NEW YORK -- The Red Sox gave new meaning to the expression “show and go” on Friday.
After capping a three-game sweep against the White Sox on Thursday afternoon, the surging Sox -- who had just won their sixth game in a row and 10th in the last 12 -- were looking forward to getting to their Manhattan hotel later in the evening.
Instead, airplane issues forced them to check back into a Chicago hotel at about 2 a.m. Friday morning.
And after the traveling party got some sleep and went back on the plane, there were different mechanical issues that led to several more delayed hours. Roughly four hours before the scheduled 7:15 p.m. ET game against the Mets, the Red Sox at last lifted off from Chicago’s Midway airport and landed at 4:40.
The one thing they had going for them is that LaGuardia Airport is just a few miles from Citi Field.
The Sox got to the ballpark at about 5 p.m., getting them in a rush to prepare. To accommodate Boston’s issues, the game was delayed to a start time of 7:50 p.m. It didn't slow them down, as Boston beat the Mets, 6-2, for its seventh straight win.
“Obviously, a long day and a half, and they brought everything they had, which was great,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy.
As clubhouse attendants had to rush to get the visitor’s clubhouse set up, the Red Sox did their best to get their pregame preparations and meetings done as close to normal as possible.
“We’re still waiting on some laundry,” Tracy said about an hour and 40 minutes prior to first pitch. “Guys are getting dressed, we’re gonna get some swings and get ourselves ready to go.”
Sonny Gray, the 36-year-old veteran, was ready to go when the bell rang, firing six strong innings to improve to 11-1 and lower his ERA to 2.54.
“I think for everybody, it was just using a little piece of everyone,” said Gray. “We were in it together. We were in that thing together from the time we left when game was over yesterday in Chicago until it all started today, we were all in it together. We were just in that game together.”
Before getting to New York, the players tried to push away the frustration as best they could.
“We tried to make light of the situation,” said Red Sox lefty Payton Tolle. “We tried to have fun with it. At one point, we just kind of looked at each other and started laughing because it was just ridiculous."
When Tolle stepped onto the plane on Friday morning -- before he knew he’d be sitting there another few hours -- he ingested several donuts.
“I had like five donuts,” Tolle said. “That’s all they had. I was like, ‘We got any protein?’ I had one glazed, a couple with oriole sprinkles with a chocolate filling in the middle.”
Later on, as the Red Sox got closer to take-off, there were breakfast burritos and some chicken wings.
“We got what we needed,” Tolle said.
It’s safe to say that center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela had the best day of all his teammates.
Prior to what was supposed to be an on-time takeoff on Friday morning, Tracy heard from chief baseball officer Craig Breslow that Rafaela had made the All-Star team as a replacement for Yankees star Aaron Judge, who is sidelined with a rib injury.
Tracy used the plane’s intercom to deliver the news that the team had a fourth All-Star, joining Aroldis Chapman, Willson Contreras and Ranger Suarez (who won’t participate due to a left groin strain).
“Obviously a bunch of guys are standing there to smack him, give him a big hug, and I think he put his head in his hands for quite a while, maybe some tears,” said Tracy. “I think it means a lot to him to be recognized in that way.”
After the jolt of excitement for Rafaela came the news that the plane wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.
What led to all the delays on both days?
“We kind of just sat there for a long time last night,” said Tolle. “We got pushed back [from the gate], so everybody was really excited about that after what I thought was maybe like a weather delay. I had headphones on, I didn't listen to it. And then they said the tug broke. Then we sat there for another few hours and then back to the hotel, wake up and do it again.”
And then what happened?
“Some lightbulb, I think in the cockpit,” Tolle said. “Same plane, different issue.”
Perhaps the inconvenience was made a little easier by how well the Red Sox have played the last two weeks.
“I think we were listening to music, playing cards, and I see the team really together right now,” said Rafaela. “And I saw that yesterday. We were just joking around.”
Bonding experience? Sure, why not?
“You spend 10 hours in an eight-foot tube with each other, you spend a lot of time together and you get closer,” said Tolle. “So I think we're just gonna keep playing the baseball that we've been playing. And, you know, I'm sure that there's going to be a double celly or T-shirt that comes out of this whole thing, but, yeah, it was an experience for sure.”
This is the second consecutive road trip the club has had an issue. After an afternoon loss to the Rockies on June 24, the team charter was in the air for about a half hour before having to retreat to Denver to address a mechanical issue that took more than three hours to fix. The Sox landed around 5 a.m. and wound up beating the Yankees and their ace Cam Schlittler at Fenway later that night.
In fact, that win over the Yankees was the start of the torrid run the Sox continued on Friday night. This one moved Boston within 1 1/2 games of the third AL Wild Card spot, which seemed unthinkable a couple of weeks ago.
“The vibe in there is great,”said Tracy. “The connectivity with them is great, so they're playing good baseball.”