After seeing some people post the retrosheet.org boxscore of their first game in the New Members thread. So, in that spirit I found the ticket stub to my first game and found the box score of my first.

ChiSox vs. BoSox; Friday, April 16, 1993; sitting in Section 30, Row 2

The Sox lost (McDowell beat Danny Darwin), but mr favorite player Ellis Burks jacked the first home run I ever saw. I don't remember the game really at all, but I remember driving up with my pops and stopping at my Grandma's in Reading before driving in to town.


edit: First time I was on the field was the Ted Williams ceremony.

I went to my first game in 3rd grade. It was the Sox first ever interleague game, against the Phillies. They won it in the 9th, but it was all for naught, they sucked that year ('97). It was June 16, 1997. Like I said, '97 proved to be a very mundane year for the Sox, but after that game I found myself drawing pictures of Fenway and slowly but surely falling in love.

Via Retrosheet for WAC and vvac:

WAC: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B04160BOS1993.htm

vvac: http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06160BOS1997.htm

My first ever Fenway Park Game: May 16, 1998 vs Kansas City

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B05160BOS1998.htm

I'd love to know to tell you the truth, but I was just a real little fella. It was 1973, I was three. I was with my grandfather and my four-year old uncle and I don't remember a thing. All I know is my uncle and I terrorized my poor grandfather and he couldn't watch the game. I still hear about it.

The first games I really remember were in 1976 when I fell in love with Freddy Lynn. Dates unknown.

August 6, 1975 in Milwaukee. Come from behind win in the 9th. Doug Griffin game winning pinch single. Willoughby with the win. George Scott homer. Aaron played.

I was already in love, but it deepened that day...

Box Score

I wish I knew. I remember it being in '76 or '77 though.

I think it was '92. John Valentin, still my favorite player of all-time, jacked a grand-slam. I want to say it was against Seattle.

Box Score

My first game was during the same series as yours, WAC - had the pleasure of seeing Frankie Viola shut down the White Sox on a beautiful Sunday afternoon when I was 8:

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B04180BOS1993.htm

It was my second game though that really stuck with me, during mid-August of that same year, with the Sox still in the midst of the division race. I was lucky enough to see Danny Darwin come within a Danny Pasqua triple of throwing the first Red Sox no-hitter since Dave Morehead. What I remember most is how the buzz in the crowd built and built as it became apparent that Darwin had something truly special going. I was with my Dad in the center field bleachers, and remember the no-hit bid finally being broken up (in either the 7th or 8th): Pasqua hit a high fly ball right towards our section; I remember Billy Hatcher going back and disappearing from my view, and then feeling the air go out of the park when the ball went over his head (it wasn't until later that I realized how close he came to making the catch). Seeing in person such a special game really sealed the deal on my falling in love with the team.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08180BOS1993.htm

It was my first game. It was the first time I peed in a trough. It was the first time I remember vomiting, on all the popcorn and spun candy I ate. I vividly remember Rico and Boomer hitting back to back HRs. And goshdarnitall, here's the box score from that game. (Post Script. Rico and Boomer's HR's landed in the same Landsdowne street parking lot we were parked in....I walked near the railroad tracks and saw two baseballs within 10 feet of each other...my grandfather told me not to touch them, as that was how they could measure how far the HRs traveled. I wish I knew better then. I could have had both of them.)

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07180BOS1971.htm

A Loss but a dramatic one. I was hooked, as if to the heroin I'd only recently learned about, with Jim Morrison's and Janis Joplin's death. And now, here I am.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08100BOS1978.htm

This was my first game. My uncle ran a day camp in Northampton and took me and my brother along with his campers to this game. We came up for the week from Buffalo. I remember it being a hot cloudless day and remember just having a great time. Sat in the bleachers. I've only been to Fenway once since then. In 86 for a White Sox game....

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08060BOS1986.htm

Maybe I should stay away this year. Those years turned out pretty painful.

