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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 17, 2023 14:27:53 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 7m They're hoping to get Yankees-Sox in tonight. If anything changes, be sure to pass it along.
Be advised: with teams now playing divisional foes four times a year, not six, it's not so easy to ppd. a game until later in the season.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 17, 2023 16:37:22 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 46m Game ppd. Doubleheader tomorrow.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 17, 2023 16:42:42 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 49m With a doubleheader tomorrow, the middle of the week has some pitching question marks, it seems.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 17, 2023 18:34:12 GMT -5
Tanner Houck Suffers Facial Fracture
By Nick Deeds | June 17, 2023 at 5:23pm CDT
Red Sox starter Tanner Houck exited last night’s game against the Yankees in the fifth inning following a frightening incident that saw the right-hander struck in the face by a line drive off the bat of Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka. After walking off the field on his own power, Houck was checked out and received stitches at a local hospital last night. More information on Houck’s situation was revealed this evening, as the club announced on Twitter that the young right-hander had suffered a facial fracture and was currently resting at home, with follow-up appointments scheduled for next week that would determine a treatment plan and next steps for the pitcher.
While the news that Houck is safely home and avoided more catastrophic injury is certainly heartening, the news is nonetheless a major blow for both Houck and Boston. Just weeks shy of his 27th birthday, Houck was getting his first extended look as a member of the club’s starting rotation this season, and had performed solidly despite his 5.05 ERA in 13 starts leaving something to be desired. Much of Houck’s struggles in the run prevention department have been thanks to an unusually low strand rate of just 64.5%, as indicated by his stronger expected stats: in 2023, Houck sports a 3.86 xERA, a 4.22 FIP, and a 3.78 xFIP, all strong numbers bolstered by solid strikeout and walk rates of 22.5% and 8.1%, respectively.
Now, of course, Houck figures to head to the injured list in the coming days as he recovers from yesterday’s injury. That leaves the Red Sox in a bit of a bind regarding their rotation with Chris Sale also on the injured list while both Corey Kluber and Nick Pivetta have been recently demoted to the bullpen. Pivetta has taken well to his new role, with a 2.70 ERA across 13 1/3 innings in nine relief appearances. Both he and right-hander Josh Winckowski could be considered too vital to the club’s bullpen as things stand to step into the rotation, though Kluber’s 6.75 ERA in 52 innings between the rotation and bullpen are hardly an enticing option either.
The club has Bryan Mata, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter all starting at the Triple-A level while already on the 40-man roster, though each comes with checkered marks at the level. That being said, Murphy did pitch 3 1/3 scoreless relief innings for Boston earlier in an appearance earlier this season, leaving him as perhaps the most likely option of the trio should the club look to dip into the minor leagues to cover Houck’s next start, which had been scheduled for Wednesday in Minnesota.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 17, 2023 21:12:16 GMT -5
Cora annoyed by consecutive SNB games vs. Yankees: 'There's other teams' Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb 7h ago
The Red Sox will face the New York Yankees on ESPN's prime-time contest Sunday night for a second straight week. This fact is obviously bothering Cora, who ripped into the schedule-makers before the longtime rivals meet again under the lights at Fenway Park.
"I think it's too much sometimes. Back-to-back Sunday night games, with all due respect to ESPN, come on," Cora said Friday, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. "There's other teams out there and people want to watch them."
As two of MLB's most iconic brands, the Yankees and Red Sox have often been networks' first choices for national broadcasts. Last season, both teams made five appearances on Sunday Night Baseball, with four of those games against each other. This Sunday marks the third SNB appearance of 2023 for both teams, and the Yankees' third straight weekend on the program.
Though teams playing on SNB get the prime-time spotlight, they also must deal with unique postgame travel logistics. A late Sunday start means a later, and sometimes longer, flight out of town. In 2018, the Yankees successfully forced ESPN to take one of their games off SNB because of an early-afternoon start in another city the following day.
While the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one of the most storied and intense clashes in North American professional sports, it's going through a bit of a transitional phase. Yankees and ESPN television analyst David Cone, who pitched for both teams, recently stated the rivalry is "not the same" as it used to be.
Despite his feelings about Sunday night scheduling, Cora - a former commentator at ESPN - does feel the rivalry still has some extra juice to it.
"When it's the last four or five years people might be down, but we have played (each other) in two playoffs since '18," Cora said, per NESN's Gio Rivera.
