, only because of MLB rules.

This is Cora’s first major league coaching job since he was Ozzie Guillen’s bench coach in Miami in 2012.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and players Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, James White and Dion Lewis display the team’s five Super Bowl trophies before the Red Sox opening day game. Associated Press/Steven Senne

THE OPENING CEREMONIES featured the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. After a series of highlights shown on the video board, owner Robert Kraft and players Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Dion Lewis and James White entered the field, each carrying one of New England’s five Super Bowl trophies.

Brady, who had his jersey stolen after the Super Bowl (and later recovered), held up that jersey to the crowd. Gronkowski took it out of Brady’s hands and ran around, with Brady giving chase. Brady tackled him in right field. Brady threw the ceremonial first pitch to Dustin Pedroia.

LEFT FIELD had a new occupant for the 10th straight opening day, although it appears Andrew Benintendi may have the job for a few years. Can you name the nine previous starting left fielders on opening day?

The nine are Brock Holt, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Carp, Jackie Bradley Jr., Cody Ross, , Jacoby Ellsbury, Jason Bay and Manny Ramirez.

POMERANZ THREW six innings in an extended spring training game in Fort Myers, Florida. “Uptick in overall stuff. Encouraging day for him,” Farrell said.

Benintendi homer sparks Red Sox in season opener

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — With one out remaining in the bottom of the fifth inning, Boston’s Rick Porcello had allowed three hits, the Pirates’ Gerrit Cole one.

“Both guys were throwing a heck of a game,” Boston Manager John Farrell said.

It only took five batters to change that, as the Red Sox got to Cole and ended up with a 5-3 win on Opening Day Monday afternoon before a capacity crowd of 36,594 at Fenway Park in their first game since David Ortiz’s retirement.

Now, back to that fifth inning, with two outs:

• Jackie Bradley tripled.

• Pablo Sandoval beat out an infield single to score Bradley. (Yes, you read that right; the slimmed-down Panda got it in gear).

• Catcher Sandy Leon singled – on a bunt.

• Dustin Pedroia singled in Sandoval from second … yes, from second base.

• Andrew Benintendi capped the rally with a three-run homer and a 5-0 lead.

Porcello, who won his first Opening Day start, allowed three runs on six hits over 61/3 innings.

Cole was working on a one-hitter after he retired the first two batters in the fifth.

“They were matching pitch for pitch,” Farrell said.

Well, not exactly. Cole was cranking up his fastball to 97, 98 and 99 mph. Porcello’s fastball dipped below 90 mph in the later innings, but he mixed in his slider and curve. He walked one and struck out five.

“He stayed ahead in the count with everything,” Leon said.

Porcello was backed with some good defense, including Bradley’s hustle into the triangle to catch a fly ball just before he pushed off the wall.

“I’ve seen so much from him I feel like it’s routine,” said Benintendi, who made his own stellar catch in left field in the seventh.

But could Boston’s bats back up Porcello?

Bradley woke up Fenway with his triple off the right-field wall. Sandoval’s grounder was to the shortstop- third base hole. The throw to first was high, but Sandoval had it beat anyway.

Leon came up and the Pirates went into a shift toward the right side. Leon, the No. 9 batter, had one thought.

“We got Petey and Benintendi coming up. Just get on base for those guys,” said Leon, who pushed a bunt down the third-base line for an easy single.

Pedroia’s single scored Sandoval for a 2-0 lead. Then Benintendi, the player who rose from Class A ball, through Double-A Portland to Boston last year, faced a 2-2 count. He crushed a 98 mph fastball into the Pirates’ bullpen in right field.

“We’re able to bunch a number of two-out base hits together – with Benny getting the big blow,” Farrell said.

Cole, who needed only 50 pitches for the first four innings, threw 26 in the fifth and was done for the day.

Porcello lost his shutout in the seventh. He gave up three hits, including Josh Harrison’s RBI single, and left the game with one out and a 5-1 lead.

“I’m satisfied with the win,” said Porcello.

Matt Barnes relieved and allowed both inherited runners to score on an RBI single (Jordy Mercer), walk and sacrifice fly (Starling Marte).

The sacrifice fly was actually a line drive toward left-center that Benintendi made a leaping catch on.

Relievers Robby Scott and Heath Hembree took care of a 1-2-3 eighth.

Closer Craig Kimbrel allowed a leadoff double in the ninth. After two strikeouts, he hit a batter, before getting Marte to pop out for his first save.

The Red Sox and Pirates are off Tuesday and resume the series at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday in Chris Sale’s Boston debut.

High expectations for Red Sox in opener today at Fenway

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — The field is amazingly green. Baseball is coming.

Forget that Saturday snowstorm. It dropped only two inches on Boston, and snow was nowhere to be found Sunday at Fenway Park. The only noticeable white came from the bases and baselines.

The Red Sox worked out Sunday, preparing for Monday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Game time is 2 p.m., when it is expected to be a brisk, but playable 49 degrees.

That’s quite a contrast from those Florida spring training games in 80-degree weather.

“You know what you’re getting into, coming up here,” said Rick Porcello, the 2016 Cy Young winner who gets the start Monday. “I’m pretty familiar with (the weather), kind of grew up pitching in it my entire life.”

Porcello grew up in New Jersey and then pitched for the . What he’s not used to is getting the ball on opening day. His last opening-day start was at Seton Hall Prep High School. But Porcello, who was 22-4 last year, said there is no extra pressure.

“Where our pressure lies is our expectations for ourselves as a team,” he said. “We know (we’ve) got a good ball club and we have to get it done on the field. Those are exciting expectations.”

Manager John Farrell shares the excitement.

“We have high expectation,” Farrell said. “We love the group that’s here. “It’s a very diverse lineup. It’s balanced. There are guys in the rotation that are going to establish what we need on a nightly basis.

“While there are still some moving parts to our roster, this is a team that is certainly built to win.”

The moving parts include a pitching staff that’s missing starter David Price (left elbow strain) and two relievers to begin the season.

But the core of the team will be in uniform Monday, looking to improve on last year when the Red Sox won 93 games but were swept by the Indians in the division series.

“We didn’t play as well as we could have played. We also tip our hats to Cleveland, and how well they played,” Porcello said. “You never want to come up short on your goals, and that’s what hurts about last season.

“But that’s over with. This is a completely different year. We can’t have our minds preset on what we’re going to do in the postseason. We have to go through the entire process, the entire grind of the regular season … nothing is set in stone that we’re going to get back there.

“We have to do the same thing all over again this year. It’s a completely new journey.”

That journey begins at 2 p.m. Monday.

MITCH MORELAND will likely play first base after being quarantined for two days because of the flu. He worked out Sunday. No other players currently have the flu, but assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and bullpen catcher Mike Brenly were under quarantine.

Moreland’s availability is important, because Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) is limited to the DH role until his ailing shoulder improves.

IN PITCHING NEWS, Stephen Wright threw six innings in an extended spring training game Sunday and is scheduled for Friday’s game in Detroit.

Drew Pomeranz, who is on the disabled list because of a forearm strain, is scheduled to pitch Monday in Fort Myers, Florida and is expected to come off the disabled list for the April 9 game in Detroit.

Price has extended his long-toss program to 110 feet, according to Farrell, who said he would like Price to get to 150 feet before returning to the mound.

BRIAN BUTTERFIELD, who underwent knee replacement surgery in the off-season and spent the winter recuperating at his home in Standish, will be back in the third-base coach’s box Monday. Butterfield spent spring training as the bench coach while still on the mend.

ANEURY TAVAREZ is back with the Red Sox and has been assigned to the Portland Sea Dogs. Tavarez, 24, an outfielder, batted .335 for Portland last season. In the off-season, the Orioles selected Tavarez in the Rule 5 draft, but he didn’t make Baltimore’s 25-man roster, so the Orioles had to send Tavarez back to the Red Sox. He will join the Sea Dogs on Tuesday when they report to Portland, in time for their season opener Thursday at Hadlock Field against the Reading Fightin Phils.

OPENING DAY is traditionally a day when some enterprising fans miss work or school to watch the game. Porcello never played hooky, however. “My mother was an English teacher, so that wasn’t part of the program.”

With you-know-who gone, Pedroia is Boston’s leader

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — It was 12 years ago when Dustin Pedroia strutted into the old Portland Sea Dogs clubhouse in the Expo, 21 years old and confident – brash at times – ready to prove himself and win baseball games.

Pedroia is still confident, although his words come out in even tones. He’s proven himself, but there are still ballgames to win.

“The expectations are always high,” Pedroia said Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, 24 hours before the Red Sox would open their 2017 season.

It will be Pedroia’s 11th straight season opener as the starting second baseman. The only Red Sox player with a longer streak at one position is Carl Yastrzemski, who played 12 straight openers in left field. (Bobby Doerr played 13 openers at second base, but not continuously because of his military service in 1945).

“For the last decade, he’s been a bedrock here,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said of Pedroia.

Pedroia seemed dumbfounded that such statistics are kept.

“I guess I’m kind of like a housefly. You can’t get rid of me,” he said. “I don’t know, man. I’m just trying to show up every year and play. I enjoy playing. I enjoy playing here. It’s a great place when you win, and we plan on doing that.”

Pedroia is coming off his best season since 2011; he hit .318 with an .825 OPS in 2016. In the off-season, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He needed little time to get ready in spring training, batting .463 with a 1.037 OPS in 17 games.

Pedroia, who has four Gold Gloves, is still producing. He’s no longer the talented kid who was trying to prove himself when he tore it up in Portland (.324/.917) – now he’s a veteran. He has been one of the team’s leaders for several years, but now he’s the top dog, so to speak.

“He’s been a cornerstone player and his importance to the club continues to grow,” Farrell said. “With … (pause) … as players have moved on …”

Allow me to interpret Farrell’s pause: With David Ortiz gone, all eyes are on Pedroia.

Farrell continued: “Even a guy of his stature in Boston, he’s still growing daily as the leader of our team, and is more and more comfortable in that role.”

Ortiz, of course, is now retired. All young Red Sox players talked about Big Papi taking them under his care. He instructed and he motivated while also slugging the Red Sox to victory.

“You can’t replace David. That’s obvious,” Pedroia said. “You saw what he did his entire career here. It’s going to take everybody to kind of step up in different roles and overcome his absence – and play together. We plan on doing that.”

Pedroia will be one to remind teammates of that plan.

“Our goal is to win the World Series,” he said. “It’s going to be the goal of the Boston Red Sox when I’m gone. That’s something the guys before me started and you keep passing it along.

“You try to win every single game in this environment.”

With Ortiz gone, Pedroia is the elder statesman – the last remaining player from the 2007 World Series team.

“Everything changes,” Pedroia said. “It doesn’t matter who is here or for what period of time. You have to go play together and execute.

“We’re all going to miss (Ortiz). But he’s not here anymore. We have to kind of turn the page and go on.”

* RedSox.com

Porcello leads way as Sox upend Pirates

Ian Browne and Adam Berry

BOSTON -- Pitching on Opening Day for the first time in his career -- and the first time since high school - - Rick Porcello helped lead the Red Sox to a well-rounded 5-3 victory on Monday afternoon against the Pirates.

The American League's Cy Young Award winner from last season, Porcello was vintage over his first six innings, holding the Pirates scoreless. The sinkerballer's overall line (6 1/3 innings, six hits, three earned runs, one walk, five strikeouts) was skewed by two inherited runners scoring after his exit.

"Everything leading up to it, the first time back out there, it's exciting," said Porcello. "Opening Day is a holiday for us in baseball. There's definitely those nerves you battle a little bit. When you get between the lines, it gets back to business."

Rookie Andrew Benintendi, who is ranked baseball's No. 1 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, capped a five- run rally for the Red Sox in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run homer into the Bucs' bullpen in right field.

"It's awesome," said Benintendi. "Something you dream about as a kid. For it to be here, it's awesome." The drive came off of a 97.8-mph fastball on a 2-2 pitch by Pirates ace Gerrit Cole, who allowed seven hits and five runs over five innings.

"[The intent] was to throw the same one we threw 1-1, [which] kind of froze him," said Cole. "Obviously he was not going to let that one get by him again. Just kind of re-evaluate the sequence and see if we can be one step ahead next time. After we froze him on the one in, he was not going to get frozen again on it. He got the head out."

Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes worked out of traffic in the three-run seventh by the Pirates, striking out Andrew McCutchen on a curveball in the dirt to end the inning. Robby Scott and Heath Hembree got the Red Sox through the eighth. Closer Craig Kimbrel worked around a leadoff double by Josh Bell to earn the save.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Bradley flashes glove, bat: Jackie Bradley Jr. got Porcello out of the fourth with a fine running catch into the railing to the side of the bullpen in right-center to rob Francisco Cervelli of extra bases. The catch probability, according to Statcast™, was 55 percent, making it a three-star grab. But Bradley wasn't done there. With the bases empty and two outs in the fifth, Bradley ignited the game-turning rally with a triple off the short wall in right. The drive had an exit velocity of 110.6 mph, rating as Bradley's hardest hit during the Statcast™ era. Things went south for the Bucs from there.

"I think it gave us a little momentum," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "It was a little bit of a spark. Cole had thrown the ball outstanding and then he gets a fastball in the middle of the plate on a day he was dominant through the first four-plus innings. I think any time you see a triple, it's probably the most exciting play in the game and it further energized us."

