01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

[crowd chatters indistinctly]

[single key clacks]

[keyboard clacking]

- [Cora] Good job.

- [Giolito] Thank you.

[Andrew] All right,

baby. Murphy in the game.

Thanks.

[single key clacks]

[crowd chatter fades out]

[Sean] I think the perception when

this project was announced was

this seems an odd time

to pull back the curtain

and invite a

no-holds-barred look

at a team that is, frankly,

expected to finish last again

and to do so for the

third straight year.

[moderator] Please welcome to the stage

Red Sox president and CEO, Sam Kennedy,

and chief baseball operations

for the new year, Craig Breslow.

[crowd booing, whistling]

[Sam] I want you to know that…

- [booing subsides]

- …the boos, the anger,

the hate that we

see on social media,

we… we get it, we understand it.

It is our job to turn things

around so we can make you proud,

and there's only one way to

turn the boos into applause.

- [crowd heckles]

- And that's winning baseball games.

- And we have to win games.

- No question.

This is not the LA Dodgers,

where it's World Series or bust

and Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto

and a million stars,

including Mookie Betts.

This is not a team that is now

a regular October participant,

and the fact that this project is being

undertaken in the face of all that,

I think has fans wondering,

"Where are the priorities here?"

"Is it to enhance the Red Sox brand,

or is it to win baseball games?"

[mellow, intriguing music plays]

Given the expectations for the

team at the start of the season,

it was something of a pleasant

surprise for the first road trip.

[crowd murmuring]

[Sean] And just when it seemed like

they were building a little momentum…

- [cheering]

- [commentator 1] Hot shot.

- Diving play by Story, but he cannot.

- [commentator 2] Oh no.

- [commentator 1] Oh, he's in pain here.

- [commentator 2] Oh no.

He is writhing in agony and…

and a hand on his shoulder.

[Sean] It was just a crippling blow

right out of the starter's gate.

[Cora] I was surprised

he dove for it.

- [music continues]

- [Cora] And then I saw Raffy.

He went like this,

right? His reaction.

And I was like, "No way."

You know, like, he did everything

that we asked him to do,

and, uh… I knew how important

he was for us defensively.

[Casas] That's an

irreplaceable-type player.

That's… that's an All-star

caliber shortstop.

A middle-of-the-order bat.

There's no trade piece

that can fill that hole.

Unfortunately, as much as I

love everybody in the org,

there's nobody

replacing him, you know?

He's just the best athlete

on the field at all times.

Trevor is just a leader in

every sense of the word.

I mean, he just

leads by example.

He holds everybody

accountable, including himself,

and he expects a certain level of

excellence that we all feed off of.

[man 1] How tough was it when

you seemed to be in a great place

coming out of Spring Training?

[clicks tongue] You know, missing

last season, you… you feel that.

You know, you… you

miss your teammates.

You miss playing the game. Um…

But… [clicks tongue]

…you know, I get to…

[sniffles, clicks tongue]

[voice breaks] …spend more time

with my kids, you know? So…

- [reporters] Thank you.

- [reporter 1] Appreciate it. Best of luck.

[man 2] Yeah, losing

Trevor Story is, uh…

That's not… that's

not what you want,

um, if you're the Boston Red Sox,

because, uh, having a great defender,

not a good, a great defender at shortstop,

like Trevor Story, was such a luxury

to enjoy for nine

and a half games.

[man 3] Without a plus

shortstop there… I don't know.

I think you start

to fall into a range

where you're putting more

pressure on the pitching staff.

And I know the right

mentality's to be like,

"Who's next?" and, you know,

"Let's keep this rolling."

"Sox are seven and three."

But I just feel genuinely

terrible for 'em.

[man 4] You talked a lot in

Spring Training about, you know,

Trevor's leadership

on the infield.

Who… who among your players now can

kind of fill that role to some degree?

Right now, we got a bunch of young guys

that they're getting their feet wet,

so, um, you know, I think we have

to help 'em out to… to do that.

You know, we got a bunch

of, uh, ex-utility guys

that used to play good defense,

so we're trying to help 'em

out as much as possible.

[host 1] Back to the phones. Mike

is in Weymouth. Mike, what you got?

[Mike] Hey, Mazz, why would I

wanna show up to Fenway right now

when ownership's not

putting money into the team?

- [host 2] They're in second place!

- [Mazz] Exactly!

Don't hang up, but let

me ask you a question.

What if the team's better

than you think it is?

[Mike] It doesn't matter. At the

end, they're not gonna win anything.

I… I… I don't think this city

wants just to be competitive.

If we're not gonna win and

ownership's not gonna commit,

why should we commit?

[host 2] I thought

out there, out west,

they had a little bit of a

vibe that "we'll show you."

[Mazz] Right. Yeah.

[Mike] I was offered four

free tickets the other day,

but until they put money

back into the team,

I'm not stepping

foot in that dump.

[jaunty music plays]

[man 1] I'm watching everybody.

Make sure you cross at

the crosswalk, okay?

So here we are, Fenway Park, oldest

ballpark in Major League Baseball.

Opened our doors

April 20th, 1912.

Of the 30 Major League ballparks,

23 were built after 1990,

just to give you a little idea of how

old we really are here at Fenway Park.

So follow me in.

Let's go see Fenway.

- [jaunty music continues]

- [player] Yeesh.

This season's gonna be, uh… It's

gonna be challenging for them.

Uh… but we're always optimistic.

Seriously thinking, knowing

a little bit about baseball,

I really don't think we're

going anywhere this year.

If we can get through

these next two months

and still stay

out of last place,

we'll be damn lucky.

