Boston Red Sox owner John Henry booed by fans as Fenway Park hosts NHL Winter Classic: “What a fall from grace”, “He needs to sell the team”
Boston Red Sox fans' discontent continued Monday as owner John Henry was booed while walking through the stands prior to the NHL Winter Classic that was being played at Fenway Park.
John Henry just walked through the stands and fans started to boo him.
It was a rough go for Red Sox fans in 2022, and the angst showed little sign of stopping in 2023. Boston lost shortstop Xander Bogaerts to free agency this winter and stood mostly silent as big-name free agents came off the board.
While the team did pony up to buy Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida in December, fans are anxious at the radio silence surrounding third baseman Rafael Devers, who could depart via free agency after this season.
My #WinterClassic message to John Henry @Jared_Carrabis https://t.co/jFJfxfHVrr
@JoeyMacHockey He deserves every bit. He potentially is the owner who didn't keep even ONE of his homegrown elite stars. (Betts, Bogaerts, Devers). From good ownership to one of the worst.
@JoeyMacHockey Make him answer for the Mookie Betts trade, the Xander Bogaerts loss and the Devers upcoming trade. Make him answer for it. He’s a coward.
John Henry has ownership stakes in the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool of the English Premier League, and the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins -- who play the Bruins in the Winter Classic.
The Red Sox, who hadn't won a World Series since 1918 when Henry assumed ownership in 2002, have won four championships since. However, there is a feeling in Boston that Henry and his ownership group are placing far less emphasis on the Red Sox's continued on-field success these days.
@JoeyMacHockey I was glad when he bought the Red Sox; he wanted to win. Now it feels like the spreadsheet is much more important than the standings. As a die hard fan, that won't cut it.
@JoeyMacHockey Good he deserves it for letting go 2 of the greatest players to wear the Red Sox uniform and about to let go another one. He needs to show up on tv and apologize to the fans or announce that he will be selling the team.
@JoeyMacHockey He supposed to see that also in ticket sales, especially in Season Ticket Sales - we demand a competitive club that will take us every year to the post season - Kudos to the booing crowd💪
The Boston Red Sox dipped from a 90-72 record in 2021 to 78-84 in 2022, good for dead-last in the American League East one season after falling in six games to the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. John Henry was largely invisible in Boston as his team hit the skids, leaving general manager Chaim Bloom to face the fire as the bad news flowed.
@JoeyMacHockey He has no interest in the teams he owns
@JoeyMacHockey He is a booable guy
What a fall from grace. And so avoidable! twitter.com/joeymachockey/…
Of course, not all fans understood the booing of John Henry. While these are dark days, there may be a good bit of, "What have you done for me lately?" going on from a spoiled fan base.
@JoeyMacHockey Imagine going 86 years without a title and booing the owner that brought you 4 since 2004. So weird to me.
Boston Red Sox have four titles with John Henry as owner
It is difficult to picture these days, since the Boston Red Sox have been one of the more successful MLB teams this century, but there was a time when the team had one of the longest title droughts in all sports.
Before the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, the team had not won a championship since 1918. Boston had made the World Series four times since (1946, 1967, 1975, 1986), but had lost in seven games every time.
Since John Henry bought the team, the Boston Red Sox have won the World Series four times (2004, 2007, 2013, 2018) and have been regular playoff participants.