The Boston Red Sox will begin their 2014 home schedule Friday against an unfamiliar opponent, as the National League’s Milwaukee Brewers visit for Opening Day at Fenway Park.
The team in the visitors’ dugout hasn’t mattered much for the Red Sox in recent home openers, though. Since breaking the Curse of the Bambino in 2004, the Sox have won their first home game in nine consecutive seasons, outscoring opponents 70-26 in the process.
Included in that streak have been two World Series ring ceremonies, a few brilliant Josh Beckett performances, a 4-for-4 day from Mike Lowell and a standing ovation for then-New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, just to name a few.
As you wait for this season’s Fenway action to begin — first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. — let’s look back at the highlights from the last nine years of Opening Day ball in Boston.
