Red Sox Plane Issues Delay Mets Series Opener
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- Boston Red Sox were delayed in Chicago for nearly 24 hours when their team plane suffered a malfunctioning tug on the tarmac Thursday night, then a second delay Friday morning due to "switches or light bulbs in the cockpit," per interim manager Chad Tracy
- Red Sox arrived at Citi Field at 5:05 p.m. ET, prompting a 35-minute pushback of first pitch to 7:50 p.m. for their series opener against the New York Mets
- Sonny Gray was still planned to start for Boston, with pitcher Payton Tolle calling him the right choice: "It's going to take a dog factor and Sonny has got that"
- Ceddanne Rafaela was announced as an AL All-Star addition over the plane loudspeaker by Tracy between the two delays, as players "listened to music and played cards," Rafaela said
- Tolle said he ate about five doughnuts during the delay while teammates had burritos, adding that "there was some frustration building" alongside attempts to "make light of the situation"
- The delay was the second in two weeks for Boston — their June 24 flight from Denver to Boston turned around after half an hour due to a mechanical issue, yet the team beat the Yankees 6-3 hours later and launched an 11-2 surge
- Garrett Whitlock, sitting in the dugout with "a tired smile," said: "We're here," adding the team should "throw it back to travel ball days. Show and go. Go out there and play, have fun."
Why it matters: The Red Sox are riding a six-game winning streak and have gone 11-2 since a separate flight delay two weeks ago, suggesting the franchise's growing pattern of travel disruptions is colliding with a team peaking at the right moment — with an All-Star nod for Rafaela now layered into a season that refuses to let logistics slow its momentum.
