Plane circles Fenway Park for an hour towing banner imploring Red Sox ownership to sell the team

BOSTON (AP) — A small plane towing a banner imploring Red Sox ownership to sell the team flew over Fenway Park on Friday while Boston and the Houston Astros took batting practice.

The plane towed a banner with big red letters reading: “FIRE CRAIG! SELL THE TEAM!”

The banner was aimed at Craig Breslow, Boston's chief baseball officer, and Red Sox principal owner John Henry.

Boston enters Friday game against the Astros in last place in the AL East, with a 12-19 record.

Breslow fired manager Alex Cora on April 25 after a 17-1 road victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

The small plane circled the ballpark for over an hour. Fans outside the park were seen looking up and trying to read the banner.

With the Red Sox off to such a poor start this season, chants of “Sell the team!” have been heard at Fenway. Last week, those chants grew louder after the Red Sox were swept at home by their longtime rivals, the New York Yankees.

The 50-year-old Cora was the manager of Boston’s last World Series team in 2018, which won a club-record 108 regular-season games. And, Cora was a member of the team’s 2007 World Series-winning club. Cora was 620-541 as Red Sox manager, and the first manager to be fired this season.

Henry also owns the Liverpool soccer team. Last week, fans protested against rising ticket prices.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb