NEW YORK — Red Sox head of team travel Mark Cacciatore sent a group text to the players telling them that manager Alex Cora was OK with casual clothes on the flight to the Wild Card Series.
Ace Garrett Crochet had other ideas.
“He has such a big voice that we were traveling comfortable here, and he decided to go business casual,” Cora said Monday here at Yankee Stadium. “He sent a text; so he overruled the manager.”
The Red Sox and Yankees will begin a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series on Tuesday. Crochet will start Game 1 opposite Yankees ace Max Fried.
“I was telling the rookies when we were celebrating clinching, this could be the one time you get to do this as a major leaguer, so let’s enjoy it and let’s feel good about ourselves,” Crochet explained.
The official Red Sox X account tweeted photos on social media last night with players wearing jackets and dress pants, captioning it, “Business trip to NY.”
“I don’t think it’s anything about the mindset,” Crochet said. “Like I said, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for some guys on this team. So I think that we should treat it with the dignity that it deserves.”
The Red Sox have typically worn casual attire on road trips this season.
“We’ve been traveling comfortable for a while now because of the schedule and where we’re going and all that,” Cora said. “And I think that they were together in the clubhouse when Mark sent the text that it’s going to be comfortable. And he told the guys, ‘No, no, no, no. We got to make it a business trip.’ So, yeah, they dressed up yesterday.”