Looking back on Pedro's Day and Papi's Night, 25 years later

It is June 2040, and Cameron Piper is at Fenway Park with his son, Eddie, for a Red Sox-Providence Whalers game -- 8-year-old Eddie's first time at Fenway. 

Cameron: "Did I ever tell you about my first Red Sox game, Eddie?"

Eddie: "No dad, when was it?"

Cameron: "I was 7, just a little younger than you  now. Tickets were only $50 each, if you can believe that, and I went with Grandma Bart, Grandma Jen, and Aunt McKenna. It was her first game too."

Jen, Cameron, Bart, and McKenna Piper, 

July 26, 2015.

Eddie: "Did the Red Sox win?"

Cameron: "You better believe it. They were having a really tough year, but that night everything went right. They had 20 hits and won 11-1."

Eddie: "Did you stay the whole game or fly home early?"

Cameron: "Actually this was when we still used road cars, and we did stay till the end. We even got there early because it was the day Pedro Martinez was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and they played his speech on the big video screen."

Eddie: "You mean the one they used to have before the Blimp Boards?"

Cameron: "Yup. You've heard of Pedro, right?"

Eddie: "Sure, wasn't he the guy they named the earned-run-average title after? The president of the Dominican Republic?"

Cameron: "Yup, that's him. They played his speech, and in it he thanked a couple of his favorite teammates including David 'Big Papi' Ortiz of the Red Sox. They played together in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series. You remember I told you about that team, right?"

Eddie: "Sure, the team that finally beat the damn Yankees and broke Baby Ruth's curse."

Cameron: "Right, something like that. Anyway, after Pedro thanked Ortiz in his speech, Big Papi had three hits including two home runs -- and drove in seven runs!" 

Eddie:"Wow, that's great!"

Cameron: "What's really neat is that they are both from the Dominican Republic, and when Ortiz went into the Hall of Fame in 2024, he had Pedro introduce him to the crowd!" 

Eddie: "That is cool. What else happened in the game?"

Cameron: "Well, Xander Bogaerts had four hits and Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven great innings to get the win. He was just a rookie that year but he would wind up winning three Cy Young Awards -- the first Red Sox pitcher ever to do that."

Rodriguez got win 6 of 234.

Eddie: "He's in the Hall of Fame too, right?"

Cameron: "Yup -- he won 234 games, the most of any Red Sox pitcher. Want to know a secret?"

Eddie: "Sure, what?"

Cameron: "You're named after him. I saw him pitch so many great games for the Red Sox and he brought me such joy that I figured I'd share that joy with my first son."

Eddie: "AWESOME!"

Cameron: "Your mother doesn't know, so let's keep it our secret, OK? Want to know another one?"

Eddie: "Sure!"


Cameron: "Rodriguez just got voted into the Hall of Fame this past January, and next month when they induct him, you and I are going!"

Eddie: "NO WAY!"

Cameron: "WAY! We can fly from Boston to Cooperstown in 16 minutes, check out the museum, watch his speech, and still fly back home in time for your Quiddich practice at 5:00."

Eddie: "Great, thanks dad!" 

Cameron: "Sure thing, son. Now hurry up and eat your Fenway Frank before it gets cold. It cost $36.00."