Red Sox 6-foot-7, 275-pound call-up ‘opened’ Fenway Park this morning; ‘I couldn’t wait’
The Red Sox prospect arrived at Fenway Park on Wednesday hours before the time that the Red Sox told him to report.
BOSTON — Left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rivera arrived at Fenway Park on Wednesday hours before the time that the Red Sox told him to report. “I was super early here,” Rivera said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “They told me to be here around noon and I got here around 9:30.
” The staff joked with him about his punctuality. “Like they say, I opened the ballpark,” Rivera said. Rivera, a 22-year-old native of Puerto Rico, is a candidate to start Thursday’s game against the Yankees, manager Alex Cora said.
The Red Sox promoted him from Triple-A Worcester and optioned Jack Anderson. The southpaw stands at 6-foot-7, 275 pounds. His fastball has reached 98 mph this season.
“Hard thrower. He’s been under the radar the last few years,” Cora said. “He’s a kid from back home that he loves the game.