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By Stephen Press
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Monday, the Red Sox took the field for the first time in 2017, beating the Pirates in their first regular season game. The day turned millions of New Englanders' attention to the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park, heralding for many the true beginning of spring.
On Monday, April 10, a similar event will be taking place just a short drive down 95.
The PawSox are back, and for those of us who are in on the secret (full disclosure: this writer is among them), it marks the beginning of a beloved summer ritual, the McCoy Stadium jaunt. The ritual is deceptively brilliant in its simplicity: find a beautiful day, a free afternoon, and a good friend, and head down 95 to Pawtucket. Voilà - baseball bliss.
It's an activity sometimes overlooked by MetroWest residents, who are perhaps dazzled by the goings-on at Fenway.
Count Pawtucket Red Sox CFO Joe Goldberg as somebody who'd like to turn a few more heads to the wonders of McCoy.
"Fenway is amazing!" enthusiastically admits Goldberg. "Our hope is that families go to Fenway three times a year and come to McCoy five times a year. We’re not trying to take people away from Fenway - we love Fenway just as much as they do..
"What people [here] don’t know is that the drive from many MetroWest towns to Pawtucket is actually shorter than the drive to Boston. And I can speak to that, because I do it every day," says Goldberg, a Medfield resident. "I think it’s just a fear of state lines. The Boston Red Sox play right in Massachusetts, and MetroWest is in the same state."
First, the basics. In some ways, McCoy Stadium is exactly as you remember it.
It's still the home of the Red Sox AAA affiliate, making it an important stop on the road for up-and-coming Major Leaguers (Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley, Jr., for example, all spent time on the PawSox roster). The short ride from Boston also makes it ideal for ballplayers rehabbing injuries (this writer was fortunate to catch Craig Kimbrel on one of his several trips to to McCoy last summer).
The ballpark is also still affordable as all get-go, too - tickets are as cheap as $9 for adults, $6 for children and seniors (with kids under two getting in for free), and parking is free in most areas (and no more than $5 if free parking is full).
In other ways, though, this is not the McCoy of your youth.
For one, the ballpark, which was already a destination for kids and their parents, has become even more family-friendly. Witness, for example, the Kids Club, which includes a general admission ticket, subscription to a monthly Kids Club newsletter, a Kids Club ID card, and a birthday card from PawSox mascots Paws & Sox.
"Kids are always first and foremost in our minds," explains Goldberg. "The point of the Kids Club is to empower the kids who love baseball - or maybe don’t even know if they love baseball yet - to feel like they’re really part of the experience.
There's also plenty of between-inning and in-game entertainment, continuing a tradition that's as old as minor league baseball itself.
"It’s not just baseball that’s exciting, it’s the in-between-inning and during-game stuff that we really take pride in here," says Goldberg. "We have mascot races. We have 'Hurl the Pearl,' which is a really fun activity where you pay a dollar for a squishy baseball - all proceeds raised go to a wonderful Rhode Island Charity. A car drives around the warning track with its sun-roof open. If you throw it into the sun-roof and it goes in the car, you get a prize. Also, during one half inning, a person from the crowd gets picked to catch three fly balls. This year, if they catch the third fly ball, everybody in the stands gets a free frosty," he continues. "It’s a lot of fun for the fans."
In addition to the in-game entertainment, the PawSox schedule is also salted with special promotions that are too numerous to list. Among them are fireworks every Saturday night (all of which have special themes, including Star Wars on June 10 and Superheroes on August 12), a Ted Williams camo jersey giveaway on June 16, a David Ortiz replica jersey giveaway on July 21, a Jackie Bradley, Jr., bobblehead giveaway on July 22, and a Nomar bobblehead giveaway on August 11.
The group offerings at the park are also greatly expanded.
"McCoy’s great for a group outing for a bunch of reasons," Goldberg explains.
"We do our own concessions here; we cook our own food, so we take pride in our own food, preparation, and service. You’ll get the promise from the PawSox that everything is done with the utmost quality.
"The other part of it is that these barbecue and terrace areas are just so big," he continues. "There are just not many sporting events where you can bring anywhere from 25 to 500 people for an outing and have the whole area to yourself, potentially. You pay for a ticket, and you don’t need to worry about taking out your wallet for food. All you have to worry about taking out your wallet for is alcohol or other non-alcoholic beverages. The food is all paid for as part of the package.
"It’s just a great experience for people, and it’s really good for work functions, birthday parties - just a really good group setting," he adds.
As it has throughout its history, McCoy Stadium will be waiting patiently for New Englanders - and especially MetroWest-ers - who are looking to make the most of their spring and summer afternoons and evenings.
"McCoy is just a short drive away, and it’s a really good destination from April until the end of August. For baseball fans - or even if you don’t love baseball - it’s a fun, family activity. " concludes Goldberg.
"It’s a fun, affordable way to enjoy your time in the nice-weather months of the year."
A full PawSox schedule, including details of all promotions, can be found online at www.pawsox.com. Tickets may also be purchased online. To contact the ticket office via phone, ask for Matt Harper at (401-724-7300).
