​The Boston Red Sox finally touched down in New York after a long travel delay that began in Chicago. Their plane landed at 4:54 p.m. EDT, and they reached Citi Field by 5:05 p.m., well ahead of the 7:15 p.m. game start time, according to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. The delayed arrival pushed the game back by 35 minutes. At 5:58 p.m. ET, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that the Red Sox–Mets game would now start at 7:50 p.m. due to the travel issues. The team’s equipment did not arrive until about 20 minutes later, per the New York cable network SNY.
Healey noted that rookie pitcher Payton Tolle described the team’s ordeal: “We had weather-related delays last night, then a mechanical issue, and after six hours on the plane we returned to the hotel.” He added that this morning brought another mechanical or aircraft problem. Having spent nearly a full day stranded in Chicago after Thursday’s series finale against the White Sox, the Red Sox finally took off at 1:34 CDT (2:34 EDT) Friday afternoon, racing against the clock to make the 7:15 p.m. first pitch at Citi Field.
The travel snafu began with a mechanical scramble that left Boston grounded in the Midwest far longer than planned, making every minute crucial with LaGuardia Airport in proximity to Citi Field. The Red Sox entered Friday with a 43-48 record. Their listed starting lineup featured Sonny Gray on the mound, with a 10-1 record and a 2.61 ERA, and position players including Anthony Seigler at second, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, Wilyer Abreu in right, Romy Gonzalez at first, Masataka Yoshida serving as the designated hitter, Caleb Durbin at third, Jarren Duran in left, Connor Wong behind the plate, and Tsung-Che Cheng at short.
Boston reporter Ian Browne confirmed through multiple sources that the team had “lifted off and are en route to New York,” adding that “LaGuardia is right next to Citi Field” and that the charter was projected to land at LaGuardia around 4:46 p.m. ET, per flight-tracking posts shared on social media. That would put the Red Sox on the ground less than three hours before first pitch, a tight but survivable window. The quick hop from LaGuardia to Citi Field has proven feasible for travel-weary clubs in the past, offering a sliver of geographic luck in what had otherwise been a chaotic travel day.
The trouble has its roots in Thursday’s fallout, when the Red Sox encountered multiple plane issues while attempting to depart Chicago after their afternoon game against the White Sox. The finale of that series capped a three-game sweep that left Boston with positives to carry, even as their charter sat idle on the tarmac for hours. An earlier flight scheduled to depart Midway for Newark at 5:25 p.m. Thursday was scrapped entirely, according to posts on social media, forcing the traveling party to search for an alternate aircraft through the night and into Friday morning. Boston remained grounded into Friday afternoon before finally receiving clearance to fly, more than 20 hours after Thursday’s game had ended.