[Bob] Let's talk about the

wall, the Green Monster.

First and foremost, three

guys operate that scoreboard.

Very prestigious job here at

Fenway. Just be aware though.

No heat, no A/C, no running water, no

restrooms inside the Green Monster.

They got Wi-Fi, but

that's about it.

[man 2] This is my third

year working for the Red Sox

as a scoreboard

operator, and I love it.

Super, super fun.

Get to watch the game in a

really unique spot of the park.

Just watch your step right here.

You know, we've got these really

cool, sort of, you know, little holes

that you can look out through and

watch the game, uh, in real time.

We've got numbers here. Uh,

numbers sort of everywhere.

[TJ] I really wanted

a new stadium.

I really did.

People say, "Oh, no,

this is beautiful."

Little do they know that

it's really falling apart.

[man 3] It's tiny.

The seats are cramped.

I know some of the other stadiums

have a lot more amenities.

But this place is home. This is

where the heart is, right here.

[director] How's the

team gonna do this year?

Uh… I don't think too well.

[chuckles] I hope they do.

I'll still be with them.

We'll be better than

the Mets, I know that.

- Heads up, guys. We got cars coming in.

- [cop 1] Send it.

- [cop 2] Send it.

- [O'Connor] Send it in.

You got the ticket.

Talk to Jimmy.

[Dan] I think there's a

lot of youth on this team.

- Attaboy.

- [Dan] Hopefully they get to the playoffs.

And hopefully they, uh… they

surprise a lot of people.

I'm optimistic.

[man 4] We had a great

road trip, started at 7-3,

but we've had a couple of

gut-wrenching injuries right now,

especially to Trevor Story.

- It's serious shoulder surgery, so…

- [woman] Wow.

It's gonna be the

season, it looks like.

But, um… I think we're gonna

make the playoffs this year.

Andrew Bailey, our

pitching coach,

has made a huge difference

in the rotation.

[Andrew] Field out in front,

just a… just a hair more.

[Polino] If all of that holds up

and we can stay relatively healthy,

I think we'll make the

postseason this year.

[music fades]

- [player 1] Oh my…

- [player 2 chuckles] Oh my God.

[player 1] Dear goodness.

[Andrew] You guys

have the same arsenal.

It's just a different slot and a

slightly different sinker profile.

[Whitlock] Slightly different?

He's throwing the changeup at 96.

- Well… [chuckles]

- [players chuckle]

[Whitlock] I appreciate you

trying to be nice to me,

but it's not gonna hurt my feelings

you telling me he's better than me.

- [Andrew] He's not.

- [Whitlock chuckles]

- [thwack]

- [Andrew] Just as good.

I'm really confident in

the pitching staff we have.

We have a ton of talent,

and we have a ton of depth.

I don't know where the

organization will go.

I just know that if

we stay our course

and pitch the way that we need to

pitch, we will be where we need to be.

You are gonna challenge

each other for the Cy Young.

- How about that one? That'd be sick.

- [Whitlock] That would be sick.

[Andrew] Sabotage his, like,

last start in the year, like…

What I wanna say about

Andrew Bailey is,

if he didn't play ten

years in the big leagues,

his opinions about pitching would

be, like, considered ridiculous.

He's not shy to do something that

the media may say they don't like

or is weird or old-timers in

baseball will disagree with him.

What is best for the

players, he's gonna do.

[woman] Fastball usage has

been definitely different.

Um, and I know that's something

that you had talked about…

[Craig] We are dead last in

fastballs thrown overall,

and that is a very, very

deliberate strategy.

Historically, fastballs have the highest

expected batting average against,

the highest expected

slug against,

so if you have a pitch that gets

hit harder than most other pitches,

why you would make

that the dominant pitch

and the one you throw most

frequently is beyond me.

Spin soft play,

especially this team.

Couple of these guys are

hunting heaters early.

We land. We're down

their throats, 0-1.

Use your off-speed weapons. Um…

[Craig] It's remarkably simple.

Why don't you ask them to do things

they're good at more frequently?

And that's what we're doing.

[Andrew] Baseball has evolved immensely

with information and technology.

And we know what plays at

the Major League level,

for the most part, in terms of

velocity and movement profiles

and how to help

players get there.

When your torso and your pelvis are

going home, your knee's kicking out.

Yeah.

[coach] You can see…

[Andrew] Maybe we can

show them a thing or two,

if they wanna dive

into biomechanics,

if they wanna dive into

pitch design, whatever.

You get this way, so you

have to kind of pull…

To generate power or speed.

[Andrew] Baseball is

a pretty fluid sport.

We have some ideas,

and we think things are

going to work a certain way.

We don't really fully

know the outcomes.

So my goal, ultimately, is like,

we want our players to be their

own best pitching coaches.

[Crawford] I've

taken bits and pieces

from, you know, a lot of

people over the years.

The best advice that I've gotten is,

you know, what… what's the best pitch?

You know, it's… it's a very simple

answer, and it was strike one.

["Where Everybody

Knows Your Name" plays]

Making your way

in the world… ♪

Outside of Fenway Park here, fans

excited about the season to come,

but definitely some mixed emotions about

how this team will perform this year.

[man 1] They didn't put their

best foot forward offseason

to try and make this team better

than it was last year, it seems.

- [man 2] What are you hoping this year?

- A better season.

[reporter] Well, today, the

organization looking to the past,

honoring the 2004 team that broke

the curse, now 20 years ago.

- [man 3] Ortiz!

- [man 4] Ortiz!

Coming back in town, you know,

reviving all these memories,

it feels great, man.

Sometimes you wanna go ♪

Where everybody

knows your name… ♪

- [crowd] Go Red Sox!

