RED SOX: Kinsler enjoying the atmosphere

Ian Kinsler ''ecstatic'' to be playing in Sox-Yankees rivalry

BOSTON -- Ian Kinsler admitted he was a little jealous.

All four games of this weekend’s Red Sox-Yankees showdown were scheduled to be featured on national television. MLB Network picked up the telecasts Thursday and Friday, Fox Sports 1 will carry Saturday’s late-afternoon matchup and ESPN will air the finale on Sunday Night Baseball.

This is old news for Boston fans of a certain vintage, with primetime slots the norm since the pair of American League Championship Series battles against New York in the early 2000s. Players like Kinsler toil in relative obscurity while in places like Texas, Detroit and Anaheim, not necessarily the first choices to benefit from the game’s primary marketing efforts.

“Everything is about Red Sox-Yankees when you’re on the other side,” Kinsler said. “It’s like, ‘Enough already.’ But now that you’re in it, there’s nothing better. I’m ecstatic to be a part of it. Last night was so much fun.”

Kinsler was all smiles in front of those national cameras during Thursday’s 15-7 blowout, as he contributed three hits and a pair of magnificent defensive plays at second base. It was the same satisfied feeling for first baseman Steve Pearce, who entered his name into Red Sox legend overnight courtesy of three home runs and six RBI.

“We have so much fun,” Pearce said Thursday. “It’s fun coming to the park every day. You can see it when we play out there. It’s just great coming to the ballpark every single day.”

Kinsler and Pearce are grizzled veterans with more than 20 years of combined service time. But only Pearce had experienced the intensity of this rivalry before, and Kinsler found himself trying not to stare into the roaring sellout crowd of 37,317 as Boston mounted its comeback from an early 4-0 deficit.

“I try to stay focused,” Kinsler said. “You might get caught looking around. But it was a great atmosphere for sure.”

Kinsler only blinked before his final at-bat in the eighth inning, as he shared a dugout moment with Red Sox manager Alex Cora while New York made a pitching change. Zach Britton was summoned to replace the besieged Luis Cessa, who was charged with Boston’s final five runs.

“He sat down and I was like, ‘Are you having fun?’” Cora said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, this is fun.’ We’re happy that we have him.”

Adding Kinsler and Pearce to the mix has been a seamless transition for the Red Sox to this point. It’s a testament to both their professionalism and the loose, relaxed culture Cora and his staff have fostered in the clubhouse. No member of Boston’s 25-man roster seemed to hold any fears about being dealt at the deadline or seeing an immediate reduction in playing time, performing as they normally would have through the season’s first 108 games.

“The first day I walked in this clubhouse they welcomed me with open arms,” Pearce said. “It was kind of an easy transition for me because I’ve played against these guys for so long. All I really had to do was learn personalities. When I walked in here, just great guys top to bottom.”

“You look at it from the other side no matter where you’re at, you pay attention to Major League Baseball and you can tell this is a high-octane team,” Kinsler said. “Whether it’s defensively, offensively, on the bases – there are just a lot of things this team is capable of doing. It’s something special.”

The Red Sox carried a 6½-game lead into Friday night, their largest in the AL East since opening up a 9½-game gap in September 2013. Boston went on to win the World Series that season, and more damage against the Yankees this weekend could help mathematically bury New York for the third straight year in the race for the division crown.

“It’s a great atmosphere,” Kinsler said. “It’s a lot of fun. I had a lot of fun last night and I’m looking forward to tonight.”