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The typical offseason fan fest focuses on turning the page and getting the public excited for a new year of baseball.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s Fenway Fest, the new replacement for Red Sox Winter Weekend, was about the future, but it was about last year, too. Fans were given a private first look at Netflix\u2019s \u2018The Clubhouse,\u2019 the upcoming docuseries following the \u201824 Sox from preseason to season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
The eight-episode project, which is slated to hit the streaming platform later this year, promises to take the concept of behind-the-scenes to the next level. Director Greg Whiteley and his crew were granted an unprecedented level of access to the players and facilities before, during and after games. Cameras were rolling in the clubhouse, during batting practice, in the dugout, even as starting pitchers regrouped in between innings.<\/p>\n
In a panel following the previews, manager Alex Cora, Triston Casas, Trevor Story, Wilyer Abreu, and translator Carlos Villoria Benitez joined Whiteley and NESN\u2019s Tom Caron on stage for a panel about the filming experience.<\/p>\n
If the two preview clips are any indication, Casas will be the star of the show. Unique and loquacious, the young first baseman was Netflix\u2019s dream subject. In the first preview, he thoughtfully explains how difficult it can be when a player does everything right and still doesn\u2019t arrive at the desired outcome. In a lighter moment, he analyzes the contents of his salad and declares that a salad without lettuce isn\u2019t a salad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just tried to remain authentic throughout it all,\u201d Casas said.<\/p>\n
As a former player, Cora was initially worried about how the cameras would affect his squad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little bit hesitant,\u201d the Sox skipper said. \u201cWhat these guys do, what these guys go through on a daily basis to perform for you guys is unique, is second to none, with all due respect to the other sports, is the toughest sport in the world. And for us to open the doors, not to you (fans) but to this production and take everything and record a lot of stuff I was like, man, this is gonna be tough. I played 13 years in the big leagues. I had good days, bad days, good conversations, horrible conversations, personal situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such highs and lows were immediately evident in the two previews. The first clip, currently slated to be the opening of the series, fades in on July 26. The Red Sox, in the thick of the playoff hunt, are hosting the Yankees and trailing by one run. Cora tells slugger Tyler O\u2019Neill that he\u2019s going to have Abreu hit for him. The rookie, who knows his grandmother is about to pass away, ties the game with a pinch-hit double.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was incredible to watch that moment again,\u201d Abreu said. \u201cObviously it was a very tough time personally but for me, (for) Alex to give me the opportunity to come out to pinch-hit in that situation, it meant a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The variety of emotional moments in the opening minutes introduce some of the vast complexities of major league life. Players are often separated from their loved ones for long stretches, and their families make sacrifices to accompany them on this wild ride. In one scene, O\u2019Neill\u2019s baby girl sits outside protective netting watching him take batting practice at home. Triston Casas and Brayan Bello verbally berate themselves after rough outings. Chris Martin swears loudly amidst the bench-clearing dustup with the Milwaukee Brewers. The sounds of sports radio shows eviscerating the team accompany footage of the players arriving to do their job.<\/p>\n
The second clip opens on a lighter note: the Red Sox at a fancy team dinner to celebrate Brayan Bello\u2019s contract extension. Assistant general manager Raquel Ferreira convinces him that he\u2019s on the hook for the entire check as Rafael Devers adds expensive wine to the already-enormous cost. Ferreira presents Bello with a bill north of $26K \u2013 the exact total arbitrarily chosen by Cora \u2013 and reminds him to tip well before revealing that that the Red Sox have already paid. Out to breakfast in Seattle before Opening Day, Casas and Kutter Crawford discuss whether certain types of seafood qualify as crustaceans, split a stack of pancakes, and accurately predict that O\u2019Neill will make MLB history that night with his fifth consecutive Opening Day home run.<\/p>\n
The end of the second clip was highlights from Opening Day and that 10-game west-coast road trip. All seems to be going splendidly for the Red Sox, who go 7-3 in Seattle, Oakland, and Anaheim.<\/p>\n
Then, disaster. The outlook of a season, both individually and collectively, can change in a second, and Episode 1 ends on such a moment. In the series opener against the Angels, Game No. 8 of 162, Story lays out to successfully rob Mike Trout of a hit, but falls to the ground awkwardly. Clutching his shoulder, the veteran shortstop writhes in pain as everything fades to black.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of stuff that goes on that\u2019s very raw and not pleasing,\u201d Story said of major league life. \u201cIt\u2019s real, it\u2019s competition at the highest level, so with that comes intensity, comes bad language, comes a lot of stuff that you don\u2019t necessarily want people to see, but I thought it was a cool opportunity where we can kind of tell our story.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe grinding, all the meetings, all the work, all the cage, everything,\u201d he continued. \u201cThat\u2019s what I was excited to share with the fans. And I think you guys will appreciate how much we care about it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The typical offseason fan fest focuses on turning the page and getting the public excited for a new year of baseball. Saturday\u2019s Fenway Fest, the new replacement for Red Sox Winter Weekend, was abo\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n