(WEEI.com reporting from FORT MYERS, Fla.) The Boston Red Sox existed in a somber atmosphere throughout the morning Wednesday, canceling all clubhouse access while only announcing a player had been stricken with a family emergency.
Just before the first pitch of the Red Sox's Grapefruit League game against the Baltimore Orioles at JetBlue Park, the team announced the specifics of the tragedy: Blake Swihart's 23-year-old brother, Romell Jordan, had passed away suddenly. No further details were given.
Swihart was originally in the starting lineup for the Red Sox, but was scratched hours before game time.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora talked for nine minutes about the struggle that the team is enduring, also offering a reflective message about the importance of the organization staying together as a family.
"It’s tough. It’s very tough. We went through Nick (Cafardo), and now we’re going through this," Cora said. "It’s not easy, honestly. Just start thinking the same things I said last week, same feelings today. Same feelings. The one thing about the group, I just, David (Price) put it in 150 characters. That’s who we are. That’s how we feel about each other. For everything that we went through last year, it was awesome, but the coolest thing is we really became a family.
"It hurts. It’s tough. It’s something that I know it’s part of this because it’s life. I said it last week. It’s not about what happens on the field. It’s the other stuff that happens and we’re going to have some great days and then we’re going to have some tough days but at the end, we do care about each other. We turn the page on whatever happens on the field, and we’re very close. We’re very close. That’s a special group in there. They’re very special. They’re very close and they spend time together and yeah, we’ll be OK, we know that. It puts everything in perspective again. It’s just a game. Yeah, it’s a tough day. It’s a tough day."
By Rob Bradford