BOSTON — The home clubhouse at Fenway Park was a little more crowded than usual an hour before first pitch Monday. The Red Sox were gearing up to try to keep their winning ways going in the opening game of a homestand against the Blue Jays — but that mattered little when their guests arrived.
Ahead of a pregame ceremony to honor their NBA championship, the Celtics descended upon the tight quarters the Red Sox call home in the first base concourse at Fenway and the two teams had what can best be described as the professional sports version of a mixer before Joe Mazzulla’s team was introduced on the field before the game. Celtics players, including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, walked the Larry O’Brien Trophy through the room and interacted with Red Sox players and coaches who were excited to congratulate them.
It was an unorthodox scene so close to game time, but one that seemed to inspire the Red Sox, who came back from a four-run deficit in the eighth inning and walked off with a 7-6 win for their eighth victory in nine tries. In front of a crowd of 35,856 that manager Alex Cora called the best at Fenway since 2021, the Red Sox gave the C’s a reason to cheer from them from a suite down the right field line.
“The environment was incredible,” Cora said. “They were in the clubhouse at 6:15. All the players, all the coaches, families. It was different. But there’s only one chance to have the NBA champions in your clubhouse. We were prepared for the game and then all of the sudden, you see elite athletes talking about stuff.”
Diehard NBA fan Kenley Jansen, a Lakers supporter dating back to even before his time with the Dodgers, playfully refused to wear green on a Celtics-themed road trip earlier this month. Knowing the Celtics’ title would give them the all-time edge over the Lakers (18 titles to Los Angeles’ 17), he was reluctant to root for the basketball team in his adopted hometown. On Monday, though, Jansen was front and center to greet the players that came into the clubhouse — and in his sage veteran mind, the meeting was one that could have a real impact on the Red Sox.
“It’s about embracing the moment. See what champions feel like,” Jansen said. “Seeing them in here gives you that atmosphere and gives you that feel to be in that situation. I played 10 years in the playoffs, three years in the World Series and won the World Series title (in 2020). There’s nothing better than to be in those situations and that spot. I want each of these young guys to embrace the moment, go out there and not take their foot off the gas.’
In the minutes before first pitch, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner caught up with C’s owner Wyc Grousbeck, Cora spent some time with Mazzulla and players, including Monday starter Tanner Houck, shook hands and took pictures with players and the trophy. Jansen talked to most of the Celtics but had one specific goal in mind during the meet-and-greet: to congratulate veteran big man Al Horford.
“This guy grinded his whole career and finally, he got it,” Jansen said. “So I’m happy for him.”
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For one night, one of the greatest closers in baseball history was able to put his allegiance aside.
“I’m a Laker fan and will always be,” he said. “But as a professional athlete, it is awesome to watch these guys and get to know them and see how they bust their butt and grind it out the whole season to win a championship. It’s amazing. I’m happy for all of them and I’m happy for Boston, too.
“The city of Boston deserved this. The year and a half I’ve been here now, understanding these fans and walking around the city, there’s nothing better than being in Boston. This city deserves the best all the time. It’s a very loyal fan base. They can be hard but they get the sports. They get baseball. If you’re out there busting your butt, they appreciate you.”
After two errors and a mammoth Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homer culminated in a five-run seventh for the Blue Jays, the Red Sox — at the behest of the lively crowd — didn’t quit easily, rallying back in the eighth. David Hamilton homered to make it 6-4. Romy González hit a game-tying single as a pinch-hitter. All throughout the rally, the Fenway Park video board showed Mazzulla, Brown, Derrick White and others pumping up the crowd from their seats. The energy was palpable.
“Overall, they did an amazing job using them to get the fans going,” Cora said.
The Red Sox, unlike the C’s, did not enter the season with championship expectations. Even at 43-36 after a recent hot streak, they’re not considered one of the game’s elite teams. It’s not very likely that they’ll be, in kind, welcomed to TD Garden to celebrate a World Series trophy on the parquet floor this fall. But there are signs of life as the midway point approaches, and veterans like Jansen are seeing the growth in real time.
“There’s still low expectations,” Jansen said. “Nobody’s gonna take us serious until we get there. We’ve just got to keep learning. We’re a very young team. Everybody knows we’re young. We’ve just got to keep playing like this.
“I can’t control what the front office is going to do but this is a pretty good team and they’re learning fast at a high level.”
Both in the clubhouse and on the field, it was a night Jansen and his teammates won’t soon forget.
“The timing was more to appreciate the moment,” Jansen said. “Appreciate and celebrate with them because they’re World Champions. There’s nothing better than that.”