Beating the shift: Cole had a chance to stop the Red Sox rally after one run, facing catcher Sandy Leon with two outs and Pablo Sandoval on first base. But with the Pirates' infield shifted against the switch-hitter, Leon dropped a bunt down the third-base line. With David Freese out in right field, Pittsburgh had no one there to field it. Cole stared into the dugout after Leon reached safely, and the inning fell apart. Dustin Pedroia singled home one run, then Benintendi's blast gave the Sox a five-run lead. Just like that, on a bunt that came off Leon's bat at 39.8 mph, according to Statcast™, Cole's brilliant first four innings went to waste.

"That's a well-placed bunt on his end," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We're well-aware of the guys that bunt and when they bunt. It was a situation that he hadn't showed or he hadn't showed with two outs and a runner on first. They are an opportunistic team. They got the bunt down, which extended the inning."

QUOTABLE "I'm expecting to do well. I'm expecting to compete. I'm expecting them to compete against me. That's it. It's game No. 1." -- McCutchen, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Cervelli, who doubled and walked and crushed an out to center, holds the highest average (.422) among active players at Fenway Park. He also leads the Majors with a .457 on-base percentage against the Red Sox since 2008.

It turns out that Bradley's triples are a good-luck charm for the Red Sox. Boston is 12-1 when Bradley gets a three-bagger.

A TROPHY PARTY There was great excitement from the Fenway faithful when the Super Bowl champion Patriots came out of the Green Monster with all five of their trophies. Quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski led an impressive contingent that also included Pats owner Robert Kraft. Brady threw the ceremonial first pitch to Pedroia.

WHAT'S NEXT Pirates: Right-hander Jameson Taillon will begin his sophomore season against the Red Sox at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Fenway Park. Taillon posted a 3.38 ERA as a rookie, and the Bucs are counting on him to take another step forward this season.

Red Sox: Left-hander Chris Sale makes his much-anticipated first start in a Red Sox uniform for Wednesday night's contest against the Pirates. Sale's performance in the early weeks of the season will be crucial for Boston with lefty David Price out indefinitely with a left elbow strain. Sale has made three career starts at Fenway, going 1-1 with a 4.12 ERA.

JBJ makes yet another highlight-reel grab

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. knows a laser when it leaves his bat, and he also might have a hidden talent for guessing his own exit velocity.

After squaring up a key triple to help lead the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Pirates in Monday's Opening Day at Fenway, Bradley was asked how hard he hit that ball.

"I'm going to say 111 [mph]," said Bradley, emphasizing that it was purely a guess. Statcast™ registered the triple at 110.6 mph leaving Bradley's bat, coming off of a 96.9-mph heater by Bucs ace Gerrit Cole.

It was the hardest ball Bradley has hit in the Statcast™ era, which started in 2015.

Monday marked the latest demonstration of how much Bradley helps the Red Sox as a two-way player. In the top of the fourth, with the game scoreless, Bradley made an impressive catch against the railing of Boston's bullpen to rob Francisco Cervelli of extra bases. The catch probability, according to Statcast™, was 55 percent, making it a three-star grab.

But what Statcast™ couldn't account for was the fact Bradley had the wall railing to contend with and some sunlight. He actually did a little route adjustment while in pursuit.

"I knew what vicinity it was going to be in, and then heading towards the wall, it was adjusting to the sun, actually," said Bradley. "I had to get around it, because the ball was in the sun momentarily. I had to wait for it to come out. That was right around the time when I was going to hit the wall. I just tried to keep my focus, stick with it."

Wearing No. 19 this season -- which was donned decades ago by another standout Red Sox center fielder named -- Bradley has a similar view of walls as the 1975 World Series hero.

"I don't care about the wall, I'm going to catch the ball," said Bradley.

And that he did, bringing the Fenway faithful of 36,594 to its collective feet.

Off the bat, Cervelli hoped he had a hit.

"Oh yeah, but it's Bradley," said Cervelli. "He's been doing those kind of plays for years now. It doesn't surprise me. He's a pro, one of the best over there."

Bradley's snag kept the game at a scoreless stalemate while his triple with the bases empty and two outs in the fifth marked the first significant hit of the day for the Boston bats. The Red Sox went on to score five runs in the inning.

"I think it gave us a little momentum," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "It was a little bit of a spark. Cole had thrown the ball outstanding and then he gets a fastball in the middle of the plate on a day he was dominant through the first four-plus innings. I think any time you see a triple, it's probably the most exciting play in the game and it further energized us."

As Bradley roared around the bases, Andrew McCutchen had a lonely feeling on the first official day of his position switch to right field.

"It's a pinball machine," McCutchen said. "I knew that was going to happen -- that's what it's going to do. Balls are going to hit one way then hit another way, hit another wall. You've got to try to do your best to catch the ball cleanly and get it in. That's just one of those things that's going to happen."

After a solid season last year, Bradley looks forward to again making things happen for the Red Sox in 2017.

Top billing: Benintendi shows off power

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Andrew Benintendi's power figures to be the weapon that sneaks up on people during a season that could end with the diminutive left fielder winning the American League's Rookie of the Year Award.

The Pirates certainly took notice of it during the Red Sox's 5-3 victory on Opening Day at Fenway Park on Monday when the left fielder unloaded on a 97.8-mph fastball by ace Gerrit Cole with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and deposited it into the Bucs' bullpen in right field for a three-run homer.

"It's awesome," said Benintendi. "Something you dream about as a kid. For it to be here, it's awesome."

And it was the latest example of the 22-year-old Benintendi not being fazed by all that surrounds him.

"We talked about it pretty much since the time he's come to the big leagues," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He's got a short track record we know, but there's never been evidence of panic even in a two- strike situation. He sees the ball extremely well. He's got a true understanding of the strike zone. Pretty special young player."

Last year, Benintendi hit the ground running -- and hitting -- as soon as he was promoted from Double-A Portland for the final two months of a pennant race. When it came time for the postseason, Benintendi bashed a home run in Game 1 of the AL Division Series at Cleveland.

The latest "first" was playing Opening Day at Fenway Park.

Cole thought he had a game-plan to best Benintendi in that crucial at-bat that punctuated Boston's five-run fifth inning. The home run was on a 2-2 pitch, and increased Boston's lead to 5-0.

"[The intent] was to throw the same one we threw 1-1, [which] kind of froze him," said Cole. "Obviously he was not going to let that one get by him again. After we froze him on the one in, he was not going to get frozen again on it. He got the head out."

According to Statcast™, the Red Sox hit only two homers last season on pitches harder than the one Benintendi scorched on Monday. David Ortiz and Hanley Ramirez, two noted sluggers, authored those shots in 2016.

Benintendi stands at 5-foot-10, so he'll probably never be a pure home-run hitter. But the power is in there. "You know, his swing is so effortless and smooth, you can't tell if he ever over-swings the bat or not," said Farrell. "But for a guy of his stature, there's such great timing and fluidity to the swing, he creates easy power. That was the case on that swing."

