A team bus for the Philadelphia Phillies was involved in an accident after its spring training game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, which took place at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. MLB.com reported the accident, which involved a bus that was carrying both players and team personnel. There were no reported injuries. The accident appeared to be a fender-bender, as the bus was rear-ended by a car as the bus was entering I-75 North via an on-ramp. The bus suffered little damage while the car that rear-ended it received what MLB.com called “visible damage.”
For the Phillies, it seemed more an inconvenience. The accident delayed their departure by an hour as the Florida Highway Patrol worked the scene. Phillies players reported on the bus included Johan Rojas, Edmundo Sosa and Yunior Marte. Once the FHP’s work was done, the Phillies returned to their spring training facility in Clearwater, Fla. As for the game, the Red Sox won, 7-6, sending the Phillies to a 2-1 record in Grapefruit League action.
The game featured the first home run of the spring for new acquisition Whit Merrifield, a utility player signed earlier this month to bolster the outfield depth as Brandon Marsh continues to recover from arthroscopic surgery. He is still expected to be ready before the regular season begins. David Buchanan started the game for the Phillies, pitching two innings while giving up four hits and two runs, both earned. He struck out two and walked one in his first spring training outing.
