Futures at Fenway
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"Futures at Fenway" is a baseball event held at Fenway Park in Boston. It features two minor-league affiliates of the Boston Red Sox playing a pair of regular-season games against teams from their own leagues. The first such event was held on August 26, 2006, and another was held on August 11, 2007. The third annual event is currently scheduled for August 9, 2008.
Fans holding tickets were granted admission to both games, with the second game beginning an hour after the end of the first. In this sense, it was a traditional doubleheader, although it does not technically meet the definition because different teams were involved. The event is notable not only because it features four different teams playing in the same park on the same day, but because the games involved are from two different leagues and two different minor-league levels. The event is timed to coincide with a Red Sox road trip, freeing up Fenway Park for the games. Additionally, prices for tickets and some food/drink items are lowered from their usual major-league levels.
The brainchild of Boston mayor Thomas Menino, the inaugural Futures at Fenway in 2006 was believed to be the first minor-league game(s) played at Fenway since 1977, when the park hosted the Eastern League All-Star Game. They were the first regular-season minor-league games there since 1968 [1], and simply because of the size of Fenway Park, the crowds are among the largest ever to see regular-season minor-league games.
To date, all four games in the series have resulted in come-from-behind wins for the home team (the Red Sox affiliate).
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[edit] 2006
[edit] Game 1
The first game featured the Red Sox' single-A New York-Penn League affiliate, the Lowell Spinners, against the Oneonta Tigers. Lowell won the game 3-1 with all three of their runs coming in the 4th inning. The Spinners used 19 different players in the game, presumably so that everyone on the team could have the thrill of playing in Fenway Park. Spinners closing pitcher Joshua Papelbon, younger brother of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, received a large ovation when he entered the game in the 9th inning, and promptly retired the side to earn a save.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oneonta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Lowell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 3 | 12 | 3 |
[edit] Game 2
The second game of the doubleheader pitted the Red Sox' triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, against their International League rival, the Rochester Red Wings. Down 1-0 in the 5th inning, Rochester's Kevin West hit a two-run home run onto the famed Green Monster to give the Red Wings the lead. The teams traded the lead back and forth for three more innings before Pawtucket's Carlos Peña hit a two-run shot of his own in the 8th, over the home bullpen in right-center field, to give the PawSox a 5-4 lead and eventually the win.
Before game 2, the Red Sox organization honored Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson for his 1000th career victory (which occurred on May 21, 2006), and PawSox owner Ben Mondor, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| Pawtucket | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | x | 5 | 11 | 2 |
[edit] 2007
[edit] Game 1
The Lowell Spinners were again the featured affiliate in the early game, this year playing against the Hudson Valley Renegades. Two early errors led to an unearned run for Hudson Valley in the 1st inning, but pitching soon took over, and there was no further scoring until the 8th. Lowell loaded the bases in both the 6th and 7th, but failed to score. Finally in the 8th, a single by Brett Lewis tied the game, and in the 9th, the Spinners would win it. Luis Segovia was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and scored on a two-out single by Jorge Jimenez. The game was completed in under 2½ hours.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson Valley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Lowell | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
[edit] Game 2
For the first time, the Sox' double-A team would get to play in Fenway, with the second game matching the Portland Sea Dogs against the Harrisburg Senators in an Eastern League contest. The Senators started with three runs in the 1st on a home run by Tony Blanco. Portland tied the game in the bottom of the 1st. Harrisburg added two in the 2nd and three more in the 4th to go up 8-3, but the Sea Dogs tied the game again in the bottom of the 6th. Andrew Pinckney led off with a solo homer, and the inning featured a dramatic two-run triple by Bubba Bell that hit the railing of the bullpen in deep center field.
Harrisburg got a solo homer from Steve Mortimer in the 8th to take a 9-8 lead. However, Portland would capitalize on a total of 13 walks in the game, getting three of them in the bottom of the 8th before the tying run scored on a wild pitch.
The Senators quickly loaded the bases in the top of the 9th, and following a base hit by Dee Brown, they led 11-9. However, in the bottom of the 9th, the Sea Dogs would pull off the dramatic comeback. A single, two walks, and a bunt scored one run to make the score 11-10. With the bases still loaded and no outs, Jay Johnson roped a two-run double down the line in left field for the 12-11 victory. The two teams combined for 24 hits, 17 walks, and 20 strikeouts in the high-scoring affair.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 1 |
| Portland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 3 |
[edit] 2008
[edit] Game 1
The front end of the August 9 doubleheader will feature the Sox' short-season affiliate, the Lowell Spinners, against the Hudson Valley Renegades. It will be a rematch of their meeting at Fenway in 2007. Start time for the first game has been set for 12:05 pm.
[edit] Game 2
The triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, who were not featured last season, will close out the afternoon with a game against the Charlotte Knights. The second game will begin approximately an hour after the end of the first.
