The Boston Red Sox ensured Jerry Remy’s monumental impact on the team will never be forgotten.
Prior to Friday’s home opener, the Red Sox named the broadcast booth at Fenway Park after the late Remy, who died this past October following a courageous battle with cancer. The Sox unveiled a plaque next to the booth commemorating the honor.
After a 10-year career in the major leagues, including playing for Boston from 1978 to 1984, Remy spent 33 years on the Red Sox television broadcast as a color analyst for NESN. He was the longest-tenured broadcaster in Red Sox history.
The plaque honoring Remy, which all those entering the booth will see, reads in part, “Known for his hometown perspective and humor, ‘RemDawg’ made an indelible mark on Red Sox Nation because he was a New Englander through and through — he was genuine, he knew the game of baseball and he loved the Red Sox to his core.”
Dennis Eckersley, the current color analyst for Red Sox television broadcasts on NESN, reflected on what it was like to be in the “Jerry Remy Booth” on Opening Day without the RemDawg.
“This was Jerry Remy’s booth,” Eckersley said Friday on NESN’s pregame coverage. “I walked in today and there’s a plaque outside the booth and that’s the first thing I saw. I came here and, for me, I could always see him sitting in his chair long before anybody ever got here. And I get there and that look on his face, he’d look up at me.
“Some things are difficult in life and we’ve all been close to Jerry. This is all difficult for us and I think today is more difficult than ever.”
Boston also is honoring Remy this season by having each player on the Red Sox wear a commemorative patch on the sleeve of his jersey. It features Remy’s name and longtime No. 2.
