Father and son attend 47th Red Sox Opening Day together at Fenway Park
MILFORD - In 1973, Tom McAuliffe Jr. was just 5 years old when he attended his first Red Sox Opening Day. It certainly would not be his last.
McAuliffe, now 54, owns MyFM Media in Milford and is the definition of a Boston sports fan. The apple does not fall far from the tree. His 88-year-old father, Tom McAuliffe Sr., started his career in news radio all those years ago. It's where he picked up a pair of Red Sox season tickets that would stay with the family for 50 years.
The father and son attended their 47th Opening Day together on Thursday. Aside from that, they've seen World Series games, Yaz's last home game in 1983, and, of course, the celebrations that followed. All from their seats just seven rows behind home plate.
For the younger McAuliffe, the home opener in 2005 following the World Championship season was one for the books. "We had won the World Series. They won it on the road. There was a huge parade, but Opening Day was when it felt like the championship came home," said McAuliffe. "We were back in Fenway, saw the banner raised, saw the huge flag they dropped from the Green Monster. That's when winning the World Series after 86 years became real."
Tom McAuliffe Sr. said the best part was the not-so-infrequent run-ins with the great Ted Williams. "On three or four occasions, I saw Ted Williams walking up and down the aisle," said McAuliffe Sr. "One time, I stopped him to introduce myself. After that, I would say 'Hi, Ted,' and he would say 'Hi, Mac! How you doing?" I thought, geez, he remembers me along with 10,000 other people."
Over the past 50 years, the McAuliffes have missed three home openers: One for the son's college baseball career, another due to the pandemic, but between those was perhaps the most difficult of them: In 1999, Tom Sr. was diagnosed with cancer.
"He said, 'I am sorry buddy. We are not going to be able to make opening day this year; I don't think I have it in me," his son recounted. Stage IV colon cancer had placed him in the hospital for an extended period of time. It was there the father made a promise. "Don't forget the All-Star game is here this year. We're going to be there for the All-Star game, and I thought, I hope so."
Months later, the father and son were at that famed All-Star game of 1999. Ted Williams, among other greats, was being recognized. But it was his father's courage and perseverance to get to that moment that makes it his son's favorite game.
"Nothing compares to that night," McAuliffe Jr. said.
The father and son said this tradition has meant more to them as the years tick on.
"Things are always changing," said McAuliffe Jr. "Things are up; things are down. The one constant that I know is that I am going to be at Opening Day with my dad. That means everything to me."