Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen is not a small man. Not by a long shot. He's listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, and those numbers could probably use some updating. He's built like he could play the nose in a 3-4 defense.
So imagine Jansen's surprise when the Celtics visited the Red Sox clubhouse before Monday's game and Jansen got a close-up look at NBA height.
"I felt so uncomfortable when Kristaps Porzingis stood next to me," Jansen said. "Now I know what little people feel like."
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Jansen may be a towering presence on the Red Sox, but he doesn't measure up to the 7-foot-2 Latvian big man. Nor could he make direct eye contact with forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who each have at least two inches on him.
"I felt so little," he said.
That said, Jansen is a huge NBA fan who appreciated what it took for the Celtics to claim Banner 18. "I'm happy for them," he said. "They busted their butts."
He loved the raucous atmosphere the C's brought to Fenway during Monday's 7-6 walkoff win over the Blue Jays, and he hopes his team's young core of players keeps building on that electricity.
"All these young guys should feel that and embrace it," he said. "I've played 10 years in the playoffs, three times in the World Series, and won it once. There's nothing better than that. I want these guys to embrace and stay humble and not take their foot off the gas."
