But Boston — and especially Fenway Park, where she was part of NESN’s Sox coverage from 2008-11 — has a special place in her heart that will resonate with anyone who cares about this city and its baseball team.

“It’s like coming home,” said Watney, who will be back at Fenway on Friday in her role for Apple TV+ for the Red Sox’ opener of a much-anticipated four-game series with the Yankees. “It’s like I’ve been a kid away at college and I’m coming home.

“I could not love this city more. I come back all the time to visit friends. I plead for Red Sox games every time we have them. It just makes me so happy to walk into Fenway and see familiar faces — the security guys, the clubbies are for the most part still there from my time — and hear ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the eighth inning. It brings back a flood of memories.”

Many of those memories involve the laughter and camaraderie that came from working with play-by-play voice Don Orsillo and analyst Jerry Remy.

“I can’t think of Don and Jerry and not break into a smile,” she said. “I’ll think about a game in Kansas City that was a blowout, so they started talking about this praying mantis [on the field], and I’m trying to report on what this praying mantis is like with a serious face.

“I remember talking on the air once about how Don had the biggest hairbrush of the three of us and the least amount of hair, or when something ridiculous would happen, like someone would get a slice of pizza thrown in their face, and those guys would be laughing so hard that that they had to throw it down to me.

“The chemistry was just so special. There are crews that have it” — she cites the Giants’ Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow, whom she listened to growing up in Fresno, Calif., as one that does — “but it’s still pretty rare.”

Watney’s last NESN broadcast was a memorable one, though not in any fun way. The 2011 Red Sox punctuated an almost unfathomable September collapse (they went 7-20) with a blown save and a loss to the Orioles on the final day of the season, while the Rays came back from a 7-0 deficit against the Yankees to bounce the Sox out of a playoff spot.

That led to seismic changes, which included the departure of manager Terry Francona, general manager Theo Epstein (to the Cubs), and the retirements of franchise stalwarts Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek. Watney, her contract expiring, left too, feeling a pull to be closer to her family in California.

“I was devastated that night in Baltimore because I already knew at that point that I was leaving,” she said. “I had another job offer [at Time Warner Cable Sportsnet in Los Angeles, where she spent a year] and the decision really has nothing to do with the Red Sox.

“I worked every single night of the baseball season and on offdays, there’s always a charity event to go to. I had no personal life and I had just turned 30 and I missed being near my family and wanted a little more of a balance.”

Watney, who is married with two young sons, said she is grateful to have found that balance now with Apple.

“My boys are really into baseball, too, so it’s really fun to share this with them,” she said. “Apple has been great, I love being back on the field, and it’s all just the perfect balance for where I am right now.”

Chad Finn can be reached at chad.finn@globe.com.