Update 3:00 pm: It does not get more official than the Red Sox Twitter account:
Red Sox - Royals game canceled with Boston in lock down
The Red Sox are supposed to start a series tonight, but real-world events have shut that down
Elsa
OFFICIAL: Tonight’s Red Sox game at Fenway Park scheduled for 7:10pm has been postponed to support efforts of law enforcement officers.
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 19, 2013
Update 1:38 pm: David Ortiz says the game is canceled, but Shane Victorino is in the Red Sox clubhouse at Fenway Park, tweeting that this is untrue. Red Sox officials say they haven't decided on whether or not there is a game yet.
We’ll let you know when the Red Sox or the city of Boston make a decision. Just a few hours before batting practice, though, and with public transportation in the city shut down, it’s not looking likely.
Update 1:18 pm: Friday night's Red Sox - Royals game at Fenway Park has been canceled, according to Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. This comes roughly an hour after Sox players and team employees were told to stay home until the status of the game was decided by Boston city officials.
There is no word yet when tickets for tonight’s contest will be honored, or when the game is to be rescheduled.
*****
The city of Boston is in lock down on Friday morning, with public transportation closed, businesses telling their employees to stay home, and heavily armed police all over the city trying to discover the location of the remaining Boston Marathon bombing suspect. Given this, it should go without saying, but the status of Friday night's Red Sox/Royals tilt at Fenway Park is in question.
It’s not the choice of the Red Sox to play. Boston COO Sam Kennedy said the club is waiting on word from city officials before they decide to cancel or go through with the first game of the three-game series. According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, team employees are in a “holding pattern” and it’s unlikely the two teams will play at this point.
As it is, the Fenway area is something of a ghost town this morning. Normally a busting hub of activity and traffic in Boston, it was almost completely empty during rush hour this morning, as shown by this image posted by NBC News:
Photo: City on lockdown; an empty Kenmore Square in #Boston, Mass. (via Andrew Golden) twitter.com/NBCNews/status…
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 19, 2013
As someone who is in the city today (and lives there), I’ll vouch for the creepy and frightening atmosphere of the morning and that image.
We’ll keep you posted as to the status of the contest, but as said, it’s not looking likely, especially without the second suspect apprehended at the time of this writing.
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