Have the Boston Red Sox ever had a spring training that has provided more fun than this current one?
The Red Sox have seemingly had some sort of oddity occur every day that they’ve been down in Fort Myers. Whether it be a game ending in a tie due to a pitch-clock violation, a cat disrupting their matchup with the Miami Marlins or former World Series champs showing up in guest coaching spots, there has been plenty to talk about.
The funniest moment came Wednesday, however, when Boston had to lend a player to Team Puerto Rico of the World Baseball Classic during their exhibition matchup.
Jake Thompson, a minor-league pitcher who has spent five seasons in the Red Sox system, was forced to change his pants and pitch against his own team at JetBlue Park. You can see a picture of Thompson’s weird night at the office here.
Thompson didn’t fare very well, allowing a pair of Boston runs and letting them build on their lead.
Things didn’t stop there, as Red Sox minor leaguer Matthew Lugo was allowed to play shortstop late in the contest for Puerto Rico. Why? His uncle Carlos Beltran is a legendary Puerto Rican player, who is viewed as the country’s greatest WBC player. Lugo got an at-bat, striking out on four pitches.
Only something like this can happen in spring training.