There was no box score for my first game because it wasn't played. It was against the Twins but it rained all day and it was postponed. I remember feeling crushed. I finally made it to a game shortly after but I remember the feeling of disgust from the game being called off more than I do my first game. Murphy's Law applies to me twofold I guess because my last name is Murphy.

For some reason, I can't get the full link from Retrosheet to post here. In any event, my first game was on August 8, 1987. Bruce Hurst beat Mark Gubicza, 8-3. Burks and Barrett lead off the game with back-to-back doubles, and Burks hit a two-run homer later in the game. Two of my favorite New Britain Red Sox players, Burks and Sam Horn, were in the lineup. We were in Grandstand Sec. 17, which means we were near first base, so we were close to my all-time favorite, Dwight Evans.

There were two rain delays, and I remember we all booed Calvin Schiraldi when he came in to pitch in the 8th. It was a great day at the ballpark.

Box score

I don't know if I remember the exact box score, but if memory serves me, my first game was awesome.....

My Dad and friends Dad told us we had to go somewhere but wouldn't say....We hopped in the car and next thing you know we're driving by Fenway park...It was the greatest sight I had ever seen. They secretly put our baseball gloves in the trunk, and when we parked they handed us each a glove! Our seats were right around pesky's pole in right field.

I believe the final was roughly 6-4 Sox, I know they played the mariners, and Dewey hit a 2 or 3 run dinger clear over the monstah and onto Lansdowne. I want to say it was in 1988 or 1989.

thanman2 Edit: Box score. Looks right, what do you think macd23?

My first live Sox game was at Yankee Stadium in September 1980. Red Sox won 4-1. My first game at Fenway was on May 20, 1986. Sox blasted Minnesota, 17-7. Wade Boggs had 5 hits and hit a ball through Mickey Hatcher's legs at first for an error in the eighth, and the crowd booed the ruling. Clemens pitched, not well, but won. Frank Viola faced six batters in the first, they all reached and scored, and was gone without retiring a batter. I sat behind first base and ways up. I'll never forget seeing the Green Monster for the first time live. It was a magical night.

thanman2 Edit: 1980 box score and 1986 box score.

My first game was August 7, 1962. Los Angeles Angels 3, Boston 1. Earl Wilson started for the Sox and Bo Belinsky for the Angels. Dan Osinski was the winning pitcher. Several things stand out in my memory of that game. Ted Williams was introduced to a rousing ovation, Frank Fontaine entertained prior to game time and being only twelve years old I had never heard fans razz a player as much as Sox fans razzed Lou Clinton that night.

21 August 1952

June 26, 1996

Against the Indians, I was too young to remember much, and I wasn't much of a fan back then either. And being a 7 year old at the time, we left in the 7th inning.

Of course, the Sox scored 3 in the 9th to tie it at 4, and Naehring ended it in the 15th with a HR into the screen (IIRC).

thanman2 edit: Box score

This wasn't my first game at Fenway but I was there and remember Johnny Valentin's grand slam well. I was sittin' about 3 rows behind Sox dugout.

See when I was little, everyone was pressuring me to give up my Sox obsession and start acting like a real "girl" so I didn't get to go to Fenway until I was in 8th grade on a school field trip (that and the fact that we live in Western Mass.) I remember my civics teacher teasing me and my friend saying that Nomar didn't play on Fridays or something dumb like that but of course he did.
http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B05230BOS2003.htm

My first game at Fenway, August 8th 2002, Derek Lowe faced off against Barry Zito in an ESPN televised game, it was also the game Boston was named sports town of the year, as they handed out thousands of flyers. Boston went on to win 4-2 over Zito and the A's.


Note- I can't get the boxscore to work for that game, the URL for that page is the same as the home page for retrosheets.com and will just take you to their home page, not the boxscore.

thanman2 edit: Box score. retrosheet.org uses frames...you have to get the URL for the boxscore frame.

http://retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08250BOS1996.htm

August 25, 1996. I remember just being in awe of the place once I walked through the tunnel from the concourse with my friends from college.

