What Gomes remembers most about being traded from the Red Sox
It's been nearly a full year since Jonny Gomes was dealt from the Boston Red Sox to the Oakland A's in a deadline trade, but there's one thing about his departure from the Sox that's stuck with him since being traded.
"The one thing that kind of sticks out is I got traded on a day off, so I truly didn't get a chance to say good-byes, if you will," Gomes said. "I've played on enough teams, [so] you know how to make the adjustment and all that. A lot of these guys I haven't seen since I left."
Gomes finally got a chance to reunite with his former teammates on Monday as a member of the Atlanta Braves now, his first game back in Fenway Park since July 30, 2014.
While Red Sox fans gave Gomes a warm reception before his first at-bat, he didn't fare well at the plate in his return, finishing 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
However, he made a terrific diving catch in left field that drew oohs and ahs from those in attendance.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez plans to keep Gomes in left field due to his expertise of the nuances of the Green Monster.
"He's talking about dead spots [in the outfield] and stuff like that," Gonzalez said. "I don't know that he's Larry Bird of the Green Monster, but he knows. He's going to play it the next two days over there. There are some little nooks and crannies, places like that."
Gomes didn't need to have advanced knowledge of the Green Monster to make his highlight-reel play on Monday, but there's almost certain to be a play in which his experience in the stadium will be advantageous to the Braves in the series.
(h/t MLB.com)
Photo credit: Jim Rogash/Getty Images
