YD Baseball Daily : The YD Red Sox Enjoy a Day at Fenway Park

With the first day of July came the end of the first month for the YD Red Sox 2013 season. These boys have been playing their hearts out as well as giving back to their community in more ways than one. With so much hard work and a winning streak on their heels, the team headed up to Boston for a day none of them would ever forget.

Fenway Park press box

View of the Green Monster from the visitor dugout

The John Hancock Sign welcoming the Cape League

Each year, Fenway hosts a day for players, scouts, coaches, interns, and family to get an inside look into what a day in the majors is really like. Scouts and family alike sit in the coveted wooden seats of the grand stand behind home plate, observing these talented young men showing off their skills in batting practice, speed training, and infield/outfield workouts.

However, Fenway for these boys was more than just a chance to be observed; it gave them a taste of what it would be like to be an MLB player. With the Green Monster looming 310 feet in front of them, and the John Hancock sign high above their heads, the team was no longer just a group of boys playing on amateur fields; they were a team of potentials; excited, motivated and deserving of this experience. YD Red Sox returning catcher Wayne Taylor (27) from Stanford University spoke about his experience saying,

“It was unbelievable. I’ve been to a game at Fenway and it was incredible. But then actually being on the field was unreal; standing in the outfield next to the Green Monster and looking at the stands, it’s just a pretty cool experience. It was such a blast and such a blessing. Everyone knows that is the dream to one day be able to play there. It was definitely one of those opportunities I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Catcher Wayne Taylor (27) before batting practice

Wayne Taylor during Batting Practice

Taylor and Coach Domingo Ayala

Like Taylor, outfielder DJ Stewart (42) a rising sophomore at Florida State University felt equally as grateful to be a part of the Fenway Park legend.

"That day really brought me closer to my dream. Getting to work out on that field was a great experience for me. I mean, not too many people can say that they’ve had that experience. It’s just a blessing from God, that my hard work and dedication to the game has gotten me closer to my dream...And the coaches, they’re just telling us the whole time to just have fun with it. Like I said before, not many people get this experience so we just went out there and had fun. Played catch, ran down baseballs, ran the sixty, and hit. It was like the kid and the candy store right there for us.”

YD Red Sox players Cole Peragine (SS), DJ Stewart (CF), and Taylor Gushue (C) watching their teammates take batting practice

DJ Stewart swings for the Green Monster during batting practice

DJ Stewart and sportswriter Peter Gammons talk baseball at Fenway

At the end of the day, the team drove away from Boston feeling excited, grateful, and one step closer to reaching their dreams of playing in the major leagues. Meanwhile, the players were not the only ones who got a glance at what a career in the majors could be like. Each summer, the YD Red Sox host a team of interns who get to experience everything that goes on behind the scenes of the game. Chris Gilmore, a rising senior at the University of Georgia, is one of the three broadcast interns for the Sox.

At Fenway, he was able to meet some of his career idols including sportswriter Peter Gammons and ESPN columnist Buster Olney. Gilmore talked about his day on the other side of the lens, saying that being granted an official press pass to a professional field solidified his feeling that a career in sports was his calling.

"When I realized that I didn't have a future in the sport of baseball, I wanted to do the next best thing, I had to be a part of sports. I remember as a kid I would see guys come into the stadium with a press credential on and having one myself made me feel like I actually belonged there and that was what I was meant to do. Being able to walk into Fenway with a real press credential was really cool."

Chris Gilmore and Coach Domingo Ayala

YD Red Sox interns with ESPN columnist Buster Olney

Gilmore sporting his press pass on the Fenway Park dugout

Not one member of the YD Red Sox, players and interns alike, walked out of Fenway Park feeling anything short of fulfilled. It goes without saying that the members of the team both on and off the field were so thankful to have experienced what a day in a major league environment is like. This is just one more example of how amazing a summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox really is.