Speaker 1: It's Around the Park with Dave Fleming. We're here at
Speaker 1: Fenway Park. Our guest is my brother, he's the voice
Speaker 1: of the Red Sox, Will Fleming. We're going to talk
Speaker 1: about the series. Usually we do this on day one.
Speaker 1: We're doing it day two because we heard from Rafi yesterday.
Speaker 1: You'll hear from Will right after this. It's Around the
Speaker 1: Park with Dave Fleming. The Giants are in Fenway. We're
Speaker 1: in Boston for the start of a three game series
Speaker 1: the Giants and the Red Sox. And most Giants fans
Speaker 1: probably know by now that my brother Will is the
Speaker 1: radio voice of the Red Sox and has been for
Speaker 1: many years and we've had lots of fun times when
Speaker 1: the Giants and the Red Sox play each other. And
Speaker 1: Uncle Will, as my kids call him, is our guest
Speaker 1: today on the Around the Park show, just to talk
Speaker 1: about this series and this Red Sox team. Will. I mean,
Speaker 1: I obviously follow the team through you. You and I
Speaker 1: talk a lot about what's going on, but an amazing,
Speaker 1: amazing turnaround mid season for this Sox team. It has
Speaker 1: been great to see if David, I don't know who
Speaker 1: else calls you that other than your wife and me
Speaker 1: and your mother, but always great to have you, Fenway.
Speaker 1: It's been the roller coaster ride of all time in
Speaker 1: Red Sox history. I mean, they were really on the
Speaker 1: brink of being one of the worst teams in franchise history,
Speaker 1: on pace to lose one hundred games, and then they
Speaker 1: went thirty two and four and got themselves not just
Speaker 1: back in the playoff picture, but comfortably so. And the
Speaker 1: magical run in the span of three weeks, they had
Speaker 1: separate winning streaks of fifteen games and nine games and
Speaker 1: just had that magic going. And as you know, when
Speaker 1: that happens, especially here, there are very few better places
Speaker 1: to be in all of baseball. So it's been a
Speaker 1: really fun ride. Yeah, the whole town seems to be
Speaker 1: talking thinking about the Red Sox and chugging towards the
Speaker 1: playoffs now, which is obviously a huge change from not
Speaker 1: that long ago. The big story of the weekend, I mean,
Speaker 1: probably from a Giants fan perspective, but definitely from a
Speaker 1: Red Sox writer and follower perspective, is that Raffie Devers
Speaker 1: is back here. He talked to the media before the
Speaker 1: game today, we just were down on the field watching
Speaker 1: him take batting practice. Do you think it's going to
Speaker 1: be like for Raffie back here. That's a hard question
Speaker 1: to answer. I think it's going to be mixed, which
Speaker 1: makes me sad because seeing him here, I really have
Speaker 1: a lot of things that come back into my mind
Speaker 1: in my heart. You know, I was there in Triple
Speaker 1: A when Raffi came to Patucket for the first time,
Speaker 1: and I translated his press conference to like twenty writers
Speaker 1: who were dreaming about the promise of what Devers could be,
Speaker 1: and then he announces himself immediately. He's a huge part
Speaker 1: of the eighteen championship. I mean, what's funny is you know,
Speaker 1: maybe his signature introduction to Red Sox fans was a
Speaker 1: home run that tied the game at Yankee Stadium off
Speaker 1: of a roll As Chapman on one hundred and two
Speaker 1: mile in hour fastball. I think that was the moment
Speaker 1: where everybody said, wait a minute, we might have our
Speaker 1: next huge superstar, and they did. I mean, that's the
Speaker 1: thing about it. It ended really poorly. I think there
Speaker 1: was blame on both sides communication wise, maybe a little stubbornness,
Speaker 1: but that's just the way this game works. I you know,
Speaker 1: I thought I thought I was going to be calling
Speaker 1: Dev's home runs for fifteen years, and it's funny to
Speaker 1: see him back here because it really ended poorly and
Speaker 1: it was not handled well. I think it's fair to
Speaker 1: say by either side, but to see his smile again,
Speaker 1: to see him out here on this field, it's for
Speaker 1: me a guy who I loved when he was here
Speaker 1: in Boston. And there will be some booze because people
Speaker 1: have their opinions and this town can be a little
Speaker 1: cranky with people who they perceive to not be all
Speaker 1: in on Boston sports. But I really hope, like first
Speaker 1: of all, I know there will be a remarkable tribute
Speaker 1: video put up for him, and hopefully that can remind
Speaker 1: people of all the big swings, the big moments, the boat,
Speaker 1: the duck boat parade, Iana Rafi did so much more
Speaker 1: that was great than bad here, and I hope that
Speaker 1: the fans can appreciate that. Okay, so good answer. We're
Speaker 1: running out of time. We have maybe thirty seconds left.
Speaker 1: What's the key for the Socks to not only get
Speaker 1: to the playoffs but maybe really make some big noise
Speaker 1: once they get there. Well, I mean, it's always been
Speaker 1: clutch hitting for them, but I think right now the
Speaker 1: ANSWER's health, because they got Roman Anthony Ree having done
Speaker 1: in the minor leagues. He had a four hundred fifty
Speaker 1: foot home run in his debut. Garrett Crochet probably not
Speaker 1: going to come back and start, but what a bullpen
Speaker 1: weapon he could be. The starting pitching has been the
Speaker 1: anchor of this team. You'll see it with Sonny Gray.
Speaker 1: They are as deep as any team, but that depth
Speaker 1: has been thinned a little bit with some of these injuries.
Speaker 1: So I think if the starting pitching is healthy, they
Speaker 1: will go very deep in the playoffs. Okay, I'm done
Speaker 1: talking to you. I'm going to go talk to Bailey
Speaker 1: and Charlie, my nephews, your boys, and then we'll keep
Speaker 1: going with our pregame show right after this