The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is one of the most iconic rivalries in not just baseball, but in all of sports.
On Monday afternoon in the Bronx, 22 year old Jackie Bradley will become the first rookie to draw an Opening Day starting assignment from the Red Sox since Shea Hillenbrand in 2001 and the youngest left fielder for the Sox since Yaz in 1961 and ’62, and have the honor of participating in this great rivalry.
The news was given to Bradley on a fight to the Bronx by manager, John Farrell, on Saturday evening.
“I think he’s done a great job,” starter Jon Lester said. “He came in with really no expectations of making the club as far as us or (the media). I would imagine he came in with that expectation, and he’s done a great job of handling everything. He worked his butt off. It’s fun to watch him in the outfield. He gets great jumps on the ball. He’s a professional at the plate.”
The Opening Day roster includes 12 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders and five outfielders. Here’s a look:
PITCHERS (12): Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Bailey, Clay Buchholz, Ryan Dempster, Felix Doubront, Joel Hanrahan, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Andrew Miller, Clayton Mortensen, Junichi Tazawa, and Koji Uehara.
CATCHERS (2): David Ross and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
INFIELDERS (6): Mike Carp, Pedro Ciriaco, Jose Iglesias, Will Middlebrooks, Mike Napoli, and Dustin Pedroia.
OUTFIELDERS (5): Jackie Bradley Jr., Jacoby Ellsbury, Jonny Gomes, Daniel Nava, and Shane Victorino.
