Futures at Fenway
Encyclopedia
"Futures at Fenway" is a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 event held at Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...

 in Boston. It features two minor-league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 affiliates of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "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 2011 edition will be held on August 20, 2011 featuring the Red Sox Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....

 and the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...

 in the second.

In the first few years fans holding tickets were granted admission to both games, with the second game beginning approximately an hour after the end of the first. However, now fans purchase tickets for specific seats, but each ticket remains valid for both games. In this sense, it is a traditional doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...

, although it does not technically meet the definition. The event is notable not only because it features four teams playing in the same park on the same day, but because the games involved are from two leagues and two minor-league levels. The event is timed to coincide with a Red Sox road trip, freeing Fenway Park for the games. Additionally, prices for tickets and some concession items are less than their usual major-league levels.

The brainchild of Boston mayor Thomas Menino
Thomas Menino
Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...

, 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
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania 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.

Game 1

The first game featured the Red Sox' single-A New York-Penn League affiliate, the Lowell Spinners
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

, against the Oneonta Tigers
Oneonta Tigers
The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York - Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at Damaschke Field...

. Lowell won the game 3-1 with all three of their runs coming in the 4th inning
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...

. 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
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

 Joshua Papelbon, younger brother of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Robert Papelbon is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Before joining the Phillies, Papelbon played with the Boston Red Sox from 2005-2011....

, 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
Oneonta Tigers
The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York - Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at Damaschke Field...

 1   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0  1 7 0
Lowell
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

 0   0   0   3   0   0   0   0   x  3 12 3


Box score for game 1

Game 2

The second game of the doubleheader pitted the Red Sox' triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...

, against their International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...

 rival, the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...

. Down 1-0 in the 5th inning, Rochester's Kevin West hit a two-run home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

 onto the famed Green Monster
Green Monster
The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...

 to give the Red Wings the lead. The teams traded the lead back and forth for three more innings before Pawtucket's Carlos Peña
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís,...

 hit a two-run shot of his own in the 8th, over the home bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the 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
Ron Johnson (manager)
Ronald David Johnson was the former first base coach of the Boston Red Sox. Also, he was formerly the manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox in minor league baseball, having led the team since 2005-2009. He guided them to a 2nd-place finish in the North Division of the International League...

 for his 1000th career victory (which occurred on May 21, 2006), and PawSox owner Ben Mondor
Ben Mondor
Bernard G. "Ben" Mondor was a Canadian-born American baseball executive.Mondor was born in 1925 in St. Ignace-du-Lac, Maskinongé, Quebec...

, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rochester
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...

 0   0   0   0   2   0   1   1   0  4 11 0
Pawtucket
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...

 0   0   0   1   0   2   0   2   x  5 11 2


Box score for game 2

Game 1

The Lowell Spinners
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

 were again the featured affiliate in the early game, this year playing against the Hudson Valley Renegades
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, a Class A Short Season league. The Renegades play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY....

. Two early errors led to an unearned run
Earned run
In baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable . Any runner who tags his base and reaches home plate is scored against the pitcher as an earned 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
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...

 to lead off the inning, and scored on a two-out single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...

 by Jorge Jimenez. The game was completed in less than 2½ hours.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, a Class A Short Season league. The Renegades play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY....

 1   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0  1 6 1
Lowell
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

 0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1   1  2 7 2

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
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....

 against the Harrisburg Senators
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....

 in an Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...

 contest. The Senators started with three runs in the 1st on a home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

 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
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

 by Bubba Bell that hit the railing of the bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "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
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

 in the game, getting three of them in the bottom of the 8th before the tying run scored on a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...

.

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
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....

 3   2   0   3   0   0   0   1   2  11 14 1
Portland
Portland Sea Dogs
The Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....

 3   0   0   0   0   5   0   1   3  12 10 3

Box score for game 2

Game 1

Will Middlebrooks
Will Middlebrooks
William S. Middlebrooks is an American professional baseball third baseman in Boston Red Sox organization.Middlebrooks was drafted by the Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft....

' bases-loaded single in the 12th inning provided another dramatic victory for the Lowell Spinners
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

, who once again beat the Hudson Valley Renegades
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, a Class A Short Season league. The Renegades play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY....

 in "walk-off" fashion. After the teams traded runs in the 1st inning, Anthony Scelfo cleared the low railing in Fenway Park's famous 420-foot "triangle" for a solo home run and a 2-1 Renegade lead in the 3rd. Middlebrooks answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the 3rd to put Lowell ahead for the first time, 3-2. Defense would then take over, with the teams combining for only three base hits, all singles, over the next five innings. In the top of the 9th with two runners on, Hudson Valley's Kyeong Kang hit a ground ball that was misplayed by Lowell first baseman Deshaun Brooks as he tried to charge it and keep the run from scoring. The play tied the game at 3 and sent it into extra innings.

Lowell advanced a runner to third base in the bottom of the 11th, but a diving play by Scelfo in center field ended the inning. In the bottom of the 12th, the Spinners loaded the bases with one out thanks to a single and two walks. Scelfo made another diving catch for the second out, but he could not come up with a third sensational grab to keep the game alive. Middlebrooks' game-winning hit fell just in front of Scelfo's dive to give him his third RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

 of the game, and give Lowell the 4-3 victory.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E
Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. The team is a member of the New York - Penn League, a Class A Short Season league. The Renegades play at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY....

 1   0   1   0   0   0   0   0   1   0   0   0  3 7 3
Lowell
Lowell Spinners
The Lowell Spinners are a Short-Season A minor league baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.-History:Founded in 1996 after Clyde Smoll moved the Elmira Pioneers to Lowell, Massachusetts, the Spinners play in the New York - Penn League, which has a Short-Season A classification with 76 games a...

 1   0   2   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1  4 12 1

Box score for game 1

Game 2

In contrast to the first game, the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...

 and Charlotte Knights
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League...

 played their game in a very quick 2 hours 19 minutes. Dusty Brown drove in Joe Thurston to give the PawSox a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning, but the Knights' Royce Huffman led off the 2nd with a double and later scored to tie it. Thurston answered in the bottom of the 3rd with a home run into the right-field bullpen, putting Pawtucket back ahead, 2-1. The real damage came in the bottom of the 4th, when Jeff Corsaletti, Gil Velazquez, and Jeff Bailey all connected for doubles in a three-run PawSox rally. Charlotte was able to get one run back in the top of the 7th when Huffman singled and later scored on a groundout, but the PawSox would cruise on to a 5-2 victory.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Charlotte
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League...

 0   1   0   0   0   0   1   0   0  2 6 0
Pawtucket
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...

 1   0   1   3   0   0   0   0   x  5 9 1

Box score for game 2

External links

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