#BooBenny? Hardly. Andrew Benintendi gets rare ovation for a Yankee at Fenway Park

The questions about how Red Sox Nation would receive Andrew Benintendi upon his return to Fenway Park as a member of the New York Yankees were in full force Friday, the day the latest rivalry series was due to begin.

The Boston crowd has a long history of booing former players who return in pinstripes: Johnny Damon returned to Fenway Park after signing a four-year, $52 million contract with the Yankees and was promptly met by boobirds and signs that called him a traitor and fans calling him Judas Damon — despite him tipping his cap to the fans and the Red Sox dugout. When Jacoby Ellsbury came back to Boston, it also was to boos, after he signed a seven-year, $153 million contract with the Bronx Bombers.

So by Friday morning, when former Red Sox fan favorite Brock Holt posted a photo on Instagram of the two during their days in Boston — with the hashtag #BooBenny — it was fair to wonder.

By the start of Friday's game, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts himself was weighing in.

«I would not expect boos,» Bogaerts said. «Like, come on man. I mean, it was a midseason trade. I get that it's the Yankees, but I hope they don't. He had a nice run here.»

To Bogaerts' point, Benintendi was in a different situation than Damon or Ellsbury. The Red Sox traded Benintendi ahead of the 2021 season to the Kansas City Royals, who turned around and traded the outfielder to the Yankees at the deadline this year. While Damon and Ellsbury chose to sign with the Yankees, Benintendi did not.

And when he stepped up to the plate on Friday, Benintendi became part of a rare group of Yankees history: a player in pinstripes who received cheers at Fenway Park. The ovation followed a videoboard tribute, featuring his many highlights from his time in