It was love at first sight. I've been to several other parks since then, but none of them gave me the same feeling as when I enter Fenway.

I don't remember much of my first game. It was on my birthday in 1961:

Vs BAL A
Result: L 1- 3
Record: 19-24
Starter: Delock
Opposing Starter: Fisher

Figures they would lose on my birthday. Probably broke my little 6 year old heart.

August 1958 and all I can remember is Ted and how green it was!

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B08300BOS1986.htm

Great Thread!

I was 11yrs. of age in the fabled summer of 86'.
I attended a weekend game with my farther, uncle and cousin of the same age. We sat out in rt. field, just a few seats away from the visiting team's bullpen. I wasn't familiar with the Indian's starting pitcher that day but when he came out to warm-up I joined the legions of other children reaching over the fence to hand him something to sign. Phil Nierko signed the cover of a game program for me, a cover which featured Don Baylor. I knew who he was after that as I began to follow his career and collect any of his baseball cards I could get a hold of. Anyway, my cousin and I shared a single pair of binoculars. I had them when we were in the field because I wanted to see Clemens pitch (11k's that day) and he when the Sox were at bat. Sox won 7-3.

2 things that struck me when seeing the field for the first.........how green it was and how large the numbers appeared to be on the player's backs. Of course, I still have the autographed game program........

july 1959, pumpsies first year

hey c otto and 67 forever, those posts make you guys older than dirt

My first (and only, to this point) game in Fenway:

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B07280BOS2001.htm

The day before Nomar came back & hit the game winner, we got scalped tickets that turned out to be fakes...

Summer of '95. I was 9 at the time. But I have no clue what game it actually was.

It's strange to see the differences in some of these dates. Some people are in 1998, some are in 1975 (and earlier).

Anyway, my first Sox game was 4/21/81. Rangers at Red Sox. Boston won 10-4. John Tudor beat Fergie Jenkins. Yaz, Carney Lansford and Gary Allenson had big games for the Red Sox. Tudor pitched a complete game. That's what the box score tells me. I only remember the score, the teams and the year.

There are 2 things that I actually do remember from this game. I remember that Don Zimmer (the manager of the Rangers then), was ridden mercilessly by the crowd. There were about 13,000 people there (afternoon game on a Tuesday in April). I remember asking my dad why everyone was booing and he said it was because Don Zimmer was the manager of the Rangers and he was a bum. So I booed as well.

I also remember seeing Jim Rice on 1st base after he hit a single. It just stands out, probably because Rice was my favorite player.

Chicago White Sox 4, Boston Red Sox 1
DayGame Played on Friday, August 17, 1979 (N) at Fenway Park
CHI A 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 - 4 7 0
BOS A 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 - 1 5 3


- I remember this like it was yesterday - Sat with Dad, my brother, uncle and grandfather. The winning pitcher was Baumgarten ( I liked that my brother called him Bum-garten) - Losing pitcher was the Steamer . HR by Fred Lynn.

Summer of 1975, against the Milwaukee Brewers. Sat way back in the grandstand along the first base side. The only things I remember were that the Sox lost, and that it was part of Kiwanis Club father and son outing, and that there appeared to be never ending clouds of cigarette smoke billowing out of the left field grandstands.

I don't understand how to get the URL for the boxscore "frame." What's a frame?

Anyway, here, unfortunately is MY first Sox game ... a 16-4 drubbing by the Orioles at Fenway on September 9, 1979, near the end of a season in which the Sox finished a disappointing 3rd, behind the O's and Brewers.

Baltimore Orioles 16, Boston Red Sox 4
DayGame Played on Sunday, September 9, 1979 (D) at Fenway Park
BAL A 0 2 0 0 5 6 0 1 2 - 16 16 1
BOS A 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 - 4 7 4

Check out the Sox' pitchers for this game!