Benintendi, who is ranked the No. 1 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, is the fourth Red Sox player 22 years old or younger to hit a homer on Opening Day in the live ball era (since 1920), joining Tom Winsett ('31), Tony Conigliaro ('63) and Mookie Betts (2015).

"He's got a great feel at the plate," said winning pitcher Rick Porcello of Benintendi. "He's extremely mature and takes everything in stride, which is his biggest strength, to be able to handle the ups and downs very well. He's a lot of fun to watch play."

* ESPNBoston.com

Are Boston's Killer B's better than legendary Rice-Lynn-Evans outfield?

Scott Lauber

Fred Lynn makes it back to Fenway Park for at least three series each season. He sits in a suite above home plate, mingles with fans, and mugs for the camera when he appears on the center-field video screen. But he avoids the field before games and never ventures into the clubhouse, wary of getting in the players' way.

That's about to change.

Lynn sees something strikingly familiar in these Boston Red Sox. Start with a College World Series champion -- from a school with the initials "USC," no less -- in center field. Then there's the hotshot Rookie of the Year candidate in left. And get a load of the right fielder, a steal of a fifth-round pick with a rifle arm, a Gold Glove and middle-of-the-order power at the plate.

All three outfielders were drafted by the Red Sox and came up through the farm system. None is older than 26. They're athletic and dynamic, and it's possible they have only scratched the surface of their potential. Indeed, if they stay healthy and everything falls in line, they could play together for the better part of the next decade.

The evolution of 'Win, Dance, Repeat' "The Ski Jump." "The Carlton." "The Stanky Leg." Red Sox victory rituals sure have rhythm. Boston's outfielders break down their favorite moves from last year and share what's in store for 2017. Lauber » Sounds like Lynn, Rice and Evans, right?

Actually, it's Bradley, Benintendi and Betts.

Forty-two years after Lynn and Jim Rice -- the Gold Dust Twins, as they were known -- joined Dwight Evans in a dream outfield that carried the Red Sox to Game 7 of an epic World Series against Cincinnati's Big Red Machine, baby boomer baseball fans in Boston are experiencing a serious case of déjà vu. A homegrown outfield of Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts -- the Killer B's, if you will -- leads the Sox into the post-David Ortiz era as a popular pick to win the American League pennant.

It's no wonder Lynn says several team employees have told him he would enjoy wandering onto the field during practice this season. These outfielders are worth a closer look.

"As a group, Jimmy and Dwight, myself, we've been looking forward to something like this for a while now," Lynn, 65, says from his home near San Diego. "We haven't seen it for a bit, and it's fun to see. I would love to sit in the dugout once in a while and talk with them, and I might do that this year. I might sneak down during BP or something and just chat with them a little bit. I would like that."

Lynn, a former University of Southern California star, has already met Bradley, the 26-year-old out of the University of South Carolina. The current and former Red Sox center fielders were introduced early in the 2013 season after Bradley unexpectedly earned a spot on the Red Sox's roster with a breakthrough spring training. It took him two more years to secure a full-time spot, which he did last season with a 29-game hitting streak in May, an All-Star Game selection in July, 26 homers and his typically stellar defense.

Betts, 24, is one of the fresh new faces of the game, a do-it-all superstar right fielder. He finished as runner- up to in last year's AL MVP toss-up. After Betts made his major league debut in 2014 Evans began calling him "my little ."

Benintendi's arrival last summer completes the Red Sox's back-to-the-future outfield -- and not just because hitting coach Chili Davis astutely notes that the 22-year-old rookie "looks like freakin' Marty McFly." Benintendi bypassed Triple-A and took over left field last August, 14 months after being drafted seventh overall. And in the first at-bat of his playoff debut, he became the youngest player in Red Sox history to homer in a postseason game.

Best outfield in baseball? Lynn and Evans think so. Same goes for many talent evaluators around the league, although the Pittsburgh Pirates (Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco) and (Giancarlo Stanton, and ) would respectfully disagree. At the least, Bradley, Benintendi and Betts are in the discussion.

"These kids are tremendous. Best outfield we've had in a long time," says Evans, a consultant to the Red Sox's player development staff. "I never like to compare because these guys might be better than us. It's even more rewarding when you know they came out of your system. You'll see them do some great things. You'll see them do some things that hopefully they learn and get better from. There's really no telling what they can do."

Or how long they can do it together.

In 1975, Rice, Lynn and Evans helped lead the Red Sox to an AL pennant. J Rogash/Getty Images IT'S A SNOWY Saturday in January 2016, and Betts, Bradley, Rice and Lynn are participating in a panel discussion about outfield defense as part of the Red Sox's annual winter weekend. One fan asks Betts - who was an infielder until the Sox moved him to center field midway through the 2014 season and then to right field late in 2015 -- about the challenge of the Green Monster.

Betts: "I haven't really ever played left, so I don't really know how it works over there."

Rice: "Only the good athletes play left."

Betts, measuring Rice for a zinger: "It's all right. You did a great job considering you guys didn't have gloves back then."

That's how it goes when two generations of homegrown Red Sox outfielders get together. There's the requisite teasing and trash-talking between the old guard and the new. But there's also an abiding respect that goes both ways, even if the youngsters can't recite much about their predecessors' careers without consulting Baseball-Reference.com.

"These kids are tremendous. Best outfield we've had in a long time. I never like to compare because these guys might be better than us."

Dwight Evans Lynn's rookie season is the benchmark for all who have followed, including Benintendi, who brings to Boston a similarly sweet left-handed swing and a center-field pedigree from a big-time college program (Arkansas). In 1975, at age 23, Lynn was named AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP after batting .331 with 47 doubles, 21 homers and a .967 OPS. Rice won the MVP in 1978, played in eight All-Star Games, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. And Evans was an eight-time Gold Glove winner and a five-time All-Star in a 20-year career.

In 1978, Lynn, Rice and Evans played in the same outfield for three innings of the All-Star Game, an achievement that Evans predicts "should happen and absolutely will happen" for Bradley, Betts and Benintendi. The older trio's best season, at least collectively, was 1979, when they combined for an 18.8 WAR. (For context, the Pirates' Marte, McCutchen and Polanco totaled a 12.9 WAR in 2015, their top year as a trio in Pittsburgh.)

Yet this is how Bradley sums up his grasp of the Lynn-Rice-Evans era: "I do know they played in the '70s." Two years ago, when Betts became the youngest Red Sox player since Rice in 1975 to hit two homers in a game, he conceded he knew "nothing" about the '75 team and joked that he would "talk some smack" to Rice the next day.

But Betts also credits Rice and former Red Sox ace with "giving me insight to be able to play the game," a sentiment echoed by Bradley and Benintendi. Speaking for his ex-teammates, Evans pays back the compliment with one of his own: "I think I was around the cage with [longtime writer] Peter Gammons, and I said, 'If you ever saw Willie Mays walk, he was just bigger. But looking at Mookie, just the way he does things, he's a little Willie Mays.'"

Rice, 64, hangs around Fenway a lot as a pregame and postgame analyst for the New England Sports Network. Evans, 65, spends more time traveling to the Sox's minor league affiliates, where he got a sneak peek at Bradley, Betts and Benintendi before they reached the majors. As much as Rice and Evans are wowed by the young outfielders' talent and floored by their limitless ceiling, they're struck even more by their aptitude for learning from mistakes.

Case in point: Evans was watching a game on television late last season when he noticed Bradley not releasing the ball as quickly as possible on a pair of throws to home plate. He made a note to talk to Bradley during spring training.

"I'm watching him the first two or three days [of camp] and he's already starting his crow hop as he gets the ball or even before," Evans says. "I wanted him to work on that, but he was already doing it. I didn't even have to talk to him about it. That was impressive to me."

Lynn, meanwhile, has the perspective of being 3,000 miles away for most of the season. He has seen Bradley become a more aggressive hitter after previously seeming too content to take strikes early in the count, and has watched Betts become the East Coast's version of Trout. But Lynn is most impressed by Bradley's missile-launcher arm in center field and Betts' smooth two-year transition from infielder to Gold Glove right fielder.

"What I love is the fact that they all play defense. I'm a stickler for that," Lynn says, noting that Betts and Benintendi are really center fielders playing on the flanks. "It's exciting for me -- and I'll bet their pitching staff, too -- that balls hit in the air, they're probably going to be caught. It's fun to watch guys in the outfield that can run 'em down. And if they do make a mistake, they can throw 'em out after they run 'em down.

"I don't know that there's a better young outfield in all of baseball right now."

Benintendi, Betts and Bradley are already known for their "Win, Dance, Repeat" celebration ritual. How many times will they do it together -- and for how many years? Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images LYNN ALWAYS FIGURED he would play beside Rice and Evans for his entire career.

He settled for six years.

Never mind that Lynn, Rice and Evans were firmly in the prime of their careers or that the Red Sox averaged 91 wins per season from 1975-80. Before spring training in 1981, Lynn was dealt to the California Angels in a five-player trade that brought pitcher Frank Tanana to Boston.

In those days, there wasn't much opportunity to move as a free agent, Lynn says, so he thought he'd be with the Red Sox his whole career. "That was the attitude," he says.

The attitude has changed. Despite making his major league debut only four years ago, Bradley is the second-longest-tenured member of the Red Sox after second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Consider it a testament to how frequently today's players change teams.

Bradley and Betts are under team control through the 2020 season. Benintendi is so far from free agency it isn't even a speck on his radar. But all three know better than to take for granted that they will form the Sox's outfield even for the next four years.

"I mean, it all sounds good," says Bradley, a client of superagent Scott Boras. "But the realistic thing, the game that we live in, not many people get to play with one team or together. But it would be nice. I love playing with them. I think we all just enjoy each other. We really jell. We're just kind of taking each day and having fun with it."

Which is precisely why Lynn, Rice and Evans would rather not miss a second of it.

"Jimmy and I played [together] for 16 years. Not long enough with Freddy," Evans says. "I think everyone sees that these guys can be together for a long time. Can they go elsewhere and make more money? Probably. But they'll never have as much fun as playing in Fenway together."

It's Andrew Benintendi's turn to make his mark on Fenway Park

Scott Lauber

BOSTON -- Andrew Benintendi spent two months in the big leagues last season. But because his arrival coincided with the thrust of a pennant race, there wasn’t much time to stop and think about what it means to play left field for the Boston Red Sox.

And so, on Sunday, some 24 hours before Opening Day at Fenway Park, Benintendi opened the door to the Green Monster -- the same door that none other than Tom Brady walked through as part of Monday's pregame festivities -- stepped inside and got a history lesson.

Right there, in living color, were chalk scribbles by legends who have passed through the 105-year-old ballpark. Carlton Fisk signed the inside of the wall. So did . Ted Williams played on the grass in front of it. Same goes for Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Rice and Manny Ramirez.

Andrew Benintendi's performance on Opening Day -- not Tom Brady roughhousing with Rob Gronkowski in right field -- was the talk of Boston. John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images It's Benintendi's turn now. And if the first 35 games of his big league career -- including a season-opening 5-3 victory in which he launched a three-run homer in a five-run fifth inning against Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole -- is any indication, the 22-year-old from suburban Cincinnati will do just fine on the most time-honored parcel of Fenway's outfield.

"That was awesome doing that," Benintendi said. "Going in there and seeing all the signatures, it was cool. I was kind of overwhelmed by it all."

In that case, there's a first time for everything.

Benintendi has been the coolest possible customer since the Red Sox called him up directly from Double-A last summer. He batted .295 with 11 doubles, two homers and an .835 OPS in 105 at-bats last season, then became the youngest player in team history to homer in the postseason, when he took Cleveland Indians starter Trevor Bauer deep in Game 1 of the Division Series.

But Fenway's opener is like few others. There was the usual pomp and pageantry, with the announcement of both teams, the unfurling of the American flag over the Green Monster during the national anthem and the flyover of two F-15Cs. Then Brady emerged from the left-field wall carrying a Vince Lombardi Trophy and the two stolen Super Bowl LI jerseys that had been recovered from Mexico and began wrestling with Rob Gronkowski on the grass in shallow right field.

If it hadn't already, in that moment it occurred to Benintendi that sports are treated a little bit differently around here.

"I grew up watching them and still do," Benintendi said of Brady and Gronk. "It was cool to see them all out there."

The evolution of 'Win, Dance, Repeat' "The Ski Jump." "The Carlton." "The Stanky Leg." Red Sox victory rituals sure have rhythm. Boston's outfielders break down their favorite moves from last year and share what's in store for 2017. Lauber » By the end of the day, though, Benintendi was the talk of this sports-obsessed town.

Cole silenced the Red Sox for four innings, but they began mounting a two-out rally in the fifth. Jackie Bradley Jr. tripled to right field and scored on an infield single by Pablo Sandoval, who seems intent on staging a redemption tour after falling woefully out of shape and missing almost all of last season because of shoulder surgery.

Sandy Leon kept the inning alive by exploiting the Pirates' defensive shift with a heads-up bunt down the third-base line for a base hit. And after Dustin Pedroia lined an RBI single up the middle, Benintendi ran the count to 2-2, then drove a 98 mph fastball from Cole over the bullpen in right field to give the Sox a 5-0 lead. He pointed to his parents in the stands as he rounded the bases.

Benintendi became the first Red Sox rookie to homer on Opening Day since Brandon Moss in 2008 and the second-youngest to go deep in a season opener since Tony Conigliaro in 1965. Mookie Betts, Benintendi's teammate in the Red Sox's talented, homegrown outfield, was 90 days younger than Benintendi when he homered on Opening Day in 2015.

"It's awesome -- something you dream about as a kid," Benintendi said. "For it to be here, it's awesome."

