SWFL.io - Local NewsThe Boston Red Sox kicked off their 33rd spring training season at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida, with their annual Truck Day, unloading thousands of pieces of gear and equipment for the team.
Before the sun rose along the Gulf Coast, the Red Sox gear truck arrived, signaling the unofficial start of the 2026 season.
Along with staff and crews that were there to assist, Charlie Bakst, a lifelong Red Sox fan, was also there to watch the truck unload. "My wife Elizabeth and I come every year. Every year this park has been open, and before this park was open, I used to go to the other park, and it's a ritual of life," Bakst said.
Working towards their 10th World Championship, the Red Sox packed up the truck and made the nearly 1,500-mile trip from Fenway Park in just three days.
The truck is filled to the brim with everything the team needs to hit it out of the park this season at their home away from home. Some of the things in the truck include 20,400 baseballs, 1,100 bats, 200 batting gloves and helmets, 20 cases of gum and 60 cases of sunflower seeds.
Shawn Smith, General Manager of Florida Operations and JetBlue Park at Fenway South, highlighted the park's design. "It's home away from home down to the last square inch. JetBlue Park's playing surface is just like back home. All the nooks and crannies, the Yazd or the pesky pole, the Fisk pole, all the same dimensions that we have back home," Smith said.
In the end, it's all about having a ball and enjoying time watching the beautiful game with your favorite people — and of course, some wins.
"Every time I go to Fenway Park, I think of my father. The other thing is just to see the excitement of the fans," Bakst said.
The Red Sox's first game of the season is against the Northeastern Huskies on Friday, Feb. 20, at JetBlue Park.
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