It's no secret how much Mitch Moreland meant to the Red Sox. But in case he needed a reminder, the Fenway Park crowd fans gave him one during the designated hitter's first at-bat Tuesday night.
Moreland is, of course, in town with his new team, the A's, having signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the Oakland prior to the 2021 season.
Prior to the series opener between the Red Sox and Oakland, Sox manager Alex Cora spoke glowingly of his former first baseman.
"Mitch is a good player, man, and a great person," Cora said. "What he brought to the equation in the clubhouse was kind of like a sense of calmness. The way he operates, he takes care of himself, sometimes it's a grind physically, but he wants to post every day. That helps the people around hm. They see Mitch play and you're like, you know what, I'd better play, too, let me get ready for this one. He did an excellent job for us in both years and he did an excellent job last year for the Red Sox. I know '18 was a grind in the playoffs, but whenever he played, he made a difference. He was really good. I still remember against the Astros, he didn't play in the beginning, then he gets a start against Verlander, he was good, and then obviously the big swing against the Dodgers. That ball almost landed in Pasadena. He crushed that pitch. Good defensively. Early in the season, he was hitting the ball the other way. One of my favorites, to be honest with you. I'm glad that he's still playing and making a difference over there. I'm very happy for him. He's a guy that, in '18, we talk about all those guys, but he probably was one of the most important players we had."