The Red Sox arrived in New York at 4:30 p.m. ET Friday, and their game against the Mets at Citi Field was pushed back from 7:15 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. after multiple issues with Boston's chartered flight delayed the team earlier in the day.
Boston had spent much of Friday in Chicago, where the Red Sox were grounded after Thursday afternoon's three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. Around 3 p.m. Friday, a Mets spokesperson said the Red Sox had taken off and that the game still was expected to be played, but the travel disruption left the club with a shortened window before first pitch.
The Red Sox then landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York and arrived at Citi Field around 5 p.m. The delayed start gave both teams a little more time before the opener of a four-game series, but it also added another layer to what was already a long travel day.
Red Sox enter the series in strong form
The timing of the delay mattered because the Red Sox were beginning their final series before the All-Star break and had won 11 of their past 13 games. They also were trying to keep momentum after a stretch that had them in the mix for the American League third wild-card spot.
Flight issues have been part of Boston's season before. On June 25, the Red Sox were unable to leave Denver until the wee hours of the morning and did not arrive in Boston until around 5 a.m. ET, with a game scheduled that night against the New York Yankees.
For Friday night, the main question was simple: when would Boston get there, and how much would the schedule change? The answer was a 4:30 p.m. arrival in New York and a 35-minute delay before the Red Sox vs Mets first pitch.