- And they're always glad you came ♪

- You wanna be where you can see ♪

- Ah-ah ♪

- Our troubles are all the same ♪

- Ah-ah ♪

You wanna be ♪

- Where everybody knows your name ♪

- [announcer] Good afternoon.

Welcome to Fenway Park

for the first game at Fenway

Park of the 2024 season.

The Red Sox entering

with a record of 7-3,

taking on the divisional champions

from 2023, the Baltimore Orioles,

who won 101 games last year.

Red Sox coming off a great trip, in

which they went 7-3 on the West Coast.

You know, the Red Sox, Joe, came

back off the West Coast flying high.

All the momentum in the world,

even with the news of

the Trevor Story injury.

It's so hard to see Trevor Story

in the sling in the dugout,

after all the work he put

in, how he was emerging.

[Joe] He'll have

surgery on Friday.

[Will] They now unfurl the 2004

World Series Champions banner.

Something tells me we're about

to see some very familiar faces

coming out of the

left field corner.

[cheering, whistling]

It just is impossible to overstate

what that team meant to this region.

[Joe] I'm sure it's really quite

moving for the current players.

Some of 'em may not know what

happened in '04, they're so young.

[Duran] I was a young cub, but,

you know, I grew up a Red Sox fan,

so I'll pick some of their brains today

and see what they have to tell me.

- [man] Pick Manny's brain.

- Pick Manny's brain?

- [man] That's what you want. Trust me.

- Okay.

I mean, that guy's got

more swag than I had,

so I'll have to ask him a couple

pointers about some of that stuff.

[Will] You have to remember, when

they finally crossed that threshold

in 2004,

people were taking the front page

of the Boston Globe to cemeteries

all over New England

and laying it on the headstones

of their parents and grandparents.

That's how much it

meant to people.

And now that we know what it's like,

Red Sox fans expect championships.

- [David] Good luck.

- Johnny D!

- My man.

- My man.

- Take care, brother.

- [Johnny] Yeah. Good luck.

Good to see you, bud.

[Will] Last year, day games were

a real problem for Brayan Bello.

You know his adrenaline

is pumping here today.

Really looking to set the

tone on the home slate

for the Red Sox here today.

Yeah! Yeah!

Let's go, baby!

- Let's go, Opening Day!

- [women chuckle]

[upbeat music plays]

[Will] There's a real

electricity in the air

as the ball goes

around the diamond,

to Devers, who'll walk

it to Brayan Bello,

and just about ready to

begin the home slate in 2024.

- [suspenseful music plays]

- [fans cheer]

[Bello in Spanish]

We have a good team.

We need a little luck

and to make fewer errors.

And the pitchers need to

execute. We're doing well.

[fans whistle]

[Bello] We're good.

This is baseball. Next thing you know,

our team makes it into the playoffs.

- [man] Of course.

- You get me?

[man] You'll get to

the World Series.

[Bello] Yeah. We just

need a little luck now.

But I think the team

looks good. It looks good.

[suspenseful music continues]

We need one hitter, like Casas, to

light up and start hitting like crazy.

- And we need a righty.

- [Jean Carlos] A righty batter?

[Bello] Of course. We've got

Carita and Casas as lefties.

We need a righty who'll hit the ball

over the Green Monster like crazy.

[pop music plays over speakers]

[O'Neill in English] What's

going on? Adley, how you doing?

[announcer] In at number

17, Tyler O'Neill.

[Joe] Here comes Tyler

O'Neill, who's been on fire.

.357, five homers, five RBIs,

tied for first in home runs.

Leading in runs scored with 12

and on-base percentage in

slugging and OPS as well.

[Cora] Let's go.

Let's go. Let's go.

[player] Go, TO!

[Joe] Here's the two-two

pitch to O'Neill.

He swings it, drives one,

left field, high and deep.

- [crowd cheers]

- You can forget about this one.

- Long ball.

- [players cheer, whoop]

[González] TO!

- That boy's f*cking hot!

- [crowd cheering]

[rousing rock music playing]

[González] Hey, let him hit

again. f*ck it. [chuckles]

Loud noises.

- [fan 1] Whoo!

- [O'Neill chuckles]

Hell yeah! Whoo!

[Will] Top of the fourth inning,

Red Sox home opener at Fenway,

1-1 game with Baltimore.

Red Sox came in with the number

one pitching staff in baseball

in terms of ERA, a 149.

[pensive piano music plays]

That's their lowest mark

through ten games since 1920.

[Andrew] Baseball is a hard

sport, and history says

that pitchers are always

in the driver's seat.

Nice.

And we need to even be more

so in the driver's seat.

Top shelf!

Throw strikes, B-strike one,

B-strike two, B-strike three.

If not, it's contact,

and that's an out.

We just need to be down

their throats, on the attack,

when our backs are against

the wall, because one pitch,

whether it's a bad call or an error

or he gave up a two-run double,

can make or break a game.

[inhales sharply] But we never know

when that pitch is gonna happen.

[low, suspenseful music plays]

- [umpire] Strike.

- [crowd applauds]

[Andrew] Good boy, Bay!

What was that, a changeup?

[coach] I think it was a slider.

[suspenseful music continues]

[Will] Shot into left field,

Duran moving back, and he will…

- [crowd groans]

- …not make the play in fair territory.

Runner will hold at third.

And Duran simply did

not make the play.

- That ball should've been caught.

- f*ck!

g*dd*mn it!

[McGuire] Dale, Bello. Me and

you. Two out. Let's go. Focus.

[Andrew] Let's

take a visit here.

Vámonos! Sigue, sigue, sigue!

[Bello blows]

- Hey, attaboy, papi. Keep getting ahead.

- [Casas] Attaboy.

We got two outs here, okay? Uh,

changeup's really good to him.

If you want two-seam away,

it's fine as well, okay?

- Come on. Pick us up right here. Let's go.

- [players chatter in Spanish]

- [Casas in English] Yeah, yeah.

- [suspenseful music continues]

[music abates]

[Will] Two and two, with second and third,

big pitch, and lined into left field.

A base hit. And that's

gonna get two home.

- The defense lets the Red Sox down.

- [Cora] Get it!

[Will] Bursting towards second

is Cowser. The throw is dropped.

They had him, but Valdez

just couldn't hold on.

So not only do the

Orioles take a 3-1 lead,

but they don't get the final

out of the inning at second.

And, uh, again, the gloves

have just not really done it

in this inning for the Sox.

[tense music plays]

[fan 2 shouts indistinctly]

[brass band music

plays in stadium]

[Andrew] Come on. Keep

us right here. Come on.

[Bello groans]

[in Spanish] Damn it. Damn it!

Damn it! f*ck! Damn it!

You giant f*ck!

[in English] f*ck!

[in Spanish] You've gotta

be f*cking kidding me.

- [announcer chattering indistinctly]

- [brass band music plays in stadium]

You can't even throw one more.

Quality start? f*ck that!

[tense music continues]

[groans]

This is incredible.

Incredible. Incredible.

[breathes heavily]

[huffs]

[Joe in English] Duran trying to

atone after dropping that fly ball.

Wound up costing them two runs eventually,

the pitch he swung on grounded foul.

[Bello in Spanish] We're competing,

yes. The errors put us here.

[grumbles indistinctly]

[coach] Don't worry about that

because we can change that later.

You've done a great

job getting guys out.

[Bello huffs]

[coach] You gotta

keep doing that.

Stay on the attack and

keep imposing yourself.

[Joe in English] The 1-2.

Swing and a miss he got.

What a nasty cutter that

was, in under the hands.

[Bello groans]

[Will] The more games you watch,

I just really think, more

than just about anything,

bad defense brings

an entire club down…

- [Joe] It does.

- …in games.

[Joe] It's demoralizing.

And you just can't afford to give

big league teams more than 27 outs.

[Will] Could've been a

completely different game

were it not for the

defense in the fourth.

Bello probably goes

much deeper in the game.

You maybe get into the

higher leverage relievers.

Tough-luck loss. He deserved

much better than he got.

It just is not a coincidence that

ever since Trevor Story went down,

the defense has

not been the same.

No smiling after the game.

Okay. You're right. Not

till the season's over.

[both chuckle softly]

[player] Ow.

[player chatters]

[Duran] Honestly, it just feels like

after that error, they got a couple hits,

got a couple runs,

and then just…

just kinda, we never got

right back into rhythm, so…

Yeah, might have to

buy another journal

for how much I'm gonna write

about myself tonight, but, um…

You know, it just… sh*t happens, man.

I just… I f*cked it up. That's on me.

I just gotta be better.

How important is it,

though, for you, you know,

to just flush it

and bounce back?

[breathes deeply] Yeah, I mean, good

thing it was a two o'clock game,

so I got more time to talk sh*t

about myself for the rest of the day,

and then I'll flush

it and get over it.

[Will] Kind of a disastrous day

for the Red Sox, wouldn't you say?

[Joe] There's a

brittleness there.

[Will] There's just

no hint of resilience.

No, no.

After the first home game, the kid

that makes the error in right field

is glad it was an afternoon

day, so he has all afternoon

to write in his journal how much

he sucks and cost them the game.

It almost bordered

on self-flagellation.

[geese honking]

[dance music plays on speakers]

[Duran] It's nice to get away from

the city a little, have some space.

And last year, I

started in Triple-A,

and it's a little bit

of a halfway point

between, uh, Worcester

and… and the big leagues.

I don't really have pots and pans

'cause I don't really need to cook,

'cause we're at the field

more than we are here.

Usually, I just

come here to sleep.

[dance music continues]

Hide in the dungeon, and then go

to the field, so it's simple life.

I had a fan yell

at me yesterday.

They were like, "Oh, you

play in the big leagues."

"You should drive something

better than the Bronco."

And I was like,

"What did you say?"

I like the Bronco. I mean, it's

simple. Gets me point A to point B.

[engine revs softly]

Oh, yeah, if you

hear a whacking,

it's just the antenna

on these little pipes.

Happens. [chuckles softly]

[antenna clanking, scraping]

I remember the first time I drove

out here, I was like, "Oh, f*ck."

[antenna clanking]

When I was coming up, I was like, "I

don't really care about the money."

I just always wanted to be great.

I mean, I always wanted to be good.

And I wanted to

make my dad proud.

Like, there was instances where we'd

be down the street at the park hitting,

and I would be just absolutely

hitting terrible that day.

And he'd be yelling at me,

and I'd get all upset, and I'd run home,

because we were… we were down the street.

So I'd literally go home.

He wouldn't pack up any of the stuff

because he knew I was gonna come back.

He would literally just sit

there on the bucket and wait.

I'd go home, sit

there, be pissed.

And then I ended up

running back over there

and… and doing baseball

stuff with him anyways.

So I was like, "He knew."

We talk almost every day.

Like, the other day, like, I

didn't get a hit in a game,

so he called me.

I was like, "What's up,

Dad?" He goes, "Hey."

"You're squatting more in your stance.

Is everything going good?" [chuckles]

I'm like, "I know what

the f*ck I'm doing."

Like, "You don't always

have to, like, coach me up,

'cause I already have

like a million coaches."

But at the same time, I started

to realize, like, "Oh, sh*t."

You know, like, it's not just

that easy to turn off as… as a dad

and, like, as somebody that's

coached me my entire life.

[producer] How about your mom?

She's the peacekeeper.

But she's tough. She's really tough on me.

She's tough on me too, but she loves me.

But when I played football,

she was a different animal.

Like, I'd get hit or something,

I'd, like, go down, like I

got a dead arm or something,

she's like, "Get

up! You're fine!"

I'm like, "Dang. What

happened to my mom?"

[producer] Do you like Boston?

[Duran] I do, yeah.

I do.

At first, I didn't,

'cause I was like…

I didn't know if I could do it,

'cause I, like,

struggled at first.

And I was like, "Damn. Am I

gonna be able to do this?"

It just takes a little bit of

confidence to play here, man. Like…

You just gotta be

able to know, like,

"Hey, I'm gonna… I'm

gonna mess up sometimes,

but, like, I'm going

to make up for it."

Like, "I'm going to get the next

one," or something like that, so…

[commentator 1] Duran, E7,

dropped the routine catch.

Like, he probably,

after that game,

went in the gym, deadlifted 600

pounds and felt so much better.

And maybe he wrote in his journal, like,

"I sucked today. I need to be…" Whatever.

[commentator 2] They also lost 7-1. It

wasn't the reason they lost that game.

[commentator 3] But I do

think it's an appropriate time

to readjust our expectations

for Brayan Bello.

[commentator 4] As filthy

as this stuff looks,

I mean, hitters are

seeing him well.

They're connecting. They're

barreling his pitches.

[Bello in Spanish] Last year, I

pitched against Houston at home.

That team k*lled me.

And there was a fan who said,

"I hope your family dies

and a car hits you on the way out of

the stadium," or something like that.

I just said, "What?"

[sputters] Seriously?

You're so frustrated that

you're hoping somebody

gets hit by a car

leaving the stadium?

I don't get that,

to be honest. I…

Those fans are loyal, ya hear?

[Bello] Nah. Loyalty

is one thing.

If you're loyal, you

support your player through…

- The good and bad.

- [Bello] …the good and bad.

But that… that… To me,

those are f*cked-up people.

To wish death on a baseball

player you watch every day?

That's messed up.

You'll see. I'm not lying.

You'll see this year.

Hopefully, it won't happen, and

they'll be better this year.

They'll get a grip. They'll have

their head screwed on right.

[expectant rock music lifts]

[Glenn in English] In Boston,

you have to be thick-skinned.

And you also have to realize

that fans are passionate,

and if you're not playing

well, fans are gonna respond.

[music continues]

[Joe] Good evening, everybody.

Welcome to Fenway Park.

Not a bad night for April 10th,

as the Red Sox and the Orioles

play game two of this series.

[player] Ey! Ey! Ey!

[commentator 1] The Red Sox

hoping that they can turn the page

on a really disappointing

opening game last night

that featured some real raw

emotion from Jarren Duran.

[Casas] Everybody knows what it

feels like to fail at some point.

It doesn't feel good.

But there's a lot

of luck involved.

There's a lot of factors that go into

whether you're gonna have a good result.

[commentator 1] Two

down, bases empty.

- Here's Duran.

- [ball thumps]

[Casas] Nobody who steps out

onto that field has a bad swing

or has bad mechanics.

It's just how well they can

flush whatever's been going on

and focus on the next outcome.

[commentator 1] Feels

like a big game for him.

- Bounce back, move on.

- [ball thumps]

He was so emotional in

the clubhouse yesterday,

blaming himself for the loss.

He's been so open about his battles

with confidence and mental health,

so I feel like we really want

him to turn the corner quickly.

- Here's a liner into left field.

- [crowd cheers]

He's thinking about two. Makes the

turn, and he will put the brakes on.

[cheering, applause]

That was a good read for Duran.

[Duran] I mean, I still feel like

I'm the smallest guy out there,

'cause, like, I just… I grew up my

entire life being that small kid

and… and always having to work

twice as hard as everybody

and… and hustle twice as hard.

But, like, I feel like that kind of

just, like, paved the way for how I am

and never being satisfied with anything

and always trying to work my hardest.

[commentator 1] You'd be tempted to

see if Duran thought about going here

to jolt the offense

a little bit,

but the way Tyler

O'Neill's swinging it,

I'm not sure, especially

with a lefty on the mound.

Here is Tyler who drives one

high into shallow right field.

Out goes Holliday.

Difficult chance for him,

and he's not gonna get there!

- [crowd cheers]

- Rounding third is Duran.

He's gonna come home and score.

The throw is high.

- [raucous cheering]

- Headfirst slide for Duran.

[Andrew] Hell yeah.

[inaudible]

[Andrew] Speed never slumps.

[coach] Hey, attaboy, baby!

- [Cora] That was good. Good job.

- [overlapping chatter]

[Andrew] Attaboy, Dory.

Attaboy. Way to play the game.

Atta baby.

[chuckles] Oh my God.

[Cora] He's the perfect player

for this environment,

the baseball environment.

Because a f*cking single against

a righty is a f*cking double.

- Yeah.

- They ain't gonna do sh*t like that.

Yeah. Wild.

- Yeah, sometimes

- Yeah, I, uh…

- Sometimes too hard on himself, you know?

- Yeah.

- [Cora] Like yesterday. [chuckles]

- [Andrew] Yeah. Yeah.

[commentator 1] Really remarkable what

Jarren Duran can do to impact the game.

[Cora] How's it going, kid?

[muffled cheering]

[Joe] 3-0, Boston. Red Sox have

out hit the Birds six to two.

- The pitch.

- [ball thumps]

Get outta here. Nope.

- [Joe] Foul left side out of play.

- No.

I just wanna be here in the presence

of hitting a home run with you.

Whoo! [chuckles]

[Joe] Two ba*ls, two

strikes, two outs.

- [ethereal, pensive music plays]

- [Casas exhales]

The baddies are out

tonight. I'll tell you.

I have the best swing. I have

the best swing in the world.

I don't need to change.

I don't need to think.

I got the best

swing in the world.

[exhales]

I got the best swing. I don't

need to change, think nothing.

I don't need to do

anything different.

Just keep going at him.

Just keep going at him.

Just keep going at him.

Keep that… keep that square.

Keep that square. Keep

that square right here.

Keep that square right

here. Right here.

[exhales]

- Let's go.

- [crowd cheers]

[commentator 1] And that's gonna

be a close take for ball four.

So Devers on with two down.

[Casas grunts]

[commentator 2 chuckles] No, I don't think

it was a strike. No, it was at his neck.

Never mind, it was just an inside

fastball, called for a ball.

[commentator 1]

But the reaction…

[commentator 2] The helmet almost

flew off, the bat up in the air.

- That got me.

- [Casas exhales]

Down.

[umpire] Down and low.

[Casas] If I'm not hitting,

if I'm not producing,

ultimately, I'm not adding

much value to the team.

[huffs]

And if you're doing

bad and you're losing,

you feel like you're the

reason why you're losing.

So let's say I hit a home run…

- [sharp clack]

- [grunts]

[crowd murmurs]

Get out!

Is it gone?

[music lifts]

[Dan] Yes!

[crowd cheers]

[commentator 1] Home run the other

way. Casas got it outta here.

- [man] Two.

- [Dan] Two!

Attaboy, Casas.

[Casas] The only time

that I feel success

would be the millisecond that

the ball is hitting my bat.

As soon as I'm

rounding the bases,

as soon as I've scored,

I'm now a teammate.

Good job, baby. Let's go.

[Casas] I try to relay that,

"This is what I was looking for."

"This was the result I got.

This is what you should do."

I don't have the genetics

of a baseball player per se,

but I have the genetics

of a hard worker.

Somebody who's willing

to sacrifice anything,

to go out there and put on

a good show for the fans.

[pensive music continues]

[commentator 1] Some cushion for the

Red Sox, thanks to Triston Casas.

And now, it is Isaiah

Campbell on the mound.

That's on the ground on the right

side, past the dive of Casas.

[exhales deeply]

Line drive into right field.

Gonna get down for a hit.

Orioles are in

business in the sixth.

O'Neill misplays it, and

he can't find the baseball.

He picks it up and throws to

second. That gets past González.

[up-tempo music plays]

Pitch to Cowser.

And that's a line drive into left

field. His great series continues.

One run scores. Mullins

coming to third.

- Hold two!

- [commentator 1] Bobbled by Duran.

The Orioles score two,

still nobody out, the 1-0.

On the ground, hard, and a fair

ball inside the third base bag.

That's gonna go to the corner.

This game could

be 5-5 any second.

[commentator 1] Shaky

outing for Campbell.

He went an inning, allowed

four hits and three runs.

On comes Chris Martin

for the seventh inning.

The Red Sox leading

the Orioles 5-3.

The O's have the heart

of the order due up.

- [Andrew] Hey!

- [Cora] Come on. Come on. f*ck!

Every season, you walk away

from a handful of games,

and you're like, "Man, we

should've had that one."

[commentator 1] The 1-1

gets past Connor Wong.

[Andrew] Get the

play! Get the play!

[commentator 1] That

was totally wild.

[Andrew] And I just feel

that there's been games

early in the season that

we just left on the table.

[commentator 1]

Here's the pitch.

That's in the dirt. It

kicks back toward the mound.

Martin slides, throws

in the dirt to Wong.

A run has scored. It's 5-4.

And the troubles for Martin and the

weirdness of this inning continue.

I'm not saying there's a special

type of player that can perform here,

but you see it, man,

like… it's loud.

[Andrew] Come on,

Marty! Come on, Marty!

[commentator 1]Two and two.

Here's the pitch.

High fly into left center

field. This thing is way back.

- And it is gone!

- [fans cheer]

[commentator 1] Into

the Monster seats.

A three-run homer

for Jordan Westburg.

And the Orioles come all the

way back, and they lead it 7-5.

Oh. That was crushed.

- [Dan] Damn it. He got a three-run homer.

- Three-run, yeah.

Brutal.

Brutal.

[commentator 1] It was such

a great start to this game.

Red Sox had a five-run edge.

Baltimore seven unanswered.

Real disappointment.

The Red Sox have dropped

two in a row to the O's.

And, uh, this one, in many ways,

more disappointing than yesterday.

- [man] At home. Is that one something?

- [woman] 5.73.

He had a 5.73 ERA at

home in 99 innings.

Compared to a 3.59 ERA over…

[Cora] The last few years,

whenever the season started,

I always unfollow

our beat writers.

You know, like, I want no

part of them on social media.

You go on the road,

on the other side, there's

probably like three beat writers.

Here, it's always ten, 12.

They're always around, right?

Most of them, they

enjoy when we win.

You know, probably

at their house.

- [keyboard clacking]

- Not here.

You know, like, I don't

think they like when we lose.

But certain times, to get

clicks, you know, or likes,

or whatever you wanna call

it, the headline is negative.

[rock music plays]

It takes a certain kind of

player to succeed in Boston.

[keyboard clacking]

And anytime I say that, it

sounds a little self-serving

because it sounds as if

you have to please me

or my colleagues, or you have

to meet certain expectations

that we have set

for the players.

But it is different in terms of

the amount of media coverage

and the intensity of it.

That can feel a little

overwhelming if you're a player.

[Ian] You can't cover a

baseball team every day

with the emotions of a

fan, the ups and the downs.

So what you're doing as a journalist

is you're looking for the storylines,

giving readers everything they

want to know, what's going on,

not just what's happening,

but why it's happening.

[Speier] There are sometimes unpleasant

truths about player performance

that they might object

to, and that's okay.

If they have an issue with

it, we can discuss it,

figure out where in our

difference of opinion

or at least vantage point lies.

[Joe] Ground ball hit hard to short,

right through the legs of David Hamilton.

Into left field it goes.

That was a double-play ball.

He had to go a little bit to his

right to try to get in front of it,

and it's skipped

right on through him.

[Cora] When you got Trevor

Story, who is hurt again, right,

who's gonna step up?

[rock music continues]

[Joe] Ground ball, hit to short,

here's the throw to second, high!

Another Red Sox error.

[Will] He is k*lling the Red

Sox defensively right now.

[Joe] Swing and a ground ball hit

to third, and it's bobbled by Reyes.

[Cora] The most

important people here,

besides the players,

are the fans.

You know? And they want us to be

good. They want us to be great again.

But right now, it's just…

It's been tough to watch.

[Joe] Grounds this

one to second.

Reyes bobbles it, picks it

up, underhands to second now.

And they don't get the double play.

They get one, but a run scores.

Should've been two.

[Will] You don't blame

the fans for booing.

The middle infield defense right now,

Joe, is just not Major League level.

[woman] The fans here are so

passionate, and they're so involved.

As long as these fans

are mad, they still care.

And they're mad

because they care.

[Joe] And a popup first base

side, Casas coming over.

- [Cora] Talk to him!

- [players] You got room! You got room!

[player 2] You're all right.

[Joe] And he dropped it!

[crowd groan, boo]

[Cora] Hey, let's pick it up!

Let's f*cking pick it up! Let's go!

Let's go! Let's

f*cking pick it up!

It's a f*cking big league game.

Let's go. Let's f*cking pick it up!

Let's go. Enough of this sh*t!

f*cking pick it up. Let's go!

Everything is tight right now.

- [Duran] f*ck!

- [Cora] You see it. You see it.

[Duran] g*dd*mn it, man!

[Joe] Rips a b*llet down the

right field line, for a base hit,

and it'll advance the runner to third,

bobbled now, gets away from Abreu.

Out of 26 guys, I

think… we got 22

that have less than

three years' service.

And right now, you see it. We got…

[scoffs] We got a bunch of rookies.

So they're important for the team, so

we gotta make them feel comfortable.

[in Spanish] You have to stay calm.

Errors like that, for you, that's nothing.

- [Abreu] I know, but that pisses me off.

- [Cora] Yeah, yeah.

You good? Come on. Turn

the page, keep going.

[Abreu] I can strike out

five times, and that's fine.

But defensive errors, that's

what pisses me off the most.

[Cora] Yeah, but stay calm.

[rock music continues]

[man 1 in English] If we're gonna win

baseball games, we have to play loose,

we have to play free, we

have to have fun out there.

[man 2] They feel like they're

on the verge, all the time,

of committing an error.

[man 1] The craziest part is,

we watched the Sox be one

of the best fielding teams

in all of baseball the

first week of the season.

Now, you're at the bottom

of just about everything.

I mean, there was one

thing after the next,

and they just got absolutely

freaking skewered all over the place.

They weren't entertaining.

They weren't good.

People are pissed that

the product sucks.

Plain and simple.

And their youth is

really starting to show.

[music ends]

[street performers

drumming, vocalizing]

- [woman 1] Can I get a selfie?

- [Duran] Yeah.

- [woman 1] Thanks, Jarren.

- [man 1] Wait a minute.

- [woman 1] Oh, that's awesome.

- [man 2] All right, one more, please.

[man 1] Want me to

take a picture of you?

- Thanks.

- Thanks, Jarren.

- Good luck.

- Thanks, Jarren, so much.

Oh, I love his

old-school Bronco.

[man 3] Thanks, Jarren.

Thank you, Jarren.

[fans chattering indistinctly]

[motor chugging, cuts out]

[motor chugging continuously]

[motor stops]

[cell phone buzzing]

Let me FaceTime you.

Oh, sh*t. Now I

can't f*cking see.

When I choose the starter relay…

Oh.

- [Casas huffs] What's up, bro?

- [Duran] What's up?

Okay. [grunts]

You need a… you

need a skateboard.

I know, but I'd probably get in

trouble for having my skateboard.

Okay, like, when I turn the key,

I hear, like, uh… the

battery go and everything,

but when I turn it, it's

just absolutely nothing.

Not even a click, nothing.

Like literally, I'm looking,

like, the fan goes on,

the grill goes on,

all the lights.

[Casas] Hello, um…

I got a… a broken-down car,

um… uh… outside of Fenway Park

on Jersey and Van Ness Street.

Not sure what's wrong with

it. It just won't start. Um…

Is there any way that I could get,

uh… somebody here to help me, please?

Man, this f*cking booklet

is like a f*cking…

what I used to have in college.

[Casas] Got you. Um…

Do you know anybody in particular

that… that might be of service to me?

