Justin Thomas discussed his Red Sox fandom, shared an early experience with rivalry vs. Yankees

"That was my first introduction to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry."

Justin Thomas playing in a practice round prior to the start of the U.S. Open in Brookline. Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

By Hayden Bird

June 15, 2022

2 minutes to read

The Red Sox defeated the Athletics 6-1 on Tuesday night. Nick Pivetta allowed just one run over eight innings, while Rafael Devers smashed a three-run home run. Boston hosts Oakland again tonight at 7:10 p.m.

Also tonight, the Revolution host Orlando City at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Celtics will be at home for Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Warriors at 9 p.m. Boston trails in the series 3-2.

Justin Thomas on his Red Sox fandom: With the U.S. Open in Brookline, it’s offered a chance for some of the best golfers in the world to weigh in on Boston sports topics.

Justin Thomas, 29, who recently won the PGA Championship for the second time in his career, was asked about how he’s always been a Red Sox fan despite growing up in Louisville, Kentucky.

“My uncle is from up [in] this area,” Thomas said during a press conference earlier this week. “He’s a big Red Sox fan.”

According to Thomas, his uncle would constantly gift him Red Sox “jerseys, tee shirts, a lot of hats, a lot of blankets.”

Which players’ tee shirts and jerseys did he?

“I had a Nomar [Garciaparra]. I had a Manny [Ramirez]. Then my first Red Sox jersey was a David Ortiz jersey,” Thomas recalled. “I think I even had a [Jason] Varitek one.”

As for his experience getting acclimated with the team’s famous Boston-New York rivalry, Thomas said he got an authentic interaction when his uncle took him to a game at Yankee Stadium on his birthday.

“I remember because I had my Nomar jersey on and was getting yelled at and cussed at and given the finger and I was nine years old,” Thomas remembered. “That was my first introduction to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.”

Thomas also acknowledged that “Ortiz” is still in his current email address as a reference to the Red Sox slugger.

“It is, yeah,” he replied when asked.

The U.S. Open gets underway on Thursday, with Thomas set to tee off at 1:14 p.m. in the first round.

Trivia: Speaking of Nomar Garciaparra, he led the American League with an astounding .372 average in 2000. What National League player matched the feat, finishing the season with the exact same average?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: Prior to his days as a professional baseball player, he was supplanted as the starting quarterback at the University of Tennessee by Peyton Manning.

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