Benintendi helped preserve the lead too. With the Pirates threatening in the seventh inning, Starling Marte hit a line drive that seemed certain to bang the wall. But Benintendi closed quickly, caught the ball and held Marte to a sacrifice fly.

"At first I thought it was a top-spin and was going to come back down towards me, but it didn't," Benintendi said. "After that, I was just trying to time up my jump, and I was fortunate enough to make the catch."

It was an Opening Day that will only enhance Benintendi's growing legend.

Bradley hails Benintendi as "a special ballplayer." Betts says he "pretty much does any and everything you want out of a hitter." Red Sox manager John Farrell has so much confidence in Benintendi that he’s batting him second in the order, between Pedroia and Betts.

“He’s got a short track record, we know, but there’s never been evidence of panic, even in two-strike situations,” Farrell said. “He sees the ball extremely well. He’s got a true understanding of the strike zone. Pretty special young player.”

Benintendi is ranked by ESPN's Keith Law as the top prospect in baseball. He has been featured on the covers of Baseball America and Sports Illustrated. Before he took a swing, he was the consensus choice for AL Rookie of the Year.

"I guess you just have to let it go in one ear, out the other," Benintendi said. "People like to talk about it. I don't feel any pressure. Just go out there, play well, and the main goal is to win. When you do that, people will be happy."

Indeed, Benintendi seems utterly unaffected by it all -- at least until he steps behind the Green Monster and takes a peek at all the names that came before him.

Ted. Yaz. Rice. Manny.

It seems the Red Sox might finally have a worthy successor.

* WEEI.com

Andrew Benintendi Wastes No Time Proving He's Real Deal In Red Sox Victory On Opening Day

John Tomase

Gerrit Cole is a legit stud. Two years ago, he went 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.

On Monday, Red Sox rookie outfielder Andrew Benintendi used Cole to send a message to the rest of baseball -- "I'm for real."

The soft-spoken Benintendi may not have uttered those exact words, but he didn't have to, because his actions spoke eloquently.

The Red Sox opened the 2017 season with a 5-3 victory over the Pirates, and Benintendi was in the middle of everything. He blasted a three-run homer to power a five-run fifth, and then he saved at least one run, if not two, with a leaping over-the-shoulder catch in the seventh to rob Starling Marte.

That he did it all without changing his facial expression should surprise no one, because if Red Sox fans learn anything about Benintendi this year, it's that he's unflappable. Other than breaking out Michael Jackson's Billie Jean moves as part of win, dance, repeat last year in Tampa, Benintendi is basically a blank slate -- a blank slate with scary potential.

"It looks like the sky is the limit," said starter and winner Rick Porcello. "He has a great feel for the plate and is extremely mature. He takes everything in stride, which I think is his biggest strength. He seems to handle the ups and downs of the game well. He's fun to watch."

He wasn't remotely intimidated by the stage. After striking out and fouling out in his first two at-bats, Benintendi laid off a 1-2 curveball in the dirt and then crushed a 98 mph fastball into the Pirates bullpen.

"It's awesome," Benintendi said. "Something you dream about as a kid. For it to be here, it's awesome. Just trying to feel out his pitches, put a good at-bat together, and hit the ball hard. It happens so fast, you don't have time to think about it. You've got to be able to hit a fastball, and I guess I got lucky there."

Luck had nothing to do with it, and Benintendi knows it. He's the runaway favorite to be named American League Rookie of the Year and he's a superstar in the making, arriving shortly behind two-time Silver Slugger Xander Bogaerts and defending second-place MVP finisher Mookie Betts.

Benintendi has the skills to be every bit as good as either one. His swing path resembles a left-handed Jeff Bagwell, minus the crunch. His stoic demeanor will undoubtedly serve him well. He's only getting started.

"He's a great hitter from any spot in the lineup," saluted Betts. "He has great at-bats, makes solid contact, he pretty much does any and everything you want out of a hitter.

"He's just real cool, real chill, he has a quiet confidence. You love it in players. Batting behind it and seeing it and knowing that he's got a chance to go deep or get on base and more times than not, it seems like he's going to get on base a lot, so he's definitely fun to hit behind."

Benintendi is taking all of the attention in stride.

"I mean, I guess you just kind of let it go in one ear, out the other," he said. "People like to talk about it. I don't feel any pressure. I just go out there, play well, and the main goal is to win. When you do that, people will be happy."

Red Sox fans left Fenway feeling good about the start of the season on Monday, and Benintendi was the reason why.

* CSNNE.com

Jackie Bradley Jr. Helps Alleviate Skepticism On Opening Day

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- Jackie Bradley Jr. is one of the easier Red Sox to identify when it comes to can-he-do-it-again questions.

At last, he hit in 2016, and in a big way.

Opening Day’s 5-3 win on Monday suggested he was no fluke.

His triple, which was nearly a home run, started the two-out rally off the Pirates’ Gerrit Cole in the fifth inning. A beautiful catch in the triangle in center field that threw his body up against the edge of the bullpen wall that cuts on a diagonal helped keep the game scoreless in the fourth.

“I don’t care about the wall, I’m going to catch the ball,” said Bradley, who’s not the loudest character but certainly a confident one. “The toughest part was, I knew the sun was going to be in my eyes so it momentarily was in the sun for the last second. It came out, but I kind of knew the spot where I needed to be so I kind of took off, took my first three or four steps, not looking and kind of picked up the spot.”

The new guard seems ready — although Bradley joked he’s old now, at the age of 26.

Asked if he thought about the impact of David Ortiz’s absence on Monday, Bradley showed at least some with the Sox have, indeed, moved on.

“I didn’t think about it, personally,” Bradley said. “But I can’t speak for everybody else. I miss him though.”

With Bullpen Uncertainty, Red Sox Have Rare, Enviable Opportunity

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- Everyone might be missing the boat when it comes to the inexperience of the Red Sox bullpen.

“Without a returning lockdown eighth-inning guy, we’re about settling into some roles as quick as possible,” Sox manager John Farrell said Monday morning, before a 5-3 win over the Pirates on opening day. “There’s going to be a little more matching up right now, before we bridge to [Craig] Kimbrel in the ninth. So you take some of the momentum that certain guys have coming out of spring training throwing the ball.”

Never mind the logic of relying on the hot hand out of spring training, which is debatable. (Joe Kelly’s 98 mph fastball all of a sudden isn’t to be trusted because he looked a little shaky in the Grapefruit League?)

The Sox definitely do need to sort out the bullpen. But what categories they put guys into, and how rigid the roles should become is really the question.

There’s a rare opportunity here.

The Red Sox don’t have a blank canvas, exactly. But they have something closer to it than most teams can find.

Outside of closer Craig Kimbrel this is not a group of established pitchers. Of guys set on doing one thing.

Excellent! Keep it going!

Teach them to be up in the air. Teach them this is what the norm looks like.