Boston Red Sox IP H HR R ER BB K
Torrez L(14-11) 4 6 1 6 6 3 2
Ripley 1.2 4 1 4 3 1 0
Finch 1.1 4 1 4 4 2 1
Remmerswaal 2 2 0 2 2 1 2
Totals 9 16 3 16 15 7 5

My first ever Sox game was actually at the toilet in the Bronx. I was 8 and my father and grandfather both decided that since the couldn't convert me to being a MFY fan, the best they could do was take me to see my team play theirs. It was part of the '76 season, and if I remember correctly, Yaz had 2 HR's. The Sox won big (8-2), and I was able to rub it in the entire ride home. It's a day I'll never forget.

May 20 1976 Sox-MFY's

Milwaukee @ Boston June 26 1992

Actually, only one of two games I ever saw

Daniel

David Wells only complete game of the year, were I got to take a picture with Mike Timlin and John Olerude and got to shake his hand with my brother and dad saying that he was our favorite player and he ended up hitting a 3 run homer.

First game I remember seeing the Sox play in.. from when I lived in Detroit.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B09180DET1996.htm

Sox vs. Detroit, 1968

Got the 'bug' during the Impossible Dream season, but June, 1968 vs. a very strong Tigers team (McLain would win 31, and they would go on to win the series over the Cards). Dad got 'baseball fever' and took the day off-parked at Riverside, took the T, and yes, boys n girls, they played Baseball in Daylight hours during the week.

Lee Stange (who would later be the pitching coach) vs. Joe Sparma. Looies *does* remember Yaz going yard in the first. First game, and THE MAN jacks one out. All downhill from there, as the Sox lost. Remember giving baby bro heck for buying a Tigers pennant (he said it was coz it had all the names on it, and more names, *must* be better, right?)

Sat in the RF grandstands and Looies fondly recalls the old metal/wood seats as in "We wanna hit" BLAM, BLAM. "We wanna out", BLAM, BLAM. the new plastic seats are the suck.

Other random memory. In the late 70's (in the Miller Lite-"taste great, less filling" heyday), giving Billy Martin heck as he came out for a pitching change. "Tastes Great, Less Filling", morphing into "Tastes Great, Eat Sh*t" Many games in the 70's and 80's, last game in the late 90's-hope to remedy that soon.

Game Played on Sunday, May 15, 1988 (D) at Fenway Park
SEA A 0 0 0 3 1 2 1 0 4 - 11 15 2
BOS A 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 - 7 10 0

Mark Langston got the start for the M's, Hurst for the Sox. Lee Smith got the loss in relief. We were in the left field grandstand. It's a day that I'll never forgot, ever.

PW

You have just made me feel like a freakin' OLD MAN. You Suck!

My first game was in 1968, I was 7 Againt the Washington Senators, my only memory of the game was Frank Howard hitting a tremendous HR over the wall. But the Sox prevailed, Lomborg got the win.

It must have been this game

Game Played on Saturday, August 31, 1968 (D) at Fenway Park

WAS A 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 11 2
BOS A 0 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 x - 6 5 0

BATTING

Washington Senators AB R H RBI BB SO PO A
Unser cf 4 0 1 0 1 0 3 0
Stroud rf 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Alyea ph,rf 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
McMullen 3b 4 1 1 0 1 0 2 0
F. Howard lf 5 2 4 2 0 1 2 0
Epstein 1b 4 1 0 0 1 2 4 1
Casanova c 4 0 0 0 1 2 6 1
Cullen 2b 2 0 1 2 0 0 2 0
B. Allen 2b 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0
Brinkman ss 4 0 2 0 0 1 1 2
Bertaina p 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1
Peterson ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Humphreys p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
H. Allen ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Higgins p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 37 4 11 4 5 9 24 6

FIELDING -
E: Epstein (11), Brinkman (9).

BATTING -
2B: McMullen (10,off Lonborg); F. Howard (23,off Lonborg); Brinkman (2,off
Lonborg).
HR: F. Howard (39,4th inning off Lonborg 1 on, 2 out).
Team LOB: 11.

