The Red Sox are presently ranked last in the AL East with a 17-24 record. Since Alex Cora was fired, the Red Sox could manage an 8-5 record, which may look like an improvement, but not enough to look like a contender. No wonder Boston’s frustration is reaching a different level, and it has started to show up.
Fans’ patience was enough tested this season, and Tuesday’s struggle against the Phillies forced them to find a new way to voice their anger. One unusual protest from the front row turned heads and quickly became the latest symbol of a season slipping in the wrong direction. 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. They were seemingly removed from their seats or told to take the bags off before the inning ended,” Jomboy Media shared via X.
This is not the first time we have seen fans resorting to putting paper bags over their heads in MLB. The Reds’ fans were seen doing the same. Last year, the Yankees fans were spotted wearing paper bags with messages criticizing manager Aaron Boone. However, how the Red Sox front office reacted to the same is what made things worse.
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
Last year, a Pirates season ticket holder was asked to remove a paper bag from his head while attending a game at PNC Park. The Red Sox repeated the same on Tuesday. “Wonder what happens when 10,000 fans do it all at the same time,” one fan remarked. We also wonder that while it was easy to remove two fans for wearing a paper mask, how would the situation be handled when the stands would be full of the same?
Considering how the Red Sox are currently performing, fans are sure to be feeling bad about showing up.
Tuesday’s loss against the Phillies showed the worst form of the Red Sox’s offensive struggle. The Phillies scored one run each in the first two innings. The Red Sox could add one in the seventh by Mickey Gasper and nothing more. With a roster stuffed with names like Trevor Story, Wilyer Abreu, Marcelo Mayer, and Jarren Duran, scoring one run in the entire 9 innings justifies the paper bag protest.
Baseball god also seems not to be on Boston’s side. In the seventh, Abreu took a skyshot off the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler. The exit velocity was 105.6 mph, and the ball travelled 374 feet. Long enough for 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 said after the game. “There’s nothing I can say about that. It was a really good hit and just didn’t go out.”
Reportedly, by Tuesday, the Red Sox are ranked 29th in terms of hitting home runs (29). They are ranked 29th again in terms of slugging % (.351). Willson Contreras is leading the Red Sox hitting chart with 8 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, the Red Sox gave up on names like Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, Rafael Devers, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Bregman, Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Kyle Harrison, and Michael Wacha. In return, Roman Anthony, Marcelo Meyer, 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 landed without consulting the Red Sox’s stable 3B, Devers. Bregman was placed in the hot corner while Devers’ position kept on juggling. Eventually, Devers got traded to the Giants, and Bregman opted out after 2025. The team was the one that was badly affected. 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.
