If you were watching Saturday’s NESN broadcast of the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, you probably noticed something unusual. Midway through the game, play-by-play announcer Dave O’Brien had to be replaced by NESN studio host Tom Caron, who called the remainder of the game from the studio. The reasoning for the switch was straightforward: O’Brien was the latest member of the Red Sox org to catch the flu.
The Red Sox as a whole have been battling various strands of flu over the past two weeks. As Scott Lauber of ESPN reported:
“This hasn’t been able to be contained from one certain group to another or a couple of guys,” manager John Farrell said. “There’s three different things that are going around -- one’s a respiratory one, one’s flu-like symptoms and one is the full-blown flu.”
Among those affected by one aspect of the flu or another: Mookie Betts (he played in his second game on Sunday), Mitch Moreland, Hanley Ramirez, Robbie Ross Jr., and Joe Kelly. You can add various coaches and O’Brien to the mix, too. Oh, and by the way -- shortstop Xander Bogaerts and left-handed reliever Matt Barnes have been on the bereavement list. It’s more than fair to write that Boston’s depth has been tested more than any other team’s has this season.
Fear not, however, Red Sox fans. The team is taking precautions to remedy the situation.
Flu bug and all, the Red Sox got off to a 3-2 start with a positive run differential.