"Before that, I don't know. It happened in '04 and then after that, we didn't play them in '07; '13 they didn't play, right? When they won the World Series in '09, they didn't play us. It all depends how you see it, but since '18, played in two series already and that was cool. ... It was very intense."
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 1:47:43 GMT -5
Yankees-Red Sox game postponed; split doubleheader set for Sunday June 17th, 2023 Ian Browne Ian Browne
@ianmbrowne Share
BOSTON -- The Red Sox and Yankees, baseball’s most storied rivals, will play a split doubleheader on Father’s Day.
This, after Saturday night’s game at Fenway Park was postponed due to a forecast of moderate to heavy rainfall in the Fenway area throughout the evening.
Tickets for Saturday’s game can be used for the rescheduled contest at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Game 2, as originally scheduled for Sunday Night baseball, is at 7:10 p.m. on ESPN. Each team’s cable outlet will carry Game 1 -- NESN for the Red Sox and YES for the Yankees.
Brayan Bello, who would have pitched on Saturday night for Boston, will start Game 2 of the doubleheader. The Red Sox have listed TBD for Game 1, and it will likely be a callup from the Minor Leagues. MLB teams are eligible to call up a 27th player for doubleheaders.
The Yankees are going with Clarke Schmidt in Game 1 and Luis Severino for the nightcap. James Paxton had originally been scheduled to start for the Red Sox on Sunday, but he will presumably pitch the opener of a four-game series in Minneapolis on Monday.
If the Sox had started both Bello and Paxton on Sunday, they would have needed a starter for Thursday. Instead, the Sox will call up a starter for Game 1 of the doubleheader and push the other starters back a day in the rotation.
After taking two out of three at Yankee Stadium last weekend, the Red Sox routed the Yankees, 15-5, in Friday night’s opener of this three-game series at Fenway Park.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 6:15:46 GMT -5
Healthy and excellent again, James Paxton savoring his chance to show Red Sox what he had left in the tank By Alex Speier Globe Staff,Updated June 17, 2023, 7:14 p.m.
While James Paxton hasn’t faced the Yankees this year — thanks to Saturday’s rainout, he won’t do so in this series — the lefthander is pitching in a way that is very familiar to them.
After missing nearly all of the 2020-22 seasons, Paxton is not only back on the mound, but evoking his pre-injury form with the Mariners and Yankees. In six starts with the Sox, he’s 2-1 with a 3.09 ERA and a 33 percent strikeout rate that ranks sixth-best in the big leagues in that time.
The 34-year-old is averaging 96 miles per hour on his fastball, third-hardest among lefthanded starters, while also featuring a curveball and cutter that are swing-and-miss weapons and a timing disrupting changeup.
It seemed fair to wonder after his years on the sidelines whether Paxton — whose scheduled Sunday night start was bumped back to Monday in Minnesota — would ever again perform at such a level. Yet Paxton remained convinced his peak hadn’t passed.
“I felt like I wasn’t done. I felt like I still had some left in the tank to give, and I still feel like I do,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of injuries over my career. I think I’ve got some bullets saved up. And the arm feels great out there right now.”
It’s showing. Manager Alex Cora recently suggested the pitcher’s performance reminded him of how the lefthander looked in 2017, when Cora was the Astros bench coach and Paxton (12-5 with a 2.98 ERA as a 28-year-old) was a Mariners ace. Related: On baseball | Rainout washes away a chance for scuffling Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall to get on track
Paxton said that he feels more like the pitcher he was in 2018, the year when he had a no-hitter and a 16-strikeout game for Seattle, and with the Yankees in 2019 following an offseason trade, when he went 10-0 with a 2.51 ERA in his final 11 starts.
“The first half of 2019, I was not throwing the ball that well. That was my first time pitching in New York and I was kind of getting used to that,” Paxton recalled. “And then second half in New York, I kind of got comfortable being there and throwing the ball well. I kind of feel like that’s where I’ve kind of picked up from.”
Paxton pitched that year in three postseason games, including a standout performance in Game 5 of the ALCS, but in 2020 had back surgery in spring training and then a forearm strain after five starts in the pandemic-shortened season. That ultimately began his years-long struggle to stay healthy.
“I had a great experience there. Fantastic people over there, really helped me a lot. It was great playing in front of the fans in New York,” said Paxton. “I just really enjoyed the baseball experience there.”
Healthy again, he is enjoying his experience on the northern side of the rivalry, elated to once again be in position to take the mound on his turn. After years simply being a rehabber, he is once again embracing the challenges and possibilities of pitching — adapting his arsenal game after game based on the gameplan as well as his strengths and weaknesses on a given day.