Boston Red Sox AB R H RBI BB SO PO A
Andrews 2b 3 1 0 0 1 0 2 1
Foy 3b 4 1 2 4 0 1 0 0
Yastrzemski lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Harrelson rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Smith cf 2 1 0 0 2 0 4 0
Adair ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 3 4
Scott 1b 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 0
Gibson c 2 1 1 1 1 0 9 0
Lonborg p 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Petrocelli ph 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Landis p 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 29 6 5 6 4 5 27 5

FIELDING -
DP: 1.

BATTING -
HR: Gibson (2,3rd inning off Bertaina 0 on, 1 out); Foy (10,5th inning off
Bertaina 3 on, 2 out).
IBB: Smith (11,by Higgins).
Team LOB: 3.

BASERUNNING -
SB: Foy (22,2nd base off Higgins/Casanova).
CS: Smith (16,2nd base by Humphreys/Casanova).

PITCHING

Washington Senators IP H R ER BB SO HR
Bertaina L(5-13) 5 4 6 6 2 4 2
Humphreys 2 0 0 0 1 1 0
Higgins 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
Totals 8 5 6 6 4 5 2

Boston Red Sox IP H R ER BB SO HR
Lonborg W(5-5) 5 8 4 4 4 2 1
Landis SV(3) 4 3 0 0 1 7 0
Totals 9 11 4 4 5 9 1

WP: Lonborg (3).
IBB: Higgins (9,Smith).

Umpires: Frank Umont, Bill Haller, Jerry Neudecker, Larry Napp

Time of Game: 2:35 Attendance: 21599

Starting Lineups:

Washington Senators Boston Red Sox
1. Unser cf Andrews 2b
2. Stroud rf Foy 3b
3. McMullen 3b Yastrzemski lf
4. F. Howard lf Harrelson rf
5. Epstein 1b Smith cf
6. Casanova c Adair ss
7. Cullen 2b Scott 1b
8. Brinkman ss Gibson c
9. Bertaina p Lonborg p

SENATORS 1ST: Unser singled to center; Stroud forced Unser
(shortstop to second); McMullen doubled [Stroud to third]; F.
Howard struck out; Epstein made an out to shortstop; 0 R, 2 H, 0
E, 2 LOB. Senators 0, Red Sox 0.

RED SOX 1ST: Andrews lined to third; Foy was called out on
strikes; Yastrzemski popped to catcher in foul territory; 0 R, 0
H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Senators 0, Red Sox 0.

SENATORS 2ND: Casanova walked; Cullen made an out to center;
Brinkman singled to left [Casanova to second]; Bertaina singled
to center [Casanova to third, Brinkman to second]; Unser lined
to left; Stroud lined to center; 0 R, 2 H, 0 E, 3 LOB. Senators
0, Red Sox 0.

RED SOX 2ND: Harrelson made an out to second; Smith made an out
to center; Adair grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0
E, 0 LOB. Senators 0, Red Sox 0.

SENATORS 3RD: McMullen lined to center; F. Howard doubled to
left; Epstein walked; Lonborg threw a wild pitch [F. Howard to
third, Epstein to second]; Casanova struck out; Cullen singled
[F. Howard scored, Epstein scored]; Brinkman doubled to left
[Cullen to third]; Bertaina grounded out (second to first); 2 R,
3 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Senators 2, Red Sox 0.

RED SOX 3RD: Scott struck out; Gibson homered; Lonborg struck
out; Andrews made an out to second; 1 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Senators 2, Red Sox 1.

SENATORS 4TH: Unser walked; Stroud grounded into a double play
(shortstop to first) [Unser out at second]; McMullen walked; F.
Howard homered [McMullen scored]; Epstein made an out to center;
2 R, 1 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Senators 4, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 4TH: B. ALLEN REPLACED CULLEN (PLAYING 2B); Foy made an
out to left; Yastrzemski grounded out (first to pitcher);
Harrelson grounded out (pitcher to first); 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 0 LOB.
Senators 4, Red Sox 1.

