A fitting tribute to the 1975 Red Sox precedes the start of a season of hope at Fenway Park

Boston Globe

04-04-2025

The players who were on hand at Fenway for Friday's event were Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans, Rico Petrocelli, Cecil Cooper, Rick Burleson, Bill Lee, Bernie Carbo, Butch Hobson, Rick Kreuger, Jim Willoughby, Dick Pole, Buddy Hunter, Kim Andrew, Steve Dillard, Tim Blackwell, Rick Miller, and Bob Montgomery.
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As Aerosmith's 'Sweet Emotion' played over the Fenway Park loudspeakers, the '75 Red Sox emerged from left field and made their way to the mound — with Yastrzemski, 85, delivering the first pitch to Cora.
They taught us to believe in miracles.
Yaz & the 1975
— NESN (@NESN)
As part of the ceremony, the Red Sox also memorialized the life of legendary pitcher and '75 ace Luis Tiant,
Tiant was among those honored during the team's in memoriam video, alongside other Red Sox players who passed away during the offseason: Rickey Henderson, Charlie Maxwell, Bob Veale, Felix Mantilla, and Scott Sauerbeck.
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A moment for those we lost ahead of the home opener.
Forever in the hearts of
— NESN (@NESN)
'I miss Luis. We all do,' said Evans, Tiant's teammate. 'But I try to take something from everybody I'm around and live around. And with him, just his love for people. ... He loved people. He really did.'
Tiant endeared himself to Red Sox fans over eight seasons with his unorthodox corkscrew windup, desperado mustache, and cigar-smoking gusto making him a beloved player.
The Cuban-born righty pushed Boston to the brink of a World Series title in 1975. After tossing a complete game shutout in Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Reds, he threw a whopping 155 pitches in another complete-game effort against Cincy just four days later. Boston won all three of his starts in the '75 World Series, but still came up short in the seven-game series.
One of the light stanchions rooted atop the Green Monster featured a custom 'El Tiante' sign — etched against a blue heart background — while Tiant's family was tasked with bellowing 'Play Ball!' to close out the event.
For El Tiante... PLAY BALL!! ⚾ ❤️
— NESN (@NESN)
'Luis is a guy that we miss,' Cora said. 'Spring training was kind of empty in that aspect, right? He was always talking to the guys, teaching the guys how it used to be. And what it means to be a Red Sox. And we miss him.
'I actually miss him here the most because he was always joking around with [the players], kind of like when they were down a little bit, he'll go down there and talk [expletive] to them in a very unique way … He was a proud individual. He knew where he came from and it wasn't easy — the road to be in the big leagues. And for him to perform the way he did, I tip my hat to him. It's amazing.'
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The event began with the entire Red Sox roster, coaching staff, and clubhouse personnel taking the field — with both newcomers and promising youngsters in Garrett Crochet and Kristian Campbell drawing the loudest ovations among this reworked roster.
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As a giant U.S.A. flag cascaded down the Green Monster and enveloped the famed wall in left field, the nation's colors were presented by the 1st Battalion and 181st Infantry Regiment of the Massachusetts National Guard, the 66th Air Base Group out of Hanscom Air Force Base, and members of the 1st Coast Guard District.
The Boston Arts Academy 'Treble Allstars' performed the 'Star-Spangled Banner' — with their rendition of the national anthem punctuated by a fly-over of two F-35 jets flown by the 134th Fighter Squadron, also known as the Green Mountain Boys of the Vermont Air National Guard, along with one KC-46 plane from the New Hampshire Air National Guard's 157th Air Refueling Wing.
Another season at Fenway Park was officially ushered in at 2:20 p.m. with Sox starter Walker Buehler delivering a fastball against Cardinals left fielder Lars Nootbaar.
'It's always a good vibe. It's always a good vibe when you come here and it's Fenway Park. ... It's a good feeling,' Cora said. 'Like I said in spring training, we have a good baseball team. We've just got to keep working hard to keep gaining momentum, playing better baseball. We're going to grow as a team.
'It's different in the clubhouse. It's a very mature team, in a sense. We brought some guys that have been around, from winning teams and playing in October a lot, so that's going to help the rest of the group. And we're going to keep getting better.'
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The American flag was displayed during the national anthem on Friday.
Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Conor Ryan can be reached at