As he does so, Paxton’s impact has gone from purely theoretical to quickly becoming pivotal. His mid-May return has roughly coincided with the emergence of the Sox rotation as one of the better ones in baseball in that stretch. Sox starters have a 3.51 ERA since mid-May; if the team is to make a push toward contention, the continued success of that group will be critical.
Paxton recognized that responsibility, yet tried to downplay it.
“It’s not something you can take out to the mound with you. We’re out there doing everything we can to be the best we can that day no matter what. I’m not really thinking about what the team needs, because I can’t,” said Paxton. “I have to be focused solely on what I’m trying to accomplish on the mound. So each day I’m going out there when I’m pitching and just giving it everything I’ve got.”
Of course, if Paxton continues to perform in this fashion but the Red Sox do not narrow the gap in the standings, his season could take on a very different direction — and location. Paxton, eligible for free agency after the season, could emerge as one of the most attractive trade targets in the game as a rental starter who is making just $4 million this year.
“That’s the game. We all know what happens when things like this happen,” said Paxton. “I hope that we can turn this thing around and get into a good position in the standings to make the postseason. That’s the goal right now, to get on a hot streak and get this team where it wants to go. I’m just going to take things one day at a time, focus on doing my job here the best I can for this team, and whatever happens happens.”
For a pitcher who has spent so little time on the mound in recent years, the opportunity to contemplate the pitching future — Paxton said he wants to pitch as long as his arm and his wife will allow him to do so — represents a welcome departure.
“This is great. Just being healthy and being able to go to work on pitching stuff is the best,” he said. “I’m feeling really good about where my body’s at, where my mechanics are, my mind-set on the mound. I’m trying to keep that going.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 6:17:09 GMT -5
Rainout washes away a chance for scuffling Red Sox slugger Adam Duvall to get on track By Peter Abraham Globe Staff,Updated June 17, 2023, 8:12 p.m.
The Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park was rained out on Saturday. Just what Adam Duvall didn’t need.
The center fielder is 3 for 22 with 10 strikeouts over seven games since being activated off the injured list and hasn’t driven in a run. A day off doesn’t help him change that.
Duvall broke his left wrist trying to make a diving catch in center field against Detroit on April 9. He played seven games with Triple A Worcester on a rehabilitation assignment before rejoining the Red Sox on June 9.
“It felt almost like an offseason being out that long,” Duvall said. “It feels like spring training now. It always takes me a while to get my timing and get the contact point right. Then I go.
“But it’s a different situation now being in the season. These at-bats are all important and I’m not where I need to be yet.”
That Duvall was 15 of 33 with 10 extra-base hits and 14 RBIs over eight games before he was injured only made it worse. He felt almost invincible at the plate, then had his arm wrapped in a cast a day later.
It’s nothing new. Duvall played only 86 games for the Atlanta Braves last season because of surgery on his left wrist to repair a torn tendon sheath. That also came on a defensive play. He ran into a wall at Truist Park chasing a foul ball off the bat of Angels star Shohei Ohtani. Duvall missed the final 10½ weeks of the season and the postseason.
The fracture was on a different spot than the tendon issue. But the previous injury was a complicating factor.
“We had to make sure I had fully healed,” Duvall said. “It’s frustrating to have that happen again.”
Duvall became a free agent after the season and signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Red Sox that included a $500,000 bonus for reaching 350 plate appearances and $500,000 each for 400, 450, and 500.
Duvall would have earned an additional $1 million for getting to 550 plate appearances. In all he could have added $3 million with a healthy full season.
To this point, Duvall has only 62 plate appearances. So that broken wrist hurt his bank account, too.
“The only thing I can do is keep playing and keep seeing pitches,” Duvall said. “It’ll synch up and one day it’ll go boom.”
When that happens for Duvall, home runs come in bunches.
The Sox, who are heavy with lefthanded hitters, need Duvall’s righthanded power to balance their lineup, something he did almost perfectly the first week of the season.
Sox manager Alex Cora has been patient with Duvall, trusting that he’ll heat up once he gets enough at-bats. Meanwhile, the 35-35 Sox need a team-wide hot streak to make something of the season.
That’s another issue that will have a direct impact on Duvall.
He is 34, signed to a one-year contract, and has 27 games of playoff experience that include helping the Braves win the 2021 World Series. If the Sox are out of contention in July, Duvall is a prime candidate to be traded.
