CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College baseball team will play the Sixth Annual ALS Awareness Game at Fenway Park, the team and the Boston Red Sox announced on Wednesday. The Eagles’ game, played in honor of former captain Pete Frates who was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012, will feature an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup against NC State on Saturday, April 22 at 4 p.m. in America’s oldest ballpark.
Tickets will be general admission for $10 with all proceeds benefiting the Pete Frates #3 Fund. Fans can purchase them by visiting redsox.com/alsgame or at the gate the day of the game. The fund was created to aid in Frates’ medical costs not covered by health insurance.
“We are very lucky to have such a great relationship with the Red Sox to allow us to play at the historic Fenway Park,” head baseball coach Mike Gambino said. “Even though we have played there a good amount, this game is even more special because we are honoring Pete. The Red Sox have done so much for Pete and the Frates family in the last five years. I want to thank Sam Kennedy, Dave Dombrowski, Fred Olsen and Kathleen Harrington for their help to make this event possible. We are so grateful that we can partner with the Sox and NC State to support the fight against ALS for Pete and former Pack player Chris Combs and continue the mission to strike out ALS.”
Chris Combs played baseball for NC State from 1994-97 and was diagnosed with ALS in May 2016. He is an associate director with the Wolfpack Club. He is also fighting to bring awareness and funds to the disease.
Each year since Frates’ diagnosis, the Eagles have held an ALS Awareness Game at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at Commander Shea Field. In each of the last five seasons, over 2,000 fans have been in attendance to show their support for a cause very close the BC community’s heart. Last year Frates’ No. 3 was retired and in 2015, the largest crowd in Shea Field history, 3,033 fans, attended the Eagles’ ALS game against Georgia Tech.
The Eagles have played 36 times at Fenway Park, all in the Baseball Beanpot Tournament. They hold a 25-10-1 record in the iconic venue. In 2006, Frates was named Beanpot MVP – an award no longer given out – after a 4-for-4 day with a home run into Fenway’s right field bullpen, a double and three RBls as the Eagles defeated Harvard, 10-2, for the title.
Frates was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at 27 years old. Since then, he, along with his family and friends, have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for the disease. In the summer of 2014, Frates championed the Ice Bucket Challenge through the use of social media. Along with the amount of awareness brought to ALS, over $220 million was raised to help find a cure. He was awarded the Sports Illustrated’s Inspiration of the Year in December of 2014 and the SportsCenter documentary detailing his journey was nominated for an Emmy. In November 2016, Frates was named the recipient of the NCAA Inspiration Award.
Frates completed his own ice bucket challenge to cap off the historic August 2014 at Fenway Park and during the spring training game between the Eagles and Red Sox in 2015, the teams donned No. 3 jerseys in honor of Frates at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Both sets were put up for auction to benefit his fund. The Red Sox also signed him to a contract to make him part of the organization before opening day the same year.
A Beverly, Mass., native, Frates played in the outfield for the Maroon and Gold from 2004-07. A captain his senior year, he finished his BC career with 107 starts, a .228 average, 88 hits, 56 RBIs, 11 home runs and 34 stolen bases.
To learn more about Frates, visit www.petefrates.com and for Combs’ story visit www.teamchriscombs.org.
