On Saturday, March 24, the Boston Red Sox played against the New York Yankees during spring training. When the umpires arrived at the field, they were handed pink tutus and informed that these would be their new uniforms for every game in the future. The game began with a hit up the left field line. Unfortunately, the batter, Jacoby Ellsbury, was struck with confusion and ran to third base instead of first, and he was tagged out at third.
Later in the game, the Red Sox first baseman, Mitch Moreland, appeared to be developing a new habit of breaking into dance whenever the ball was hit to him. His new dancing strategy is supposed to benefit him by putting him into motion before the pitch is even thrown. This strategy was intended to help him build up momentum, however, it did not prove successful because every ground ball hit in his direction passed him. It’s possible that if he continues working on his dance strategy that it could benefit him in the long run, but it’s a risky choice for him to be changing his strategy so close to opening day.
Unique things were also occurring in the outfield. During the seventh inning, Mookie Betts was spotted picking dandelions from the grass in left field. When he was asked by reporters why he was doing that, he revealed that it relaxes him, and he plays his best when he’s relaxed. Jackie Bradley Jr. was absent from the game because his alarm did not go off, so he continued sleeping. He showed up at the field late in the ninth inning and told reporters that his sleeping schedule has been thrown off from traveling all the way down to Florida for spring training. It’s possible that traveling back to Boston will also affect his sleeping schedule and may not allow him to arrive on time for opening day.
Starting pitcher Chris Sale also seems to be developing a new habit of hitting inside-the-park homeruns. He hit an inside-the-park homerun, which allowed the Red Sox to walk off the field in victory. He told reporters that inside-the-park homeruns really are not a difficult task and everyone is just being dramatic when they make a big deal out of them. The most shocking fact about the game is that Aaron Judge struck out every at bat. He currently holds the record for most strike outs during spring training.