Closer look at what the Red Sox pack in their equipment truck for six weeks in Fort Myers | MLB News

Closer look at what the Red Sox pack in their equipment truck for six weeks in Fort Myers (Image Source: Getty)

To the fans of the Boston Red Sox, Truck Day is a major marker of celebration due to the unofficial beginning of Spring Training and the change in anticipation in the winter into preparation for the baseball season. Since its inception in 2003, the event has been an annual show wherein the equipment truck of the team leaves Fenway Park, indicating that baseball is right around the corner. The 53-foot truck will drive out of Boston on Monday, 2 February at 1 p.m., and start its trip of 1,480 miles to Fort Myers, Florida.

Red Sox Truck Day tradition and spring training timeline

It is anticipated that the truck will be delivered to JetBlue Park on Thursday, February 5, and then it will be offloaded before the team begins its 6-week stay at Fort Myers. On Tuesday, February 10, there will be an official first workout of the pitchers and catchers, and the full workouts will start on February 15. The well-planned schedule means that all the equipment is set up a long time before players are on the field.The Minnesota Twins also made the move, and their equipment truck left Target Field in Minnesota on February 2 and travelled to the Lee County Sports Complex on February 6. Twins pitchers and catchers will first have workouts on February 12, and full-squad workouts will commence on February 16, with logistical planning being the same at MLB.

What’s inside the Red Sox equipment truck?

The items in the Red Sox truck reflect the magnitude of the work that needs to be done during Spring Training. It contains 20,400 baseballs, 1,100 bats, 200 batting gloves, and 200 batting helmets to facilitate the workouts of daily activities. Standard items have 320 batting practice tops, 160 white game jerseys, 300 pairs of pants, 400 t-shirts, and 400 pairs of socks. The load is completed with essentials made up of 20 cases of bubble gum, 60 cases of sunflower seeds, so that the players are not shortchanged of anything familiar as the new season commences.