The Sox that way can then push their reliever usage toward a more fluid, more progressive look -- rather than the old closer, set-up, middle relief structures of yore.

Don't go 0 to 60. Just move carefully away from the old school.

“Really, not any one of those guys had established roles in bullpens prior to this year, or coming into this year,” pitching coach Carl Willis said. “So it’s almost like, you look at who has the hot hand coming out of spring training right now and who’s best equipped.

“So in saying that, I don’t want to call it inexperience, because those guys have obviously been in the major leagues. But we’ll see how it settles. Certainly, going with the hot hand right now, particularly with [Matt] Barnes and [Heath] Hembree, who have been throwing the ball better . . . lately than a couple of the other guys.”

Settle it, but don’t fully settle it. Leave some ambiguity.

Robbie Ross Jr. said in the middle of the spring this is the first time he ever felt like he’s had a job. Ironically, he’s fallen behind on the southpaw depth chart to start the season.

Barnes started to learn how to be a reliever back in 2014 but last year was the biggest learning experience. Kelly hasn’t been out of the rotation a year yet.

“I think everything in the bullpen I did last year I kind of learned along the way,” Barnes said.

Barnes has done well in jams. With help of a fine Andrew Benintendi catch in left field on Monday — plus a good game plan against the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen for an inning-ending strikeout — Barnes cleaned up a mess in the seventh inning with minimal damage.

Right now, he knows things are up in the air. He said the right thing when asked about the effect of uncertainty on the 'pen.

“A lot of guys have done a lot of different roles,” Barnes said. “Guys will be ready. We’ll stay on our toes.”

The model the Indians famously used in the postseason, using in whatever inning as the biggest weapon of all, isn’t too reasonable to expect in the regular season.

Pitchers like routine. Relievers like to know when they’re going to come in. Consistency in preparation helps in a long season. That’s not going to change.

So find a middle ground.

These roles Farrell speaks of: don’t make it eighth-inning guy.

Make it the sometimes eighth-inning guy or sometimes seventh-inning guy. The high leverage guy. And the other high leverage guy. And so on.

It sounds like the Sox might be thinking the same way.

“I don’t necessarily know that you can put inning roles on it,” Willis said. “When you utilize match-ups and you look at the opposition’s lineup there are times when we are talking about, particularly the seventh and eighth inning, there may be a better match-up with a guy who we deem our eighth inning guy: hey, maybe he’s better in the seventh tonight, because of where are in the order in the seventh. We have that flexibility.”

Keep the flexibility. Expand it. Push it.

Kimbrel may be resistant to change, but the aw-shucks-just-happy-to-be-here Robby Scotts of the world shouldn’t be. Barnes doesn’t seem to be. Kelly’s new to this.

They can still be molded. Shape this thing the right way rather than rush into a 7-8-9, Junichi Tazawa-Koji Uehara-Craig Kimbrel way of life.

* NESN.com

Red Sox Wrap: Sox Fend Off Pirates, Hang On For 5-3 Opening Day Win

Darren Hartwell

BOSTON — If Monday was any indication, it should be an eventful season for the 2017 Red Sox.

Boston’s Opening Day matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates had a little bit of everything: A solid outing from right-hander Rick Porcello, an offensive eruption featuring an Andrew Benintendi three-run home run and a rough patch for the bullpen.

But the Red Sox emerged on top, squeezing out a 5-3 win at sunny Fenway Park to start their 2017 campaign on the right foot. Here’s how this one went down.

GAME IN A WORD Celebration.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski started the party early at Fenway, and while there were a few bumps along the way, there was plenty for the Boston faithful to cheer about during the Red Sox’s third consecutive Opening Day victory.

IT WAS OVER WHEN… Craig Kimbrel closed the door in the ninth inning for his first save of 2017.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but the bullpen made the final innings anything but comfortable. Kimbrel was able to stem the tide, shutting down any chance of a Pirates comeback.

ON THE BUMP — Porcello looked like the reigning Cy Young Award winner he is through the first six innings, allowing just four baserunners over that span. But the right-hander ran into some trouble in the top of the seventh, giving up back-to-back hits to David Freese and Francisco Cervelli to start the frame.

Porcello faced just two more batters, exiting with one out in the seventh after allowing an RBI single to Josh Harrison.

Reliever Matt Barnes let both of Porcello’s inherited runners score, leaving the starter with an Opening Day line of 6 1/3 innings, three earned runs, one walk and five strikeouts on 96 pitches.

— As mentioned, Barnes didn’t do Porcello any favors. The right-handed reliever surrendered an RBI single to Jordy Mercer, walked Adam Frazier and retired Starling Marte on a sacrifice fly that was saved by Benintendi’s leaping catch in left field.

Barnes got Andrew McCutchen swinging to prevent further damage and keep the score at 5-3.

— Robby Scott retired the only batter he faced, inducing a Gregory Polanco groundout to start the eighth inning. — Heath Hembree recorded the final two outs of the eighth without issue.

— Kimbrel allowed a double and hit a batter in the ninth but also struck out two and induced a game- ending pop-up from Marte to pick up the save.

IN THE BATTER’S BOX — The Red Sox got off to a slow start at the plate, as Hanley Ramirez tallied the only Boston hit through four innings.

— Jackie Bradley Jr. drilled a triple to right field with two outs in the fifth inning, and Pablo Sandoval tallied the Red Sox’s first RBI of 2017 on an infield single to start Boston’s scoring onslaught.

— Dustin Pedroia ripped an RBI single up the middle to score Sandoval from second and put the Sox up 2- 0.

— Benintendi then broke things open, crushing a three-run bomb to right field to extend the lead to 5-0. The Red Sox tallied five runs on six hits in the fifth inning alone.

— Xander Bogaerts was heavily involved on the basepaths, recording two hits (2-for-4) and stealing two bases.

— Sandy Leon also recorded a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a run scored.

— Mitch Moreland had a rough Red Sox debut, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He was the only Boston player who failed to record a hit.

TWEET OF THE DAY A Benintendi Opening Day homer means an awesome Twitter overreaction.

NEXT The Red Sox have Tuesday off before Chris Sale takes the mound Wednesday in his Boston debut against the Pirates. First pitch at Fenway Park is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.

* The Associated Press

Benintendi lifts Red Sox over Pirates 5-3 in post-Ortiz era

BOSTON -- The Red Sox bid farewell to a legend at the end of last season. This season opened with a big day for one of their rising stars.

Rookie Andrew Benintendi hit a three-run homer that capped a five-run fifth inning, and the Red Sox began their post-David Ortiz era by beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 in Monday's opener.

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello (1-0) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out five. Craig Kimbrel retired Starling Marte on a game-ending popup with two on for the save.

"That was awesome," Benintendi said. "We're all excited to start playing games that actually matter. It was a fun experience."

What manager John Farrell said has impressed him most about 22-year-old during his short time in the majors is the lack of panic. Benintendi homered on a 98 mph fastball on a 2-2 count.

