Boston Red Sox fans react to mass of shirtless revellers in outfield stands during Fenway Park rain delay: "Our way of attracting Shohei Ohtani"
The Boston Red Sox had to endure a pair of rain delays during the team's annual "Patriots Day" game at Fenway Park on Monday.
First pitch was pushed back by nearly an hour due to rain and was then interrupted again as the clouds opened up after the hosts fell behind 5-1 to the Los Angeles Angels.
With it feeling like "another one of those days" for the home team, a mass of youthful male fans in centerfield took it upon themselves to make their own entertainment during the second rain delay of approximately 90 minutes.
Woodstock ‘99 is happening in the centerfield bleachers at Fenway Park right now. https://t.co/imubMLIg74
Shirts came flying off and beers were chugged at an accelerated rate. Chants were chanted, songs were sung, and adult beverages began being imbibed out of shoes. All-in-all, fairly unique behavior for the early hours of a Monday afternoon.
However, it is Beantown on "Marathon Monday." Every year, on the third Monday in April, on the same day as the marathon, the Boston Red Sox play host to the only morning game on the entire MLB schedule. The annual contest is part of the city's festivities to commemorate "Patriots Day", a federally recognized holiday in Massachusetts.
The Red Sox have been scheduled to play at home on Patriot Day every year since 1960, except for when the team had an off day in 1967 and during the MLB players' strike in 1995.
Many Bostonians enjoyed watching the antics of their fellow Red Sox fans turning the outfield into a fraternity party as the rain came pouring down. More than a few observers jokingly suggested that fans were looking to do their part in bringing Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani, a prospective free agent, to Boston this winter.
@JomboyMedia Apparently the beer kept flowing during the rain delay.
@JomboyMedia Marathon Monday in Boston is a beautiful thing.
@JomboyMedia There really about to have a whole rave back there lmaooo
@JomboyMedia This is our way of attracting shohei ohtani
@JomboyMedia @TalkinBaseball_ Japanese baseball culture has arrived in Boston.
@JomboyMedia Just like that, Boston is back in the Shohei sweepstakes!
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello did not have as much fun as the centerfield fans did on Monday. The young starter was smited for five earned runs over 2-2/3 innings, coughing up four runs in the first inning.
@JomboyMedia With numbers like that, there's likely quite a few blasts... https://t.co/ECyvoLplFD
@JomboyMedia I wanted to question if that was actually today, but then I saw 16.88 on the scoreboard and yup that definitely feels like Bello’s current ERA after that start😂😂😂
@Jared_Carrabis The fellas are having themselves a day at the old ball yard
@Jared_Carrabis This is the definition of boys will be boys and I absolutely love it
There's nothing like having fun at the old ballpark. With the "Patriots Day" holiday emboldening this group of fans to higher levels of hijinx on Monday, there might be a lot of hurting heads in Boston come Tuesday morning.
Boston Red Sox hovering around .500
Despite much of the doom-and-gloom surrounding the team, the Boston Red Sox entered Monday's game with an 8-8 record. But that was still only good enough for last place in the ultra-competitive American League East.
After Monday's game against the Angels, the Red Sox will host the Minnesota Twins in a three-game series before traveling to Milwaukee.