Shane Victorino was introduced to Red Sox Nation on Thursday afternoon at Fenway Park. While the new outfielder handled himself very well, speaking and acting like he’d been with the franchise for years, he made it no secret that he’s giddy to join the Sox and play at Fenway.
“The tradition that this place holds, coming to Fenway — I always said Fenway was one of my favorites,” Victorino told reporters at his introductory news conference Thursday. “Coming here and getting an opportunity to play in Boston is awesome.”
Victorino mentioned over and over again how “ecstatic” he is to join the Red Sox, saying that he’s looking forward to being able to play with players like David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia while doing his best to work himself into the Boston clubhouse culture — a culture that the club is obviously looking to change after the embarrassments of the last two seasons.
“The last couple of years have definitely been tough, but we look past that now and look forward to 2013 to be the best organization we can be,” Victorino said.
“He’s still young. He’s still in his prime years. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do,” general manager Ben Cherington commented. “He’s been a big part of good teams. He knows when you’re a good team, it’s about 25 players being part of a team.”
Thursday wasn’t just about answering questions, though. Victorino got his first taste of Fenway Park as a member of the Red Sox, and he threw on the home white jersey (No. 18) and navy blue cap for the first time.
See a photo of Victorino in his new duds below.
