AP photo
Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, right, watches batting practice with pitchers John Lackey, center, and Jon Lester prior to their baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park in Boston Monday.
BOSTON -- If Monday morning batting practice was any indication, it's going to be a long year for cars parked on Lansdowne Street this season. Mike Napoli spent his entire session in the cage pummeling baseballs over the Green Monster, including one that struck well over halfway up a light stanchion.
Welcome to Opening Day at Fenway Park -- the first time donning a white uniform on Yawkey Way for the likes of Napoli, Ryan Dempster, Jonny Gomes, Joel Hanrahan, David Ross and Shane Victorino.
"Everyone that's come in here as a visiting player understands what the atmosphere in Fenway is," said John Farrell, likewise managing his first home game with the Red Sox. "Guys like Ross, Gomes, Victorino, Dempster -- all the guys that signed as free agents -- today is the first day they get to taste that in a Red Sox uniform. Heck, I'm no different. This is a great day, and we're looking forward to getting things underway."
A strong start to the season already has lifted the pall that the two previous season cast over the franchise. Exciting youngsters like Jackie Bradley Jr. (not in the lineup Monday with the Orioles throwing lefty Wei-Yin Chen) and Will Middlebrooks (who hit three home runs at Toronto on Sunday) are reason for even more excitement.
But no matter how the team was doing, Opening Day at Fenway Park always is a special day.
"It's a great opportunity to soak in the history of this ballpark, the history of the fans, and to stand on that same line that many legends have," Gomes said. "I'll take it all in. I'd like to get caught up in it. But at the same time, once I cross those lines, that's when it's time to check in."
The lineup:
CF Ellsbury
RF Victorino
2B Pedroia
1B Napoli
3B Middlebrooks
LF Nava
DH Gomes
C Ross
SS Iglesias
P Buchholz
Twitter: @brianmacp