Boston Red Sox "Truck Day" is here after a very quiet offseason
BOSTON -- The infield inside Fenway Park may be a bit frozen, but baseball is in the air outside of the home of the Red Sox. Monday was "Truck Day," signaling the unofficial start of spring training for Boston's baseball team.
While the excitement around the team is pretty low following an offseason that didn't move the needle, the Red Sox equipment truck is now going "full throttle" -- within the speed limit, of course -- to Fort Myers, Florida. Crews began loading the truck around 7 a.m. Monday morning, and once it was jampacked with anything and everything the team will need for spring training, it begin it's 1,480-mile trip down south.
Here's a rundown of just some of the items that were loaded onto the 53-foot truck and is now on its way down to Fort Myers:
- 20,400 baseballs
- 1,100 bats
- 200 batting gloves
- 200 batting helmets
- 320 batting practice tops
- 160 white game jerseys
- 300 pairs of pants
- 400 t-shirts
- 400 pairs of socks
- 20 cases of bubble gum
- 60 cases of sunflower seeds
WBZ-TV's Dan Roche wasn't listed on the ledger, and we can confirm that he was not successful in his bid to sneak aboard before it departed.
The annual Truck Day celebration began in 2003, and for the 27th straight year, Milford native Al Hartz will is behind the wheel of the equipment truck. There is one added pitstop on his route this year: The truck is stopping at Polar Park in Worcester on Monday afternoon, where WooSox mascots and fans will also hold a send-off celebration.
Red Sox pitchers and catchers will hold their first workout at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers on Feb. 14, with the team's first full-squad workout set for Feb. 19.