After last season’s convoluted — and ultimately unsuccessful — buy-and-sell strategy that chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom tried at the trade deadline, the Sox are likely to trade away veterans this season if they remain in last place.
Duvall gets it. The Sox are his fifth team over 10 seasons in the majors and he’s already been traded three times at the deadline. He went from the Giants to the Reds in 2015; from the Reds to the Braves in 2018; and from the Marlins to the Braves in 2021.
“I like it here,” Duvall said. “I feel like with the players we have, we can make a run. There’s a lot of talent. I want to be part of that.”
For now, he needs at-bats, not rainouts.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 6:19:16 GMT -5
RED SOX NOTEBOOK Tanner Houck suffered a facial fracture when he was hit by a line drive Friday By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated June 17, 2023, 7:40 p.m.
Tanner Houck suffered a facial fracture when he was hit by a line drive Friday night, the Red Sox announced following Saturday evening’s rainout against the Yankees.
Houck was hit below his right eye by a Kyle Higashioka comebacker during the fifth inning of the 15-5 win. He immediately dropped to his knees as the ball trickled to Rafael Devers at third base. Trainers came out to tend to Houck, placing a towel over his face, and Houck walked off with them down the tunnel.
“I was hoping he got a glove on it,” Higashioka said Saturday afternoon. “I wasn’t sure exactly if it squared him up, but once I was able to turn around, it definitely looked like it was pretty bad. Some of the [Red Sox] players told me during the game that he was doing alright.”
Higashioka, who was teammates with Rob Refsnyder while the latter was with the Yankees, said he reached out to the Sox outfielder to check on Houck. Seeing something like that happen shook him up some.
“We all want to compete on the field. You want to knock him out of the game by getting hits or whatever. You don’t want to see him go down with an injury. It’s just not something I enjoy seeing,” Higashioka said. “I’m glad that it wasn’t as bad as it could have possibly been.”
Garrett Whitlock, who is best friends with Houck, visited him and said he is in good spirits.
Houck’s status puts the Sox rotation in a bit of a murky situation. James Paxton, originally scheduled to pitch Sunday night, was pushed back to Monday’s opener of a four-game series in Minnesota against the Twins. Righthanders Kutter Crawford and Whitlock are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, with Thursday still to be determined.
The team announced the pitching moves, but manager Alex Cora was not made available to the media on Saturday.
Game off
Heavy rains and a forecast of more throughout the evening washed out Saturday’s middle game of the weekend set with the Yankees.
The teams will instead play a split doubleheader on Sunday, with tickets for the rainout good for the 1:35 p.m. start, which will air on NESN. The previously scheduled 7:10 p.m. start will be on ESPN, the second straight “Sunday Night Baseball” to feature the rivals.
Brayan Bello, who was due to start Saturday, will pitch in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday. His last outing came in that Sunday night victory, where he tossed seven innings, yielding just three hits and two runs in a no-decision. The Red Sox did not immediately announce a starter for Game 1. The Yankees will start Saturday’s scheduled starter Clarke Schmidt in the opener and Luis Severino in the nightcap. Academy robbed
The Red Sox player development academy in the Dominican Republic was robbed early Saturday morning. Thieves broke into the gated complex and stole baseball equipment and other items from the facility, which is in the Santo Domingo suburb of Boca Chica.
Other major league teams have had similar incidents in recent years. No players or staff members were at the complex at the time of the crime.
Local police are investigating. Celebrations
The Red Sox will celebrate Juneteenth before Sunday night’s game, with WWE announcer and New Bedford native Samantha Irvin singing both “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the Black national anthem. The hymn was originally written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900.
The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Boston’s Ben Haith, the creator of the Juneteenth flag and the founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation.
On Monday, Sox officials plan to partake in the grand opening of the Negro League Baseball Museum’s new exhibit at Emerson College, “Barrier Breakers: From Jackie to Pumpsie.” It details the story of African American baseball players who integrated Major League Baseball, including Jackie Robinson, who joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, whose ascension to the Red Sox in 1959 made them the last team to integrate.
The free exhibit is scheduled to be open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Aug. 4 at 118 Boylston Street.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 6:26:22 GMT -5
Yankees @ Red Sox Sunday, 18th June 2023 Double Header
Game 1/ 1:30pm/ NESN/ YES
Schmidt 2-6/4. 70
TBA
Game 2/ 7pm/ ESPN
Severino 0-1/ 6.48
Bello 3-4/ 3.78
Red Sox getting better of Yankees going into doubleheader FLM
Meeting for the first time this season in Boston, the Red Sox and New York Yankees will conclude their three-game series with a day-night doubleheader on Sunday.
