CLEVELAND -- Things did not really sink in until Dustin Pedroia fouled a pitch off, sending it up the third-base line. When Northeastern pitcher Aaron Civale followed the ball, he saw Red Sox slugger David Ortiz warming up in the on-deck circle at JetBlue Park.
That was the moment Civale grasped the size of the stage he was on.
"I saw Papi on deck," Civale said. "I was just like, 'Oh my God. What is going on?'"
That exhibition game against the Red Sox was an experience that Civale will never forget -- much like the moment that arrived for him on Friday afternoon.