USA Today via Reuters
Image credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Image credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Red Sox fans are sick of their team, and it showed on Tuesday night. As Boston lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, fans were seen wearing paper bags over their heads.
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The 17-24 Red Sox currently sit in last place in the AL East. Since manager Alex Cora’s firing in late April, the team has gone 7-7, not enough to be considered contenders. Fans resorted to paper bags on Tuesday, a tactic last seen with Yankees fans last year. What’s worse was how the Red Sox handled the fans’ protest.
“Red Sox fans put paper bags over their heads in the ninth inning of the team’s loss,” Jomboy Media shared via X.
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“They were seemingly removed from their seats or told to take the bags off before the inning ended.”
The response from Fenway security is what made the protest bizarre, because this is not the first time we have seen fans resorting to putting paper bags over their heads in MLB.
The Cincinnati Reds’ fans were seen doing the same. Last year, the New York Yankees fans were spotted wearing paper bags with messages criticizing manager Aaron Boone. The Pittsburgh Pirates also asked a season ticket holder to remove a paper bag from his head while attending a game at PNC Park last year.
However, Boston’s approach regarding the seemingly quiet protest sparked backlash.
“Wonder what happens when 10,000 fans do it all at the same time,” one fan on social media remarked.
Red Sox fans put paper bags over their heads in the ninth inning of the team’s loss. They were seemingly removed from their seats or told to take the bags off before the inning ended, per @BOSSportsGordo pic.twitter.com/QWZKokgxCq
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 13, 2026
Given how the Red Sox are performing, fans are sure to feel bad about showing up.
Tuesday’s loss to the Phillies highlighted the worst of the team’s offensive struggles.
The Phillies took an early 2-0 lead against Jovani Moran and Brayan Bello. The Red Sox could only manage one run in the seventh, courtesy of Mickey Gasper. With a roster stacked with names like Trevor Story, Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer, and Jarren Duran, scoring just one run over 9 innings justifies the paper bag protest.
The baseball gods also seem not to be on Boston’s side.
In the seventh, Abreu hit a fly ball off Zack Wheeler. The exit velocity was 105.6 mph, and the ball traveled 374 feet. Long enough for it to be a home run in 29 of the 30 MLB ballparks, but not at Fenway Park.
On Tuesday, that 374-foot shot ended up as a routine catch by Adolis Garcia in front of the bullpen fence.
“Me and everybody thought that was out,” Abreu recalled after the game. “There’s nothing I can say about that. It was a really good hit and just didn’t go out.”
The team currently ranks 29th in MLB in both home runs (29) and slugging percentage (.351). Willson Contreras is leading the Red Sox’s hitting chart with eight homers. In comparison, Kyle Schwarber is leading the league with 17 HRs, followed by Aaron Judge’s 16. This shows what a slump means to Boston.
The Red Sox’s offseason decisions are also to blame
It is no longer news that the Red Sox are failing in terms of offense and defense. Their current roster can’t handle the increasing pressure over the days. And the blame goes to the Red Sox front office’s trading decisions.
Over the years, Boston traded away franchise players like Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, and Chris Sale. They also let reliable pitchers like Nathan Eovaldi and Michael Wacha walk in free agency. Just last year, they watched Alex Bregman opt out of his contract and leave. In return, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, and Brayan Bello filled up the roster.
Back in 2020, the Red Sox traded Betts to slash a massive payroll. They were unwilling to meet Betts’ 12-year, $420 million contract demands. Result?
Betts recorded 35 and 39 HRs in 2022 and 2023, respectively. And then last year, Boston’s gaffe with Devers and Bregman was the latest example of how their front office couldn’t manage marquee names.
Bregman was signed without consulting the Red Sox’s stable third baseman, Devers. Bregman was placed in the hot corner while Devers’ position kept on juggling. Eventually, Devers got traded to the San Francisco Giants, but Bregman, too, opted out after 2025.
From the current roster, Anthony is hitting .229, Mayer is hitting .231, and Bello is standing with a 6.46 ERA. This sums up what went wrong for the Red Sox.
The upcoming trade deadline might see a busy schedule for the Red Sox, and that remains the last hope for the fans.
Written by
Edited by
Arunaditya Aima