Baker pitches ‘Red Sox Week’ at the Hynes

Part of vax push in hard-hit communities

Gov. Charlie Baker is pitching a “Red Sox Week” at the Hynes Convention Center’s mass vaccination site to encourage folks from communities hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic to step up to the plate and get their shots.

Up to 20,000 first-dose appointments will be set aside for communities of color from April 19 to 25, Baker announced Wednesday at the Hynes. April 19 is the first day all Massachusetts residents are eligible for vaccines.

“We understand the vaccination process can sometimes be stressful for some individuals, especially those who come from communities that have been hit hard by the virus,” Baker said. “Our goal is to encourage more people to come to Boston with family and neighbors to get vaccinated together, and to also create an experience in Spanish from beginning to end.”

Groups including The Red Sox Foundation, El Mundo, The BASE, Archipelago Strategies Group, Healthcare for All, and the Boston Public Health Commission will help residents of the state’s 20 hardest-hit communities book appointments, and those that go unfilled will be available through the state’s pre-registration system.

Spanish- and Englishspeaking staff and volunteers, as well as Spanish-language signage, will be in place to help people through the entire vaccination process. To top it off, the newly vaccinated will be treated to Sox-themed attractions including a selfie station, team trophies, socially distanced visits with Wally the Green Monster and even a raffle to win tickets to a game.

Red Sox President Sam Kennedy said manager Alex Cora has pledged to “help spread the word in the community” and that the team has already tapped Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz for vaccine PSAs.

Alberto Vasallo III, president and CEO of El Mundo Boston, said he hopes the weeklong outreach effort will be a home run among Latinos who are “not lining up as fast as we would like them to get vaccinated.”