“Obviously, the players heard the fans when we were not going good, booing, chanting, ‘Sell the team,’ blah, blah, blah,’ ” said Flores. “You hear that as a player and you get frustrated, and I felt like it was proper to let them know that [the fans] have all the right to say that, but that it’s in our hands to turn that around.”
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Flores didn’t simply want to give a speech. He wanted to offer visceral inspiration.
In mid-June, he recruited the team’s video department to put together a Fenway hype video, culled from highlights of the 2025 season — particularly the remarkable 10-game winning streak leading into the All-Star break, in which the ballpark became more raucous than at any point in years. The reel showcased crowd eruptions in response to great plays, the entrance of Aroldis Chapman, and walkoff wins.
Flores played it during a daily pregame advance meeting of hitters. Its effect was considerable.
“Honestly, it gave me some butterflies. You kind of forget when you’re not playing good how electric this place really can be,” said Jarren Duran. “It’s hard to describe how electric Fenway is unless you’ve experienced it. When we were having a tough go at the beginning of the season, it was hard to tell [the newcomers], ‘Fenway’s a weapon when we get the fans behind us.’”
After the video, several players who’d experienced last year’s midyear turnaround spoke. Ceddanne Rafaela, Carlos Narváez, Duran, and Trevor Story all addressed the newcomers, explaining what Fenway became when the team excelled at home. Their messages were heartfelt and emotional.
“What I said was along the lines of, even in the bad times, how special and how privileged I feel to come here and play baseball and to put on this uniform. That never gets lost on me,” said Story, whose emotions in addressing his team were particularly high while he navigated the frustration of a stint on the injury list. “I love this game, and I love playing for this team. I love playing for this city, and that’s really the message I wanted to give.”
“Even though it may look like the fans aren’t behind us, they want us to win just as bad [as the players],” said Duran. “They could be upset at us, but it’s just tough love, because they want it just as bad as we do. It was just an eye-opener to be like, ‘Hey guys, when we’re rolling and we’re playing good, they’re behind us. It may seem bad right now, but we’re going to go on a run and it’s going to be sick.’ ”
The message landed. Players who had known only struggles at Fenway got a clearer understanding of what might be possible.
“[The 2025 team] turned it around and played really good baseball right around the time that [Flores] showed the video, basically trying to get us to do the same thing,” said Caleb Durbin, who is in his first season in Boston. “Watching [those moments], it was like, ‘Man, we’re here and have the same opportunity as what they were able to do last year.’ ”
The effect wasn’t instantaneous. Though no one recalled precisely when Flores showed the video, it was sometime during a six-game, mid-June homestand against the Rangers and Blue Jays in which the Sox went 2-4, winning a three-game series against Texas but then getting swept by Toronto.
Still, on the 3-3 road trip that followed, the Sox started to play with greater energy, their bats starting to come alive. And when the team returned to Fenway on June 25, it began one of the most improbable surges in franchise history. Starting with a four-game Fenway sweep of the Yankees, the team is 30-5 over a 35-game stretch, including 15-4 at Fenway.
Fenway has reclaimed its place as an uncomfortable environment for visitors and a source of assurance for Red Sox players. The atmosphere has been transformed from desultory to exuberant.
“When we were having a tough go at the beginning of the season, it was hard to tell those guys, ‘Fenway’s a weapon when we get the fans behind us.’ [But] I think now they’re seeing it and they’re realizing it,” said Duran. “It’s awesome that they’re getting to experience it, and hopefully we can take this into the playoffs.”
“This is the way it should be,” said Story. “You hear some of the fans and everyone saying we got our summer back. That’s what it feels like for us, too.”
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.