Red Sox 'Worst Fumble In Last 15 Years' Continues To Thrive In New Home

Boston's most regrettable break-up didn't involve a baseball player

Jim Rogash / Stringer / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

The Boston Red Sox have regrettably traded away or let walk a few key players in recent years.

Mookie Betts comes to mind. So, too, does Chris Sale, as Boston has watched Sale turn in a Cy Young season for the Atlanta Braves in 2024.

No franchise has a perfect track record on trades and free agency (Red Sox included), so Boston shouldn’t beat itself up too much over Betts, Sale, or other players that the team should have retained but failed to.

On the other hand, it’s still difficult to swallow that the Red Sox (well, NESN) parted ways with one of the most standout talents associated with the organization in recent years, that being play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo.

Orsillo announced Red Sox games from 2001 to 2015 but was controversially replaced by Dave O’Brien in the booth starting in 2016 (no disrespect to O’Brien intended here, as he’s tremendous in his own right).

NESN’s break-up with Orsillo did nothing to stop the announcer, as he’s gone on to continue his illustrious career as the voice of the San Diego Padres.

The baseball world was reminded of Orsillo’s greatness on Sunday when Orsillo masterfully — and powerfully — narrated Jackson Merrill’s epic walk-off home run versus the New York Mets at Petco Park.

As Merrill emphatically rounded first, Orsillo’s voice let out a euphoric yell in the form of the exclamation, “Merrill Madness!”, which could not have complemented the raucous stadium atmosphere more fittingly.

It was a joyous sports moment that had at least one Red Sox onlooker feeling some type of way.

In a viral post, X user @johnlavelle413 shared Orsillo’s legendary call and lamented that Orsillo was no longer a Fenway fixture.

“Arguably the worst fumble by the Red Sox in the last 15 years was letting Don Orsillo leave,” the post said.

Given Orsillo’s continued dominance, it’s hard to argue with such a statement.

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