Opening Day Roster Set for 2007 Red Sox
With the Red Sox ready to break camp today after the club’s final spring training game in Fort Myers against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Boston has its Opening Day roster set after Terry Francona and his staff made the final cuts on Tuesday. After today, the Sox will play two more games in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies before starting the regular season on Monday afternoon in Kansas City against the Royals; veteran Curt Schilling, entering his 20th season with Major League Baseball and the final year of his current contract with Boston, will get the ball to open the season for the second consecutive year.
After a six-game road trip to open the season, the team will play its first home game on Tuesday, 10 April against the Seattle Mariners; expected to start for the Red Sox that afternoon is Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka, whom Boston paid over $100 million to acquire his services from the Seibu Lions of the Japanese Central League. Already, the possibility that he will throw his first pitch at Fenway Park facing Ichiro Suzuki, another well-known Japanese-born ball player, has people from the far reaches of the globe anticipating the moment.
Boston fans will also see some new faces in the field. With the departure of Trot Nixon to Cleveland as a free agent, J.D. Drew will take his spot in right field, even wearing the same uniform number (7) as the former Dirt Dog. Drew, a nine-year MLB veteran, has a career batting average of .286 and stroked 20 home runs while driving home 100 runs last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Also new to the club is shortstop Julio Lugo, Drew’s teammate late last season with the Dodgers who is expected to provide more pop at his position. The Sox also have some new faces in the bullpen, including Brendan Donnelly, Hideki Okajima, Joel Pineiro, and J.C. Romero.
Of course, there will be many familiar faces, including team MVP David Ortiz, who last season hit a club-record 54 home runs, breaking Jimmie Foxx’s long-standing record with the franchise. Other fan favorites returning this season include Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, and Tim Wakefield as the team looks to rebound this season after missing the post-season in 2006 and three years after winning the World Series in 2004.
The active roster to start the season is as follows:
Starting Rotation
- RHP Curt Schilling
- RHP Josh Beckett
- RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka
- RHP Tim Wakefield
- RHP Julian Tavarez
Bullpen
- RHP Brendan Donnelly
- LHP Javier Lopez
- LHP Hideki Okajima
- RHP Jonathan Papelbon (CL)
- RHP Joel Pineiro
- LHP J.C. Romero
- RHP Kyle Snyder
Catchers
- C Jason Varitek
- C Doug Mirabelli
Infielders
- SS/2B Alex Cora
- 1B Eric Hinske
- 3B Mike Lowell
- SS Julio Lugo
- DH/1B David Ortiz
- 2B Dustin Pedroia
- 1B Kevin Youkilis
Outfielders
- CF Coco Crisp
- RF J.D. Drew
- RF/CF Wily Mo Pena
- LF Manny Ramirez
Starting the year on the disabled list will be pitchers Mike Timlin and Matt Clement. Timlin is expected back sometime in April while Clement is expected to miss most of the 2007 season.


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On 07 April 2007 at 7:00 pm, an auction event will be held at the State Street Pavilion within Fenway Park to benefit Mini-Fenway Park, a half-sized replica of Boston’s fabled ballpark, backed by the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball. Providing top-quality baseball, softball, and tee ball programs for children ages four to 17, Mini-Fenway will sit on 12 acres of the Blue Hills Reservation in Quincy, just south of Boston directly off Interstate 93 at Exit 8. Join Boston Red Sox Legends as well as Wally the Green Monster at this one-of-a-kind charity event to help support Kids Replica Ballpark, Inc., a tax-exempt, non-profit organization licensed by the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball.