The Red Sox' Fenway Park sellout streak by the numbers
Fenway Park was filled to capacity for every Red Sox game for almost a decade. (Michael Ivins/Getty Images)
The Boston Red Sox's streak of sold-out home games is expected to come to an end Wednesday night when the Sox host the Orioles at Fenway Park in their second home game of the 2013 season. If so, the streak, which started on May 15, 2003, will stand at 794 games, a record for a North American sports team, leaving the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants' 169-game streak as the longest active one in baseball. The validity of Boston's streak is somewhat controversial, but it is official, so here's a look at those last 794 games by the numbers.
Total official attendance: 29,067,339
Official attendance of first game: 33,801
Official attendance of last game: 37,008
Seating added since first game: rightfield roof deck (2004), EMC Club (2006), Coca-Cola Party Deck (2008), expanded rightfield roof boxes (2009),
Overall record (home games only): 486-308 (.612)
Best single-season home record: 56-25 (.619), both 2008 and 2009
Worst single-season home record: 34-47 (.420), 2012
Postseason appearances: 6 (26 home games not included in streak)
Division titles: 1 (2007)
Pennants: 2
World Series wins: 2 (2004, 2007)
No-hitters: 2 - Clay Buchholz, September 1, 2007; Jon Lester, May 19, 2008
Major player awards:Dustin Pedroia, 2007 Rookie of the Year & 2008 AL MVP
Managers: Grady Little (2003), Terry Francona (2004-2011), Bobby Valentine (2012), John Farrell (2013)
The first game: May 15, 2003 - Red Sox 12, Rangers 3, Winning Pitcher: Pedro Martinez, Losing Pitcher: Alan Benes
Remaining members of 2003 team:David Ortiz (currently on disabled list)
Members of 2003 team on other active major league rosters:Bronson Arroyo (CIN), Derek Lowe (TEX), Bruce Chen (KCR), Brandon Lyon (NYM)
Team Leaders (all stats home only):
Hitting
Because he was the only man to have been on the team throughout the streak, David Ortiz leads the Red Sox in nearly every cumulative hitting category during that time. Among his team-leading totals are 676 games played, 490 runs scored, 792 hits, 209 doubles, 163 home runs, 587 RBIs, 433 walks and 524 strikeouts. He also leads all Boston hitters over that span in home slugging percentage (minimum 502 at-bats) with a .603 mark. Here are the few hitting categories in which Ortiz did not lead the team over the course of the streak:
Triples: 13, Jacoby Ellsbury
Stolen Bases: 90, Ellsbury
HBP: 46, Kevin Youkilis
Batting average: .334, Adrian Gonzalez
On-base percentage: .423, Manny Ramirez
Home runs (opponent): 13, Alex Rodriguez
Pitching
Wins: 53, Tim Wakefield
Losses: 36, Wakefield
Winning Percentage (min. 10 GS):.789, Pedro Martinez (15-4)
Saves: 104, Jonathan Papelbon
Games Pitched: 204, Papelbon
Games Started: 122, Wakefield
Innings Pitched: 808, Wakefield
Complete Games: 5, Jon Lester
Shutouts: 2, Josh Beckett & Clay Buchholz
Strikeouts: 551, Beckett
ERA (min. 162 IP): 2.52, Papelbon
ERA, starting pitcher (min. 162 IP): 2.98, Martinez
Wins (opponent):