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It's Friday. Baseball returns to Fenway Park this afternoon, with the 1-5 Red Sox hosting the San Diego Padres for their home opener at 2:10 p.m. — and yes, it is too early to panic. (But ask me again on Monday.) On deck: The Red Sox finished 89-73 in a tough division last year, their best regular season record since the "Dancing on My Own" team. But it ended last fall with a gutting loss to the archnemesis New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs (which budding superstar Roman Anthony missed due to injury — something you should remind the Yankees fans in your life). In the offseason, the team focused on bolstering its starting pitching staff and developing their young talent, though it came at the cost of losing veteran third baseman Alex Bregman. Here's a look at the new additions. - On the mound: Two former All-Star pitchers are joining ace Garrett Crochet in the rotation: 36-year-old Sonny Gray and lefty Ranger Suarez, who signed a five-year deal with the team. Gray is set to get the start today.
- In the field: While the Sox didn't go after the biggest sluggers on the market to fill the Bregman-shaped hole in their batting order, they did trade for first baseman Wilson Contreras, who hits around 20 home runs a year when he's healthy. They also added a few versatile infielders in Caleb Durbin and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
- How's it going? Well, not great. After winning their first game last week, the Sox lost five straight, including two blowouts to the Astros. The offense has been quiet. Suarez and Gray were shaky in their debuts. Their new 6-foot-6 reliever has literally lost his fastball. They're even struggling with the MLB's new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. Still, Red Sox manager Alex Cora says the team just needs to focus on the series ahead of them. "We've got the Padres, we got the Brewers — win those two series at home and then go on the road and do the same thing," Cora told reporters earlier this week.
- Off the field: Fenway Park is always making small tweaks. This year's improvements include a sensory room to provide a quiet space for fans with sensory sensitivities amid all the ballpark noise and commotion. The room is located by the Gate E concourse, behind the third baseline seats.
- On the menu: The new lobster poutine boat is getting all the attention. But in my opinion, the yucca poppers are the most intriguing addition to Fenway Park's food menu this year. MassLive has the full list (and photos) of all the new 2026 concession items here.
- Related listening: WBUR's Sharon Brody spoke to a local record label founder about how Boston's punk scene has profited off the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry (and a certain slogan). Listen to the interview here.
Good news for Gollum: Attleboro is tabling its plan to effectively close the Capron Park Zoo. Mayor Cathleen DeSimone announced this week that Attleboro will use $900,000 in one-time budget reserves to keep the city-owned zoo running for at least another year. It comes after a backlash against the city's proposal last month to scale back the nearly 90-year-old zoo and relocate many of the animals to help close a nearly $3 million hole in the upcoming budget. - What's next: DeSimone is hoping to work with the Friends of Capron Park Zoo to see if the nonprofit can increase its financial support for the zoo. " I just hope that this outpouring of support continues," she told WBUR's Kevin Vu. "That is the key. If it falls off in a couple of months, that's not going to help us. Hopefully in the long term, all of these folks are buying memberships, joining the Friends, volunteering and doing all the things to keep it going." DeSimone is also talking to the city's representatives in the Legislature about possible state grants.
- Go deeper: As DeSimone noted, "there's a lot of municipalities in Massachusetts struggling" with budget deficits right now. Tune in to WBUR's Morning Edition on 90.9 FM during the 9 a.m. hour for a roundtable discussion of the root causes.
Swans 🤝 peacock: The Boston Legacy are back at Gillette Stadium tonight — and it just got a little easier for New Englanders to watch from home. The Legacy announced a multiyear, regional TV deal yesterday with NBC10 Boston and NBC Sports Boston. The partnership includes a live broadcast of tonight's 7 p.m. match against the San Diego Wave on NBC10 Boston, plus a dozen other games on NBC Sports Boston. See the schedule here. On Beacon Hill: WBUR's Chris Van Buskirk reports the Massachusetts Senate wants to use $1 million in “millionaires tax" revenue to support a state-funded program that gives immigrants facing deportation free legal help. The proposal comes amid a debate over if — and how — to make the legal defense fund permanent. P.S.— What office in Boston just got a new leader following a yearlong search? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week's stories. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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Iranian officials said one of the longest bridges linking Tehran to the city of Karaj was destroyed overnight, while Iranian missiles and drones hit Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait's largest oil refinery, setting some units on fire. Read more. |
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Bondi's departure comes amid simmering frustration over her leadership and handling of the Epstein files. President Trump says Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will be acting attorney general. Read more. |
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Baystate Health, the largest health center in western Massachusetts, announced in February it would stop gender-affirming treatment for children, offering only counseling. This came after the Trump administration threatened to strip Medicaid and Medicare funding from any hospital providing the care to kids. Read more. |
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Protests are growing at U.S. universities where buildings are named for associates of the late sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein. A movement is afoot at Harvard, where the most prominent building at its prestigious Kennedy School bears the name of retail magnate Les Wexner. Read more. |
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A supervisor and two instructors with a Massachusetts State Police tactical unit were arraigned Thursday in connection with the death of Enrique Delgado-Garcia, who suffered a concussion during a sparring session and several blunt force injuries a day later in what investigators called an “unapproved and unsafe” boxing match. Read more. |
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- UConn fans aren't the only ones rooting for the Huskies men's and women's basketball teams to win their Final Four games this weekend. The Associated Press reports that 20,000 Jordan’s Furniture customers will be fully repaid for $50 million worth of purchases this winter if both teams make the finals. That's more than the $35 million in refunds the Massachusetts-based company sent out in a similar Red Sox-based promotion in 2007.
- Yesterday marked a year since "Liberation Day," when President Trump announced double-digit tariffs on imports from around the world. Many of the tariffs have since been struck down by the Supreme Court. Here's a look at where things stand now, from the trade deficit to import revenue to domestic manufacturing.
- Local author Emily Franklin only knew a few things about Claire Clairmont, the stepsister of "Frankenstein" author Mary Shelley. “What I didn’t know was how much of Claire’s story from 200 years ago would resonate today,” she writes in this Cognoscenti essay.
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- MUST READ! GREAT INSIGHT!
- What Americans Really Pay For Electricity (Heatmap News)
- Exploring one of Ted Landsmark’s lesser-known passions: Antique banjos (The Boston Globe)
- Why Doesn’t Anybody Realize We’re Going Back to the Moon? (The Atlantic)
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What's more accessible, reliable and universally-beloved than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? The roots of this affordable finger food got its start in Boston 125 years ago. Read more. |
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