Sox show unity as Farrell taunted by Toronto “Boo” Jays
When John Farrell left the Toronto Blue Jays to become the manager of the Red Sox, Toronto fans were upset to say the least.
During Friday night’s Red Sox game in Toronto, Blue Jays fans wasted no time in showing Farrell just how unhappy they still are with him.
“You popped your head out of the dugout, they were waiting for him,” Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo said. “There was a lot of venom coming out of the stands. A lot of hand gestures, a lot of facial gestures, gruesome. Some of the comments were well below the belt. You stuck your head out, they were waiting, hatred in their eyes, screaming obscenities.”
More than 45,000 fans joined together to chant “F— You, Farr-ell” throughout the stadium.
Though the fans inside the stadium were clearly ticked off with Farrell, he did manage to run into some people on his way in that were not as angry about the situation.
“Surprisingly, a number of people welcomed me back,” Farrell said. “To have a couple of casual conversations on the way in was a good way to come to the ballpark.”
“This is a great city,” he said. “Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, some things didn’t play out on the field as we had hoped, planned, intended.”
Farrell remained focused on the game and seemed unfazed by all of the boos he received as the night went on.
“I think what he’s good at is from separating the emotion of the day from what has to be done,” Lovullo said. “He doesn’t allow things to really speed him up and make reactive decisions. I think he was really engaged in the game. That’s who he is.”
The team was supportive of Farrell and his decision, and even backed him up after the game.
“We’re starting to be tight-knit,” Jonny Gomes told reporters after the game. “If they’re booing any of our guys, we’ve got your back. If they’re booing our manager, we’ve got your back.”
And Gomes wasn’t the only one on Ferrell’s side.
“It was fun. It honestly was,” catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said after the game. “When you do something good, and they got so quiet. Whenever they did something, they got crazy again, which pumped us up. What they did with Farrell — yelling, screaming — that’s great. That pumped us up. We have his back. It makes it fun for us. Instead of a dull 15-20,000 fans out there where nothing is going on. That is what you play for.”
Although it was the Blue Jays fans laughing at and heckling him, Farrell walked out with the last laugh when the Sox beat the Jays, 6-4. For Red Sox fans, however, seeing the team come together as a unit might be the real victory.
