Last night Garciaparra came back to Fenway for the first time in five years. He was showered with even more love, just as he was for his entire Red Sox career. When he stepped into the box to face John Smoltz at 7:27, you would have thought Bill Russell and Bobby Orr had been introduced. The standing ovation was long and loud.
“I love ’em,’’ a teary Garciaparra said before the game when asked about Sox fans. “I don’t know how else to put it. I love the way they treated me the whole time I was here. It’s emotional. When I was gone - Boston fans are everywhere and I can’t tell you how many times I heard ‘Thank you. Appreciate everything you did.’ And I can’t tell them what that meant to me. I can’t believe the wonderful experiences that I’ve had here and it’s all because of them.’’
Proving beyond doubt that he is a changed man, Garciaparra did not swing at the first pitch (a called strike!) from Smoltz. He grounded to third on a 1-and-2 pitch. He hit an RBI single in the fourth, flied to right in the fifth, and reached on an infield single in the eighth inning of Oakland’s 6-0 victory.
It’s hard to process the fact that this was Nomar’s first appearance at Fenway since July 25, 2004, the Sunday night before the start of the Democratic National Convention at the Boston Garden. John Kerry threw out the first pitch and Fenway was still abuzz with events from one day earlier, when all hell broke loose after Jason Varitek put his mitt into the face of A-Rod.
The Sox went on the road the next day and Nomar was dealt to the Cubs six days later in the final hours of the trading deadline. The rest is hardball history. The blockbuster deal brought Orlando Cabrera to Boston, shored up the Sox’ defense, and erased the abject gloom that enveloped Nomar’s final days at Fenway.
