BOSTON -- It's not often that a team with wins in eight of its last nine calls an all-hands-on-deck meeting before a game.

Then again, there's nothing routine about the trip the Red Sox will make to London next weekend. Manager Alex Cora gathered his team in the clubhouse three hours before first pitch on Saturday to talk logistics -- dress code, ticket requests, the whole nine yards -- as well as to drive home a message he'll keep driving home all week: The two games at London Stadium are not exhibition games, especially not when they're going to be against the first-place New York Yankees.

"It's two meaningful games," Cora said. "Let's not forget that."

As the two-game set will be preceded by two days off for travel and time-zone acclimation, and then another day off for travel back, Cora could could have the opportunity to shrink his pitching staff and add another position player.

But given the uncertainty that comes with playing baseball in a stadium built for the Olympics and currently utilized for Premier League soccer, Cora didn't sound like he wanted to get too complicated with his roster.

"The dimensions are not great," he said. "It is what it is. We still have to pitch -- but we have to be smart, too."

Pitch, Hit & Run at Fenway

The Red Sox and Major League Baseball hosted the annual MLB Pitch, Hit & Run competition at Fenway Park on Saturday and honored several young athletes who won their respective divisions at the event.

Pitch, Hit & Run is MLB's official youth skills competition. The top 12 baseball and top 12 softball qualifiers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine competed at Fenway Park with hopes of advancing to the National Finals during 2019 MLB All-Star Week in Cleveland.

The winners:
• The 7- and 8-year-old Softball Division: Maddie Clayton from North Providence, R.I.
• The 7- and 8-year-old Baseball Division: Eric Ethier from North Providence, R.I.
• The 9- and 10-year-old Softball Division: Samantha Barton from Reading, Mass.
• The 9- and 10-year-old Baseball Division: August Backman from Waterbury, Vt.
• The 11- and 12-year-old Softball Division: Alaynah LeBlond from Old Orchard Beach, Maine
• The 11- and 12-year-old Baseball Division: Nyle Sim from Fitchburg, Mass.
• The 13- and 14-year-old Softball Division: Caroline Ricci from North Providence, R.I.
• The 13- and 14-year-old Baseball Division: Dane Sidell from Billerica, Mass.