Futures at Fenway

"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, with subsequent installments on August 11, 2007, and August 9, 2008. The date and teams for the 2009 edition will be announced at a later time.

Fans holding tickets are granted admission to both games, with the second game beginning approximately 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 [http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060824&content_id=122346&vkey=news_l117&fext=.jsp&sid=l117] , 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 six games in the series have resulted in wins for the home team (the Red Sox affiliate), with four of those coming in that team's last half-inning at bat.

2006

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. [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2007_08_11_hvrasx_lowasx_1 Box score for game 1]

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.

[http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_08_09_chraaa_pawaaa_1 Box score for game 2]

External links

* [http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060826&content_id=124487&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp MiLB wrapup of the 2006 event]
* [http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/minors/articles/2006/08/26/spinners_3_tigers_1/ AP story from the Boston Globe (2006)]
* [http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070811&content_id=287786&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp MiLB wrapup of the 2007 event]