BOSTON — An aircraft carrying a protest message spent more than an hour flying above Boston’s iconic baseball stadium on Friday, displaying frustration with the struggling Red Sox organization as players prepared for their game against Houston.
The aircraft pulled a large banner featuring bold red text that read: “FIRE CRAIG! SELL THE TEAM!”
The aerial demonstration targeted Craig Breslow, the team’s chief baseball officer, and principal owner John Henry as the Red Sox continue their disappointing season.
Boston entered Friday’s matchup with the Astros sitting at the bottom of the American League East division with a troubling 12-19 record.
The organization made a significant change on April 25 when Breslow dismissed manager Alex Cora following a dominant 17-1 road win against Baltimore.
The aircraft made continuous loops around the stadium for over sixty minutes while spectators gathering outside the ballpark stopped to look skyward and decipher the message.
Given the team’s struggles this year, supporters at Fenway have been vocal with “Sell the team!” chants. These protests became more pronounced following last week’s home sweep by their historic rivals, the New York Yankees.
The 50-year-old Cora previously guided Boston’s most recent championship squad in 2018, a team that established a franchise record with 108 wins during the regular season. Cora also played on the organization’s 2007 championship roster. During his managerial tenure, Cora compiled a 620-541 record and became this season’s first skipper to be let go.
Henry’s sports portfolio also includes ownership of Liverpool Football Club, where supporters recently demonstrated against increased ticket costs.
