BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers lofted a fly ball to left, and John Andreoli took off in pursuit.
It’s a long sprint, because Andreoli was playing center — the only outfielder in the game at the time. The ball fell just out of the reach of his outstretched glove as Devers coasted into second base.
And then a voice echoed off the empty Fenway seats: “Out!”
Welcome to the Boston Red Sox summer camp, a reboot of the spring training that was aborted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. With its intrasquad scrimmages of 5½ innings and automatic outs to make up for the eight (and later down to seven) fielders, it looked more like the world’s fanciest sandlot on Thursday than a major league team getting ready for the season.