"He sees the ball extremely well and has a true understanding of the strike zone," Farrell said. "A pretty special young player."

Playing the team it beat in the first World Series in 1903, Boston opened against a National League opponent for just the second time.

Gerrit Cole (0-1), the first overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft, gave up five runs and seven hits in five innings.

Cole said he threw a 2-2 pitch to Benintendi to strike him out looking in the first inning. He tried the same offering in the fifth.

"Obviously, he was not going to let that get by him again," Cole said.

Ortiz retired after last season after helping the Red Sox win three Series titles, their first since 1918.

Even without Ortiz, there was still plenty of pageantry at Fenway Park.

The ceremonial first pitch was attended a quintet of members Super Bowl champion New England Patriots headlined by MVP quarterback Tom Brady, who made the toss. They were joined by owner Robert Kraft and all five of the franchise's Lombardi trophies.

It may have brought the hometown team some good luck.

Boston had only two hits before Jackie Bradley Jr.'s two-out triple to right in the fifth. He scored the first run after Pablo Sandoval beat out a sharp grounder to shortstop Jordy Mercer.

Sandy Leon bunted his way on, Sandoval scored on Dustin Pedroia's line-drive single up the middle and Benintendi homered.

Porcello allowed only three hits through six innings. Josh Harrison had an RBI single in the seventh, and the Pirates added two runs off Matt Barnes before Andrew McCutchen struck out for the third time.

TRAINERS ROOM

Red Sox: LHP David Price (left elbow) is still working on increasing his throwing distances and is set to throw again Tuesday. ,,, Manager John Farrell said RHP Tyler Thornburg (right shoulder) is still isn't throwing.

BIG PLAYS

Along with his homer, Benintendi had what might have been a game-saving catch in seventh inning. Trailing 5-2 in the seventh, the Pirates had the bases loaded when Starling Marte hit a hard liner to left. But Benintendi was able to haul in a running, over-the-shoulder grab to limit the damage to a run, with Josh Harrison scoring from third on a tag up.

Bradley Jr. also had a nice running catch against the bullpen wall in the fourth inning to go along with his triple in the fifth to start the rally.

"I think it gave us some momentum. It was a little bit of a spark," Farrell said of Bradley's grab.

HISTORICAL NOTES

Pittsburgh lost its first opening day game vs. an AL opponent. The Pirates are 71-60 in 131 openers, including 55-45 in 100 road openers. They fell to 7-6 against the Red Sox during the regular season.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon is on the hill Wednesday after the series' takes an off day Tuesday. He has a 5-4 record and 3.38 ERA in 18 starts with the Pirates.

Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale makes his Boston debut Wednesday after being acquired in an offseason trade with the White Sox.

* The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Red Sox rally against Pirates' Gerrit Cole to take season opener, 5-3

Stephen J. Nesbitt

BOSTON — Francisco Cervelli draped his right arm over Gerrit Cole’s shoulders and walked with him to the dugout steps at Fenway Park. The Pirates’ opening-day battery looked defeated, drained by the frustrating fifth inning Monday in which the Boston Red Sox constructed a two-out rally and busted open a scoreless game, scoring five runs in a span of five batters.

The coda to an inning that snowballed in part because of infield shifts was provided by 22-year-old rookie Andrew Benintendi. His three-run home run, blasted into the Pirates’ bullpen beyond the right-field wall, gave the Red Sox the distance they needed for a 5-3 win in the 2017 opener.

“They just hit them where we weren’t,” Cole said.

The Pirates struggled to do the same against Boston right-hander Rick Porcello, the reigning American League Cy Young award winner. Their Nos. 2-3-4 hitters — Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco — combined for 12 at-bats and contributed only one hit. McCutchen, coming off the worst season of his career, began this one by going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Felipe Rivero threw a scoreless inning against Boston on Monday. Manager Clint Hurdle plans to use the lefthander as his seventh-inning reliever.

Cole was in control for four innings, allowing only one hit — the runner was erased on a double play — and a walk. His fastball touched 99.4 mph. For Cole, who was fourth in National League Cy Young voting in 2015 but was injured four times last year, the early signs were encouraging.

The first 14 outs came easily. The 15th did not. Boston sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth.

After two were out, Jackie Bradley Jr. tripled off the wall behind McCutchen in right. Pablo Sandoval rolled a grounder to the right of shortstop Jordy Mercer, shifted toward second, for a go-ahead single. Sandy Leon, the No. 9 hitter, bunted against the shift. The inning continued.

Later, Cole said he wasn’t irked by the bunt. He and Cervelli seemed more bothered by the infield alignment. They got the intended result — weak contact — but no out. Cervelli said Cole played the situation “perfect,” and added, “It's just, you know, the way baseball is now.”

Two years ago, Benintendi was at the University of Arkansas. A year ago, he was at Class High-A Salem — he jumped directly from Class AA to the majors later in the season. On opening day, with two on and two outs in the fifth, he was waiting on Cole’s 2-2 offering. Cole had gotten ahead with back-to-back changeups and a fastball, then evened the count by burying a curveball in the dirt. Reading the way Benintendi “froze” on the first fastball, Cole said, it was worth another try.

“Obviously, he was not going to let that one get by him again,” Cole remarked.

Benintendi, betting on a fastball, whipped the barrel of his bat around to meet Cole’s 97.8 mph elevated four-seamer. Cole kicked at the dirt. On the day Benintendi became the Red Sox’s youngest opening day starter in left field since Carl Yastrzemski in 1962, he was the difference.

Gerrit Cole

Zack Tanner Inside the numbers: Was Gerrit Cole's 2016 an anomaly or his baseline? Cole allowed five runs on seven hits, walking one and striking out two. His counterpart, Porcello, was charged with six hits and three runs in 6⅓ innings. He walked one and struck out five.

The Pirates sliced into the Red Sox’s lead by scoring three runs in the seventh. Cervelli responded to back- to-back inside fastballs that sent him to dirt by knocking a double off the Green Monster. Josh Harrison drove in lead runner David Freese, chasing Porcello, and Jordy Mercer scored Cervelli. Marte made a bid for extra bases but settled for a sacrifice fly on a hard liner Benintendi caught running toward the warning track in left-center field.

After the game, Cole said he felt healthy and strong, which were the top priorities, and he won’t beat himself up too badly over the five-run fifth. Experiencing opening day at Fenway Park was “special,” he said, particularly with his parents and his wife, Amy, in the sold-out stadium. Cole was in the bullpen pregame when, during a salute to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Tom Brady raised his recovered jersey to the crowd, and Rob Gronkowski ran off with it.

“It was pretty hard not to notice something going on,” Cole said. “Tom Brady is on the field, and he's tackling Gronk. You're trying to warm up, and the crowd is going nuts. It was a really special environment. It lived up to its hype.

“It was something I'll always remember, but I’ll probably forget everything that happened after the fourth.”