SENATORS 5TH: Casanova made an out to left; B. Allen made an out
to right; Brinkman grounded out (shortstop to first); 0 R, 0 H,
0 E, 0 LOB. Senators 4, Red Sox 1.

RED SOX 5TH: Smith walked; Adair singled to center [Smith to
third]; Scott struck out; Gibson made an out to center;
PETROCELLI BATTED FOR LONBORG; Petrocelli singled to right
[Smith scored, Adair to second]; Andrews walked [Adair to third,
Petrocelli to second]; Foy homered [Adair scored, Petrocelli
scored, Andrews scored]; Yastrzemski popped to third in foul
territory; 5 R, 3 H, 0 E, 0 LOB. Senators 4, Red Sox 6.

SENATORS 6TH: LANDIS REPLACED PETROCELLI (PITCHING); PETERSON
BATTED FOR BERTAINA; Peterson singled to left; Unser made an out
to left; ALYEA BATTED FOR STROUD; Alyea struck out; McMullen
forced Peterson (shortstop to second); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Senators 4, Red Sox 6.

RED SOX 6TH: ALYEA STAYED IN GAME (PLAYING RF); HUMPHREYS
REPLACED PETERSON (PITCHING); Harrelson struck out; Smith
reached on an error by Epstein; Smith was caught stealing second
(catcher to second); Adair made an out to center; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E,
0 LOB. Senators 4, Red Sox 6.

SENATORS 7TH: F. Howard singled to right; Epstein struck out;
Casanova struck out; B. Allen struck out; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB.
Senators 4, Red Sox 6.

RED SOX 7TH: Scott lined to right; Gibson walked; Landis forced
Gibson (pitcher to shortstop) [Landis to second (error by
Brinkman)]; Andrews made an out to left; 0 R, 0 H, 1 E, 1 LOB.
Senators 4, Red Sox 6.

SENATORS 8TH: Brinkman was called out on strikes; H. ALLEN
BATTED FOR HUMPHREYS; H. Allen walked; Unser made an out to
left; Alyea struck out; 0 R, 0 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Senators 4, Red
Sox 6.

RED SOX 8TH: HIGGINS REPLACED H. ALLEN (PITCHING); Foy singled
to shortstop; Foy stole second; Yastrzemski grounded out (first
unassisted) [Foy to third]; Harrelson made an out to second;
Smith was walked intentionally; Adair grounded out (shortstop to
first); 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Senators 4, Red Sox 6.

SENATORS 9TH: McMullen made an out to shortstop; F. Howard
singled to first; Epstein was called out on strikes; Casanova
made an out to left; 0 R, 1 H, 0 E, 1 LOB. Senators 4, Red Sox
6.

Final Totals R H E LOB
Senators 4 11 2 11
Red Sox 6 5 0 3

Read Me


Looie ever sit in the bleachers during Yanks games in the late 70's?

The late 80s. I won a coloring contest, prize was a set of four tickets. I can't remember who was pitching or what team they were playing. Oh well. I do recall getting a hat, though. I can still remember that hat like it was yesterday. Oh, the memories.

Pink, with a pink and white "B"? What happened during the game? Let's solve the mystery.

Yaz's final game. My older brother took me. It was the 1st or 2nd of October, 1982. Sox beat Cleveland 3-1 and I think Al Nipper got the W. Crazy day. I was 5 and thought EVERY game would always be that electric. It kind of was.... til the Butch Hobson-era began.

My first game was august 14, 1995 at fenway against the yankees. yankees scored in the top of the first and then the MVP Mo Vaughn hit a two run shot and the sox went on to route em 9-3.
NYY pitcher scott kaminieki hit alicia in the head and the benches cleared and scotty was ejected. erik hansen pitched into the ninth but left to jeff hudson. great first game, went with my whole family.
My Webpage

Matt Youngs no Hitter...although he lost, what a shock

BTW the game against the Tigers was the 2nd time Clemens struck out 20. Quite a memory.

