Sports observers around the New England area rightfully declare the last two years as a Golden Age in Boston pro sports history, and never has that been more apparent than at Fenway Park on a nightly basis. A teeming mass of humanity squeezes itself into the park on a nightly basis, and the ballyard -- and its fans -- will be the focus when the Sox prepare for their major league-record 456th consecutive sellout at the Fens on Monday night.
The Sox franchise tied the major league record -- set by the Cleveland Indians at then-Jacobs Field during a stretch from 1995 to 2001 -- during a Wednesday afternoon homestand finale last week against the Baltimore Orioles. Boston is set to break the record Monday night when it hosts the Tampa Bay Rays, and many of the Red Sox players understand what the record -- and the fans behind all those sellouts -- mean to the franchise.
The sellout record also begins a decidedly Sox-friendly finale to the regular season, as Boston plays 13 of their final 19 games at the Fens while sitting only 1 1/2 games behind the Rays in the AL East standings.
"For the players, this is the ultimate environment for playing baseball," said Daisuke Matsuzaka, referring to the Fenway environment. "Everyone in the club has worked very hard to keep it going, and the fans have shown up and we all appreciate that.
"I hope goes on for a long, long time."
RED SOX 7, RANGERS 2: Paul Byrd hurled 6 2/3 scoreless frames, and he won his fourth consecutive decision in five starts since being acquired by Boston. David Ortiz blasted a two-run homer deep to right field to help pace the Sox offense, and he finished with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 10 games against Rangers pitching this season.
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