Traveling for work is usually pretty exhausting, but the Boston Red Sox recently took the concept of a grueling business trip to a whole new level. Before they even stepped foot onto the diamond at Citi Field to face the New York Mets, they had to survive a travel ordeal that would make anyone want to sleep for a week.
Yet, despite essentially rolling right out of a cramped airplane and onto the field, Boston somehow pulled off a gritty 6-2 victory.
The Ultimate Airport Trap
The nightmare started on a Thursday afternoon in Chicago. After wrapping up a series against the White Sox, the team boarded their charter flight, fully expecting to grab dinner in New York that evening. Fate had other plans.
First, the aircraft’s “tug”—the heavy-duty vehicle that pushes the plane away from the gate—completely broke down. The team sat trapped on the tarmac until after midnight, ultimately forced to drag their bags off the plane and scramble to find last-minute hotel rooms in the city.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Friday morning brought round two. The team returned to the airport, boarded a fresh aircraft, and immediately hit another wall. A broken light and a faulty switch in the cockpit grounded them all over again.
By the time they finally got clearance to take off just before 3:00 p.m., the clock was aggressively ticking toward Friday night’s scheduled first pitch.
A Classic “Show and Go”
When the Boston charter finally touched down at LaGuardia Airport late Friday afternoon, there was zero time to relax. The team bus pulled up to Citi Field around 5:05 p.m., leaving them a mere two hours before they were supposed to play a Major League Baseball game.
Recognizing the sheer absurdity of the situation, the league threw them a tiny lifeline, pushing the first pitch back by 35 minutes. It wasn’t much, but it was just enough time for the players to change into their uniforms and get a quick stretch in.
Typical pre-game routines were entirely out of the question. Batting practice was completely scrapped. As reliever Garrett Whitlock joked from the dugout before the game, it was a hilarious throwback to their childhood travel ball days. You just show up to the park, grab your glove, and go play.
Leaving the Mets Grounded
You would expect a team running on zero sleep and high stress to come out flat. Instead, the Red Sox came out swinging. They completely brushed off the jet lag, proving that raw momentum can sometimes trump a good night’s sleep.
Boston jumped on the board right away in the first inning, powered by a sharp two-run double from Masataka Yoshida. Even as the Mets tried to claw their way back into the game, Boston’s offense just kept rolling. Late-game home runs gave the pitching staff all the cushion they needed, ultimately icing a comfortable 6-2 win.
ORANGE GAME WEEK: Syracuse football begins new season against New Hampshire Saturday (preview) It was a major statement from a Boston roster that has been surging lately. Winning on the road is tough enough on its own, but doing it after spending an entire day trapped in airport purgatory? That shows serious heart. The 162-game baseball season is always a grueling marathon, but the Red Sox just proved they can handle whatever travel chaos the universe throws their way.