[man 4 on phone] Uh… I mean,

you don't have AAA or something?

I… I read that this was

a AAA. So what's the…

[man 4] This is a

limousine service.

Okay, okay, got it. I'll make

an adjustment. Thank you.

Split in the middle?

[man 5] The split in the middle.

[man 6] Turn it, if it pops the fuse,

you're split right down the middle.

[Casas] I don't want you

sticking your hands in that.

- [chuckles]

- It's all right. I do this all the time.

Those are

hundred-million-dollar hands.

- Stop.

- Come on now. Stop playing with that.

That's complicated. It

looks complicated, man.

[scoffs] I… I wouldn't be

sticking my fingers in that.

God, this thing's a f*cking

b*tch and a half to get out.

- [man 7] Love you, Triston!

- [woman 2] I love you, Casas!

Thanks, baby. I love you too.

[man 7] That's Triston Casas right

there. He's the best player on our team.

He knows the strike zone

better than anyone else.

[man 8] No, he doesn't.

[man 7] He knows the strike

zone better than the umpires!

So am I supposed to hit

the box or the wires?

[man 6] Just smack it. Like, it's, uh…

The relay, just smack the body of it.

[banging]

There are specialists for that.

You know, we play baseball.

We don't… We don't fix

cars, JD. We just… We don't.

So… [sniffs]

- [ignition clicks]

- [engine starts]

[engine rumbling steadily]

- [Casas] Holy sh*t.

- [Duran] Thank f*cking God.

- [Casas] That was sick.

- [Duran] That was grindy.

- [Casas] That was awesome. Yeah.

- [Duran] That was grindy.

[engines revs]

[intriguing guitar music plays]

[Sean] We still have a

lot of margin to improve.

This week, I don't think it's

a reflection of who we are.

And it's gonna get tougher.

But, uh, their job is to play.

My job is to maximize their talent

and put them in a spot to be good.

- Alex, how are you doing today?

- Uh, I'm doing okay. Doing okay.

- I was better last week. [laughs]

- [man 1] Uh-huh. Well, that makes sense.

[woman] It seems like in

a couple of the games now,

there are these small

mental mistakes defensively,

whether it's Devers

ending up in the outfield

and not getting called off by

O'Neill, or whether it's, uh, Casas…

[Cora] Yeah, I can… I can… I can

walk you through all of them.

[woman] Yeah, so these

small mental errors,

do you find any

common denominator

that you're able to identify

with these mental hiccups?

I wanna say inexperience,

but at the end of the day,

we have played the game

for a long, long time.

Uh, it's just a

different stage, right?

And, uh… sometimes, it's, like, feeling

the pressure of being in the big leagues

and trying to prove a point, or just,

you know, thinking the wrong thing.

You know, like, at this

level, those mistakes,

they're… they're gonna cost you.

I guess, were you

anticipating, maybe,

that there was gonna be some more growing

pains like this to start the year?

[Cora] Um, not the way

we played in spring. Uh…

Disappointing, to be honest

with you, surprised too,

but we can't stop

working, you know.

And hopefully it gets to

the point that we just play.

- [man 1] We appreciate your time. Thanks.

- Thank you. Be well.

[man 2] All right, Alex Cora…

[Cora] For being a big market, I

still believe it's a small town.

You know, like, Boston is

small, and people listen.

[expectant rock music plays]

You have to make sure you

control the narrative.

Let's go.

Like now, with all the

injuries, it's like, hey,

I know it's hard to say,

it's harsh, you know, like,

but we gotta turn the page.

You know, like, Trevor's not coming.

Somebody else needs to step up.

[expectant rock music continues]

The most important thing

here, we gotta breathe.

We gotta be able to breathe.

[Will] Duran coming in, he

slides and makes the play.

[Cora] Good things are

happening, we have to breathe.

When bad things are happening,

we have to breathe too.

[Will] Powered it right past

him at 95 miles an hour.

f*ck that guy.

[Cora] I was a utility guy for 13

years. I hit .230 in the big leagues.

I made errors. I f*cked up bunts. I

made, you know, mistakes running bases.

You know, I know how it feels,

what is to be good

and to struggle.

You know, like, that…

that's what we're here for.

Players, coaches, training

staff, we're a family.

And when I say it, I mean it.

I will protect you.

I will help you.

Sometimes I gotta be very honest because

if I'm not honest in this market,

it f*cking sucks.

They're gonna f*cking

bury us, okay?

There's 30,000 fans

rooting for the home team,

and when we struggle

here, they still show up.

Do they like it? No, they

hate it. They hate it.

We're gonna be good. We're

gonna have some tough stretches.

But we have to f*cking respirar.

[Joe] Wilyer swings,

hits one to right field,

and it's dropped!

- [crowd cheers]

- [Andrew] You gotta go!

Attaboy! Hell yeah!

[Will] Masterful job by Alex Cora,

managing this club, keeping them engaged.

It's a resilient group, and

they've shown some real fight.

[Cora] The same goal applies.

Make it to the playoffs

and win the World Series.

But for that to happen, we

have to f*cking respirar.

Breathe.

- Respirar.

- [Casas exhales]

- [Cora] You gotta f*cking respirar.

- [music stirs]

- [man] Oh sh*t!

- [crowd murmurs]

[Joe] There's a drive to right

field, hammered high and deep.

It is back, and it is long

gone into the bleachers.

[crowd cheers]

[Joe] Tremendous shot off

the bat of Triston Casas.

[players laugh, cheer]

[Will] Maybe that's the sigh of

relief this first-base dugout needed.

That's a really important swing.

[rock music abates]

[serene, ethereal music plays]

[music fades out]