It was the day some doubts were dented, at least for a while.
Winning the home opener is always a welcome prospect for the Red Sox, helping Fenway Park fans feel that their financial and emotional investment in the team might not go for naught for the rest of the year. But there was a bonus in this 5-2 Red Sox victory over the Padres on Friday afternoon. There was a hint of what might be possible.
The merits of relying Sonny Gray in the rotation’s No. 2 spot? After his first outing there might have been some nervousness, but not this time around. The righty gave up just two runs over six innings, not walking a batter while throwing 87 pitches.
Caleb Durbin’s less-than-inspiring introduction to the Red Sox? That took a turn thanks to the third baseman’s fourth-inning,run-scoring single that snapped an 0-for-19 stretch to begin the season.
And yet another newcomer, Willson Contreras, finally offered the kind of impact the Red Sox had been banking on, launching what would be the game-winning home run over the left field wall in the sixth inning.
And, finally, there was Marcelo Mayer.
The second baseman rebounded from a post-Opening Day downturn with the kind of breakout performance that suggests he might be the answer at the spot, which has been an organizational revolving door since Dustin Pedroia left. After rifling an opposite field double off the left field in his first at-bat, Mayer gave the hosts some much-needed cushion with a two-run home run into the Red Sox’s bullpen in the host’s game-changing three-run sixth inning.
And, to top it off, the collection of relievers following Gray - Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten and Aroldis Chapman - helped the Sox cruise right past the season’s first rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ and all the way to the club’s second celebratory ninth inning of the season.
It was the kind of day that offered some hope, which was what this Opening Day crowd desperately needed.