The Red Sox have had the upper hand in the rivalry so far this season, taking two of three games in the Bronx last weekend before rolling to Friday's 15-5 win.
Led by Justin Turner's 3-for-5 performance that included two home runs and six RBIs, Boston set season-high marks for runs and hits on Friday. The Red Sox have scored 27 runs over their last three games.
"It seems like every game we have played has been in the 50s, and (Friday), it felt like summer," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. "You know how it plays here in the summer and the ball will carry. And the guys did an outstanding job putting pressure on (Yankees starter Domingo) German. We did some great things. We put pressure on their defense."
After a rainy Saturday, Boston looks to continue its success behind a shuffled pitching rotation.
Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.78 ERA) will start Game 2 after being initially slated to work on Saturday. The Red Sox have yet to name a starter for the first game of the twin bill.
Bello has a 2.80 ERA over his last eight starts, which included seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball last Sunday in New York. Three of the 24-year-old's last four starts have spanned at least six frames.
"He came back up (from Triple-A Worcester) with a great attitude," Red Sox utility man Enrique Hernandez said of Bello. "Same story as last year (when) he takes the mound. He seems like he gets better. I think he is mature beyond his years."
The Yankees will trot out the hurlers who were originally lined up to pitch the final two games of the series.
Game 1 starter Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.70) boasts a 2.33 ERA over his last five starts. The right-hander took a no-decision despite allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings opposite Bello last Sunday.
Entering the opener of Sunday's doubleheader, New York is 11-13 against American League East teams and 28-18 against squads from all other divisions.
"Through this stretch where it's been tough for us over the last 10 days, we've played really well," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "We just haven't put a lot of points on the board. (Friday) we were at least able to get some runs on the board, but overall, we just did not play a very clean game."
In the nightcap, Luis Severino (0-1, 6.48) will look for his first win of 2023. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a Subway Series game against the Mets, which the Yankees eventually won 7-6.
Severino has only surpassed the five-inning mark once this season (May 27 against San Diego) and has given up five or more earned runs in two of his last three outings.
Combining those games, Severino has covered just 13 2/3 innings and has allowed 16 earned runs on 22 hits. He has also surrendered seven homers during that span.
"I didn't get better," Severino said. "I need to be a better pitcher. I feel like every time they give me the ball, I'm not helping the team right now. I just need to figure out what's going on. Hopefully, I can do that soon."
--Field Level Media
Yankees at Red Sox Sunday, at 1:35 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 67° F with a 17% chance of precipitation and 11 MPH wind blowing left to right in Boston at 1:35 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
Yankees at Red Sox Sunday, at 7:10 PM EST Partly Cloudy It's expected to be 66° F with a 12% chance of precipitation and 7 MPH wind blowing in in Boston at 7:10 PM EST. Hourly Forecasts: Weather.com
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 10:14:28 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 1h * Houck to IL * Ort recalled * Murphy extra player for the DH
Yankees added RHP Greg Weissert as their extra player.
Game 1 Schmidt vs Ort and bullpen
1. Jake Bauers (L) LF 2. Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH 3. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B 4. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B 5. DJ LeMahieu (R) 3B 6. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (R) CF 7. Billy McKinney (L) RF 8. Jose Trevino (R) C 9. Anthony Volpe (R) SS
1. Alex Verdugo (L) RF 2. Justin Turner (R) 1B 3. Rafael Devers (L) 3B 4. Adam Duvall (R) CF 5. Masataka Yoshida (L) DH 6. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B 7. Jarren Duran (L) LF 8. Enrique Hernandez (R) SS 9. Connor Wong (R) C
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 10:15:47 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 47m #RedSox rotation at the moment:
Game 1: Ort and bullpen Game 2: Bello Mon: Paxton Tue: Crawford Wed: Whitlock Thu: TBD
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 10:25:45 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 55s Not ideal.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 10:49:29 GMT -5
Christopher Smith @smittyonmlb · 3m Oh good. It’s raining
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Jun 18, 2023 11:07:34 GMT -5
Ian Browne @ianmbrowne · 4m At Fenway, we went from steady rain to glaring sun in a matter of minutes. Weather has been so indecisive lately.
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