Sox try to recapture Fenway magic starting with home opener

This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON -- Before we get to the stirring ceremonies that are in store for Tuesday’s home opener -- which will include a 20-year reunion of the fabled 2004 Red Sox and tributes to Tim and Stacy Wakefield, and Larry Lucchino -- let’s get down to some business.

The West Coast trip to Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim was indeed encouraging for a Boston team that went 7-3 out of the gate and pitched lights-out from almost start to finish.

But for this season to be what it needs to be for the Red Sox, they are going to have to find a way to own their unique home field of Fenway Park better than they’ve done in four of the past five seasons.

In 2019, as defending World Series champions, the Sox didn’t protect their home, going 38-43. In the pandemic-shortened, ’20 season, they went 11-20 at Fenway. The exception in recent years was ’21, when an American League Championship Series-bound Sox squad went 49-32 at friendly Fenway. In ’22, they went 43-38 at home, while sporting identical home and road records (39-42) last season.

Given its quirky dimensions and overwhelming home-field advantage when the club is playing well, Fenway is supposed to be much more of a help than a hindrance for the team that plays 81 games a season there.

And that’s what the Red Sox want to get back to, beginning with Tuesday afternoon’s game against the defending AL East champion Baltimore Orioles.

"We've been horrible at home [for the most part] since 2019 to be honest with you,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “For us to accomplish our first goal, making it to the playoffs, we’ve got to do better at home.”

And that isn’t just lip service from Cora. He took substantial steps aimed toward improving the team’s home record in 2024, moving many of the team’s Spring Training drills from the back fields to the main diamond of JetBlue Park, which replicates all the dimensions of Fenway, including a replica Monster.

“Most of the drills were at the stadium. We hit a lot there, something that I didn't like in the beginning because of the timing of it,” said Cora. “But obviously you have to make adjustments and we did. We’ve get a good team coming in on Tuesday and it's a long homestand. Dominating at home is always important.”

Cora has a laundry list of things the Sox can do better at home than they’ve done recently.

"We didn't run the bases well at Fenway. We didn't play good defense at Fenway. We didn't pitch well at Fenway. We didn't hit well,” Cora said. “That's the bottom line. What else? We didn't use the white [jerseys] a lot at Fenway and we will this year.”

If the season goes as Cora envisions, Fenway Park will rock with noise again. And Cora isn’t talking about the music.

"We haven't made Fenway uncomfortable to the opposition in a while. I love 'Sweet Caroline' in the eighth and all that stuff, but when we're down seven, 'Sweet Caroline' doesn't sound great to be honest with you,” Cora said.

Given the success on the opening road trip and a nice day forecasted for Tuesday, Cora expects Fenway to be buzzing.

“Fenway Park, mid-afternoon, in the 60's, it looks like,” said Cora. “People care. They care about this organization. They care about the Red Sox. There's something about the home opener that is special. And I know '19 was a special one because we got the rings, but going into it, it was a bad taste [after a 3-8 road trip]. It was like, 'Oh, we're getting these, but we're not playing good baseball.' This one is a little bit different."