By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk
BOSTON – What better way is there to chronicle the 2026 Opening Day at Fenway Park than with a patented TL timeline? It’s the San Diego Padres in town for a three-game set against the hometeam.
Here we go:
10:00am – By pure luck, your fave columnist departed his suburban Boston home at the exact same time our beloved neighbor (Tuckie’s Dad) was driving over to work and passing by the ballpark. Nice!
10:45am – Second in line for credential check-in (which is usually pretty long on Opening Day), and it took all of two minutes. The good news was that the Press Gate (D) opened at 8:45am.
10:47am – Shared an elevator ride for two with my favorite WBZ-TV sports reporter Dan Roche and we chatted “winter” for a while, and his take was the surprise that kept him working the New England Patriots’ beat until the Super Bowl in February, then right to Spring Training. … “Vrabel,” we both said in unison.
10:49am – The first person we saw, as we walked down the press box corridor was former NESN/Sox broadcaster Don Orsillo, who was let go by the locals but quickly hooked-up with the Padres back in 2016. The Melrose, Mass. native now lives in Coronado, California. That’s an upgrade.
11:00am – Settled into my usual press box seat but immediately thought of Red Sox Official Scorer Mike Shalin, my New York and St. John’s compadre who passed away at the age of 66 (back in December, 2020). Mike wrote for the NY Post, the Boston Herald and UPI/Sports Exchange wire services and thus contributed to Digital Sports Desk via the wire for many years. Known for his gregarious ways and encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and all sports NYC, Mike was diagnosed with brain cancer just months before his passing. He welcomed me to the Red Sox “Bresh Box” with open arms and we had a few laughs – many subtle jokes about New York, The Garden and every National Anthem singer. When I was first credentialed to cover the Sox, Mike introduced me to pretty much every person in the press box. Amazing guy, and I miss him greatly.
11:30am – The Red Sox organization treats the media to “free lunch” on Opening Day, a treat that saves us $12 from the normal fee (which is quite fair, considering the usual three course meals, complete with New England clam chowder, locally grown vegetables (on the Fenway Rooftops) in the summer. It’ll be a break “in the action” for 20-30 minutes while the Sox take batting practice.
11:45am – Enjoyed lunch with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy as we go back to when Dan started on the Celtics beat in the early ‘80s. We enjoyed catching up, talking friends and family. We also discussed the untimely closing of Fenway Johnnies, sister bar/restaurant to West End Johnnies – a block from TD Garden. Sadly, Fenway didn’t make it ‘til Opening Day after a long, slow winter.
12 Noon-1:45pm – Down time used to do some writing and catch-up on email, calls.
1:43pm – Texts from family that they’re in their seats and ready for the festivities (after a little lunch at Eastern Standard). ES has the best food around the ballpark.
2:00pm – Introductions of the two teams, with San Diego first, of course and a nice ovation for former Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts. The home team was introduced to much applause, then a stirring rendition of the National Anthem by Nic Taylor.
At precisely 2:00pm, the sun came out, and the press box windows opened to provide light and sound. What a difference it makes. It’s also somewhat humid, and the heaters are on.
At 2:01pm, I realized just how lucky we all are to be at Fenway Park to open the 2026 Baseball season here in Boston. I also wondered, “what will this summer bring?” And, “will we be here in October when the days are short and the temperature drop?”
2:10pm – The 1986 American League champion Red Sox are introduced (as a group) after they walked out from the Green Monster. Ceremonial first pitch and we’re ready to play ball. Nice job. The festivities are running late for the scheduled 2:10 first pitch.
2:21pm – First pitch of the season by Sonny Gray to Fernando Tatis, Jr. (foul ball). Then Tatis grounds out to Trevor Story at shortstop.
2:22pm – Speaking of shortstop, batting second, San Diego SS Xander Bogaerts is introduced to a rousing standing ovation that gained steam as it went along, almost forcing Bogaerts to step out of the batter’s box and tip his batting helmet.
2:25pm – Gray retired the Padres in order. we’ll pick this up when there’s something newsworthy to report/journal.
2:40pm – Boston 1B Willson Contreras gets the nod in the first ABS challenge in Fenway Park’s MLB history. Ball was a 1/4-inch outside and Contreras took first base only to be doubled up minutes later.
2:50pm – The Red Sox score their first run of the 2026 season when Ceddanne Rafaela singles-in Marcelo Mayer who had led off the inning with a double to left center field. (Red Sox 1-0, after 3 innings).
3:09pm – The shadows of October are here at Fenway in early April, too. Sunlight tossing shadow right across home plate to Sonny Gray’s benefit.
3:23pm – The Sox manufacture another run with a Jarren Duran leadoff double, and a Caleb Durbin base hit. Durbin was 0-19 going into today.
3:45pm – Former Red Sox reliever and Houston Astros legendary closer, Joe Sambito stopped by the press box to do a half-inning of TV and meet the press. He was great. Little known fact, Joe was a legend at Bethpage High School on Long Island and a member of “the family” via his younger brother Bobby, a lifelong friend of this column.
3:45pm – The San Diego Padres got to Sonny Gray for two runs in the visiting half of the 5th inning, 2-2.
3:50pm – Willson Contreras homers, 423-feet, to deep center field, 3-2, Sox at the end of six innings.
3:55pm – After a Wilyer Abreu single, second baseman Marcelo Mayer clocked a 385-foot drive into the Red Sox bullpen to give Boston a 5-2 lead. SD reliever Wandy Peralta might need some tips from Joe Sambito.
4:25pm – With the sun shadows reaching the pitcher’s mound, we get the very first “Sweet Caroline” of the ‘26 season, marking the middle of the 8th inning break.
A regular observation of the Fenway Park crowd? Not a single soul has left the building. Yes, a sell-out crowd of 36,233 is enjoying every last second of this ballgame.
4:31pm – Cue the light show, as Sox closer Aroldis Chapman enters the game to close-out the Padres as the visitors bat in the 9th inning. Again, NOT a SOUL has left Fenway Park. It’s amazing.
The obligatory “Yankees Suck” chants reverberate throughout the park.
Chapman has his “stuff” and blew one past Jackson Merrill at 97 mph. Two outs.
4:38pm – Chapman falls behind, 3-1, in the count, then gets it to full count, as the crowd erupts. He throws a ball to walk Manny Machado.
4:41pm – Ramon Laureano flies out to Roman Anthony in right field and the ball game is OV-AH. (5-2, Sox). Chapman gets his first save of 2026, Weissert and Slaten get the “holds” while starter Sonny Gray wins his first of the season.
Cue the Dropkicks, a tradition of playing “Tessie” by the Dropkick Murphys, followed by the old fave of “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog,” a.k.a. “Joy to the World” by Three Dog Night.
4:48pm – Kevin Foley, my brother of summer from the Red Sox media relations staff, closes the press box windows on a gorgeous afternoon to close out the Sox victory and this play-by-play of a great day at Fenway.
Not once do I take this ballpark, The Garden in New York, or Wrigley Field in Chicago for granted. All three are Heaven on Earth.
TL