When the Red Sox announced that their official winter event — the annual meet-up of fans, coaches, and players of yesterday, today, and tomorrow — would take place right at Fenway Park on January 11, the response was tepid. I’m speaking anecdotally here, but it makes sense given that folks had just about a month to prep for the event (Fenway Fest was officially unveiled on December 9), and the announcement’s details were a bit sparse.
As the big day grew closer, notable figures like Rafael Devers, Pedro Martinez, Walker Buehler, and Marcelo Mayer had pulled out of Fenway Fest due to a variety of reasons.