A ritual the Red Sox vacilón with the cart in the dugout

By now in the season you must have realized the Red Sox’s drive in the dugout after every home run. If you haven’t seen it, watch the next time they hit a homerun.

It is the ritual of the laundry cart.

The peculiar celebration consists of mounting the batter in the cart where the pieces of clothing destined to be washed are usually deposited and giving him a short celebratory walk from side to side of the dugout.

“It’s kind of stupid, but it’s fun. We enjoyed it. It is done to create camaraderie with the players and try to bond more. And it’s been a lot of fun, ”said Red Sox designated hitter JD Martinez.

In an interview with NBC Boston, he indicated that the origins of this celebration go back to the end of last season, in which Boston finished sunk in the basement of the division with 24-36. And the goal initially was to have fun in a situation that was not the best.

The player of Puerto Rican blood, Christian Arroyo, said that the ritual began when receiver Kevin Plawecki came up with the idea after a comment made by coach Jason Varitek about what the laundry cart was doing in the dugout, which usually travels in the clubhouse picking up laundry.

The cart became popular in April of this year, when Puerto Rican catcher Christian Vázquez hit a home run and Plawecki and Varitek told the Puerto Rican to get on, and he received his ride. From then on, every player who hits a home run is greeted with a ‘triplet’ from side to side of the dugout.

According MLB.comAlthough Alex Cora was not with the team last year, he was able to see on television how the players enjoyed that moment. So upon his return to leading the team in 2021, he encouraged the practice to continue.

And while the cart has become the Red Sox’s flagship celebration this year, they don’t take the Fenway Park laundry cart when they’re on the road, so they rely on the carts in clubhouses in other stadiums.

Martinez even recalled that one they used in Baltimore was too deep, making it difficult for him to come out afterwards. They resolved the matter by filling the bottom of the vehicle with towels.

Although Alex Cora was not with the team last year, he was able to see what they were doing on television. And upon his return to command of the novena, he encouraged the continuation of the ritual.

“It was great to see that during a difficult season for them, they managed to find a way to have fun and celebrate the game,” Cora told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, “It means a lot to them. And if you can have fun with that, that’s fine with me. “

The cart issue has reached such heights that infielder José Iglesisas declared himself the official driver of the cart during the postseason. Iglesias, who was acquired too late in the season to be eligible for the playoffs, decided to take on the role as a way to contribute to the team off the field, as he cannot do it on the field.