Jason Bay used to play in relative anonymity in Pittsburgh. That distinction ended at the trading deadline, when he was shipped to Boston. Now with 19 homers and 69 RBI entering Sunday, and no brain cramps, Bay has adequately replaced Manny Ramirez.
People are noticing you now, are you better or just playing on a bigger stage?
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I haven’t changed my approach or my stance. There’s a lot of stuff before and after the games that goes into being a Red Sox, but ultimately it’s a pretty easy environment to thrive in with the lineup we have.
What was it like last year going from Pittsburgh to Boston?
It was a little much when you get traded from a team that’s not doing well and all of a sudden 12 hours later you’re in Boston. Last year was a learning experience. We had a playoff race, my wife É had a baby at the end of September. No matter what I did it was a news story.
What opened your eyes the most?
I get to the airport and there’s a greeting over the [intercom], ‘Welcome to Red Sox nation; the bags from Pittsburgh are coming out on carousel 13.” People were taking pictures with me in the airport. Everyone knows it’s a little different, but until you get in the middle of it, you really don’t know. At first it’s a lot, but the more you’re around it, it becomes normal. You go on the road and you’ve got 10,000 fans for [batting practice] screaming. It’s great.
