EXCLUSIVE: Former Boston Red Sox Catcher Ryan Lavarnway Reflects on World Series Glory, Shares Stories From 2013 Championship

Ever wondered what it takes to win the World Series? Commonly, the answer is blood, sweat, and tears. But then there is one more secret ingredient. The Boston Red Sox know it and so does Ryan Lavarnway, the former Red Sox and part of the 2013 World Series winning roster. In an Exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Lavarnway shared what it takes to be a world champion. 

Where the whole world gets tense, the Red Sox were relaxed. That relaxation and devil-may-care attitude have been a major part of their immense success in the 21st century. The former catcher shared how he was affected by his teammates’ composure and how the fans played a crucial role in the World Series’ win of the Red Sox. 

An erupting stadium, a calm dugout – the Boston Red Sox story 

The World Series is the ultimate dream of every player. Every road in the baseball world ends at the Fall Classic. So when they finally make it, it’s very easy to let the occasion to get the better of you. While talking to EssentiallySports’ Abhay Agrawal, Ryan Lavarnway shared how the Boston Red Sox avoided this pitfall during their 2013 World Series campaign. 

Sharing how he didn’t play in the World Series, Lavarnway nonetheless learned a lot during his stay in the dugout. “I didn’t get to actually play in the World Series, but I was on the team. I was in the dugout. I stormed the field in the celebration. So I had a unique perspective where I was watching the guys that were in the everyday starting lineup and trying to observe and learn as much as I could.”

Lavarnway then went on to add how the Red Sox players treated the Fall Classic as just another day in the office. “You know, this is the most important game that they’ve ever played in. This is the most pressure. This is the most scrutiny that they’ve ever faced. But they handled it as if like, it’s just another day at the office,” Lavarnway revealed. While it was surprising, the Sox had a reason for acting this way.

As Lavarnway shared, if the players thought about the occasion, it affected their performance. “The more that my teammates started leaning into, “Wow, this real game is really important. Like I have to play well.” the pressure’s on. That’s when I started seeing guys get tense and not play their best.”

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Finally, Lavarnway revealed something that affected him to the deepest level – the love and support of the fans. “There’s nothing like winning in Boston because the fans care so much. They support the team so much.” He was quick to point out that the support was very powerful and acted as a boost for the team. Then Lavarnway shared an incident where the fans continued singing along to Shane Victorino’s song even after it stopped playing in the stadium.

Well! The attitude and fans certainly helped the Red Sox. 2013 was their third World Series win in 10 years. Quite a jackpot for a team that suffered through 86 years of World Series drought.

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