Taking the field
Little Leaguers play catch in Fenway outfield ahead of Sox’ opening day
DEEP RIGHT FIELD, Fenway Park — Isaac Barker tracked the ball coming down from on high, readied his glove, and snagged it.
Barker, despite being clad head to toe in Red Sox apparel, isn’t the latest outfielder called up from the WooSox — he’s a 10-year-old from Wakefield, one of hundreds of Little Leaguers living out their Major League fantasies Saturday morning at a Fenway Park event ahead of the home opener on Tuesday.
“It was great,” the boy said, beaming.
The “Little League Opening Day” events on Saturday brought a rare opportunity for fans to explore the field at Fenway Park, as families were invited to show up and — as Red Sox officials put it, perhaps channeling “Field of Dreams” — “have a catch” on the outfield grass. Visitors also could walk the warning track, peek into the Green Monster scoreboard, and walk down into both dugouts.
“Oh, they’ve been looking forward to this,” said Pili Moreno of Lexington, gesturing toward her 9-year-old son Martin, who was wearing his Little League uniform and reflective sunglasses as he played catch with his friend on the manicured grass.
For the 45 minutes or so that people were allowed on the grass, the outfield was packed. Children played catch with each other and with their family members, though the adults were relegated to the warning track.
“I just liked that I got to play catch here with my brother and sister,” said Archer Polson, drawing a surprised laugh from his dad at the sweetness of the 12-yearold’s sentiment.
Perhaps in an effort to avoid injuries on the crowded grass, the Sox had given out small, squishy baseballs for the kids to toss around. Some lined up to get Sox Green Monster mascot siblings Wally and Tessie to sign the balls and take a picture.
“I get to keep it!” bellowed Seamus White, 7, holding the little ball up to the sky as he left the field like it was a precious artifact.
His grandmother, Rhonda Paskow, who’s coached baseball for years, said she was a little surprised by the simplicity of the Sox’ dugout.
“It’s just pine,” she said, smiling. “It’s just another dugout.”
Inside the home dugout, a few children picked up the bullpen phone and spoke into it. No one was on the other end, they said.
Brandon Thomes, 12, nodded that yes, he liked playing catch on the outfield. Yeah, he liked the dugout, too. But the biggest highlight?
“I liked the seats — they were comfy,” he said, referring to the bleachers in right-center field.
The festivities for Little Leaguers were held before Sox brass showed off new concessions and other tweaks to the park ahead of Tuesday’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles.
Throughout the hour, a DJ spun pop hits from the past three decades, cycling through Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” and Drake’s “God’s Plan.” Kids tried their luck at a virtual-reality batting cage and at a booth that measured how fast they could hurl a baseball.
Dylan and Tyler Mikesh, of Somerville, said they were satisfied by their performances at the pitching game. Dylan, who specified that he was 9 1/2, had hit 43 miles per hour on the radar gun, and Tyler, 7 1/2, had reached 36.
“The pitching was awesome,” Dylan said.
As the family got ready to leave, the boys’ father, Dan Mikesh, said it wasn’t just the kids who were excited to get this up-close look at the storied ballpark.
“I’ve been in the seats a thousand times,” he said, “but to see it from the perspective that the players see it is really special.”