At long last, it’s almost time for the Boston Red Sox to begin the defense of their World Series title, and we now know what their Opening Day lineup will look like.
Boston will open its 2019 season on the road with an 11-game West Coast swing beginning with four games against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Fans already know how the pitching rotation will look for the first five games, and Sox manager Alex Cora revealed his starting nine Wednesday night.
Take a look:
Lineup for #RedSox tomorrow: Benintendi, Betts, Devers, JD Martinez, Bogaerts, Moreland, Nunez, Bradley, Vazquez.
— Guerin Austin (@guerinaustin) March 27, 2019
Cora said in December Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts would swap positions in the batting order, allowing Betts more opportunities to drive in runs.
The skipper also shared his plan for Steve Pearce, who will begin the season on the injured list, once he returns to game action.
Red Sox will have Vazquez at C, Moreland at 1B, Nunez at 2B on Opening Day. Benintendi leads off, Betts 2nd, Devers hits 3rd, MartÃnez 4th, Bogaerts 5th. When Pearce (on injured list due to calf) is healthy, he’ll hit 3rd vs lefties.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) March 27, 2019
Chris Sale will throw the first pitch of the Red Sox’s 2019 season at 7:08 p.m. ET.
