Boston, MA – The Boston Red Sox celebrated the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park on Friday, as dozens of former players returned to the historic ballpark.
On April 20, 1912, the Red Sox opened Fenway Park with a victory over the New York Highlanders, soon to become known as the Yankees. On Friday, the Yankees were again the opponent and both teams wore replica uniforms from 1912.
All living Red Sox uniformed personnel were invited to participate on Friday, and the former players and managers all entered the field through the center field gate. They wore jerseys from the time that they played and walked to their respective positions.
Among the notable were Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice and Dennis Eckersley. There were others who served short stints with the club, including Jose Canseco.
The most recent retired Red Sox stars, Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield, guided legends Bobby Doerr and Johnny Pesky in their wheelchairs to the middle of the field.
Former manager Terry Francona was also on hand and walked onto the field to loud cheers from the Fenway faithful. Francona led the Red Sox to their most recent World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 before departing after last year's collapse.
Other former stars taking part Friday were Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Bill Buckner, Kevin Millar, Mike Lowell, Mo Vaughn, Luis Tiant, Bill Lee, Jim Lonborg and Dwight Evans.
Ceremonial first pitches were thrown by current Boston mayor Thomas Menino, as well as Caroline Kennedy and Thomas Fitzgerald -- both descendants of 1912 mayor John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald.
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