In its first two games against the Orioles, Boston shows signs of what could be a turbulent 60-game sprint.
Jose Peraza stepped in for his first at-bat in a Boston uniform Friday night and promptly doubled home a run. “That one’s ripped,” NESN play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien said over the canned cheering, piped into the empty stands of Fenway Park. The only real applause came from the Red Sox themselves as Peraza popped up from his slide into second base and pointed to the dugout and his new teammates. “It is weird playing in a stadium without fans,” Peraza said Saturday, through an interpreter on a ZOOM call. “They give us so much energy and so much adrenaline when they’re out there… It really is different. Even when you have a good hit or make a good play defensively, you just (usually) hear the roars (of the crowd). It’s something you have to get used to. We understand why it has to happen. “I’m just trying to play the game that I love.” Yes, it’s weird but, for those who love baseball, weird is a requirement right now. With Fenway seats empty, it looked like one of those late, late games after a long rain delay when most of the fans have gone home. The canned cheers were not overdone, and the NESN crew of O’Brien, Dennis Eckersley and Jerry Remy were their professional and entertaining selves, even if they were watching the game from a NESN studio.