1999 ACLS

I could talk about this game for hours, but I'll spare you most of the details. I was in 5th grade at the time, and already a huge Red Sox fan. So the day playoff tickets went on sale, my parents, without telling me bought tickets for game 3 of the ALCS. They couldn't keep the secret for long though and I found out a couple days later.

So anyway, I remember crying after game 2 of the ALDS (I was only in 5th grade, and this was the most agonizing thing I had been through at the time). The Red Sox were down 2 games to down, and I was positive I wasn't going to be able to see them play. However, somehow, they came back and won, and I can't remember anything more exciting than seeing Pedro come out of the bullpen and throw perfect baseball to shut down the Indians.

So anyways, I went to Fenway park, and upon entering the park, some guy came up to me and my dad and started talking. I was so happy to be at Fenway, I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying. So anyways, they stopped talking and the guy told me and my dad to follow him. On the way, my dad explained he was an old marine buddy, but I didn't think about it too much. So I thought I was going to our seats, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

He led us down some tunnels and such, and the guy opens the door, and I was staring into the Red Sox clubhouse. The guy led us in, and I just stared around the clubhouse. I recognized most of the players, and I remember walking by Nomar and staring at home, and he just gave a chuckle because my eyes didn't leave him for like 5 minutes.

After that, he brought me to the dugout, where I got too sit and watch them get warmed up. I still have a picture of Pedro Martinez walking by me and walking out to the bullpen. I probably would have said something to him if I wasn't speechless.

After this whole thing, we watched the Red Sox destroy the Yankees from our seats right around Peskies pole. I remember after Scott Brocious put one into the nets, some Yankee fan was yelling, "The Yankees are coming back, they're coming back."

And to top off the 13-1 victory, I got to pee on a Yankee hat in a urinal to top it all off.

The first game I ever went to was when I was 5 years old (1987). I don't remember which day it was or even whom we played against. I pretty much have gone to Fenway every year since I was 5. The first time I went to Fenway where I truly cared and really wanted to go was on August 3rd, 1999. Pedro just came off of the DL. I sat in the left field grand stand and Joe Thorton (of the Bruins) sat in the next section over. No one cared about Thorton then. Pedro only went 5 innings giving up 1 run. The Sox lost 5-4 with Wake as the losing pitcher. Retrosheet

It was basically the experience that changed everything. That past year I was starting to actually love the Red Sox but it was at that point that I knew there was no turning back. I was hooked.

Well, being from Montreal, and with the Expos on life support, two of my friends and I drove down to Boston on Easter Weekend of 2004.

Our first game was the second of the home season (against the Blue Jays) and Former Expos Pedro Martinez was on the mound.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B04100BOS2004.htm

We also caught Curt Schilling's first ever start in Boston the following day.

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B04110BOS2004.htm

I've been to Fenway about a half-dozen times since and made it my new baseball home since the departure of the Expos...

Sept. 30, 1977 -- My mom wanted to vacuum or something while my Dad was listening to the game, so we just left and walked over to Fenway. Got there in the 3rd and got let into the bleachers for free. (try that today...) It was a helluva game, with neither the Red Sox or Orioles mathematically eliminated entering the contest. The Sox would knock Baltimore out that night and the Orioles returned the favor the next day.

Jim Rice's performance (4-for-5, 2 doubles off the wall and 5 RBI) somehow made him my favorite player, though I have no idea how much I knew about what was going on since I was a month short of my third birthday.

Red Sox 11, Orioles 10

Oh yeah, and this was game two -- a curfew shortened, rainy affair. We stayed for all 14 innings the first night but didn't return to The Stadium for the end of it the next night. That night the Sox finished their suspended game and then won a rain-shortened 7 inning game to beat the Yankees twice on the same day in the space of only 10 innings.

Aug. 2, 1978, Red Sox 7, Yankees 5

-Devin