The Red Sox have moved the start time of their matchup against the Yankees on June 14 to accommodate Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Mavericks.
Initially scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, the first pitch will now be thrown at 6:30, and the Fenway Park gates will open at 5:00 p.m.
“The change was made as a courtesy to fans interested in watching the Celtics take on the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas,” the Red Sox said in a statement.
Now, Boston sports fans attending the first Yankees-Red Sox game of the year won’t have to worry about missing as much of Game 4 of the Finals.
Jayson Tatum and Co. have a chance to go up 3-0 in the series as they enter Wednesday’s Game 3 in Dallas, and if they pull it off, they would be in strong shape to win their first NBA title since 2008 on Friday.
The Celtics beat the Lakers in six games that year.
The Red Sox began Wednesday a game under .500 at 33-34 but just two games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Meanwhile, the Yankees had the best record in baseball at 48-21, 14 games ahead of the third-place Sox and 2.5 games ahead of the second-place Orioles.
This is not the first time the Red Sox have moved a first pitch to help fans watch another local team.
Before the Bruins’ Game 7 loss to the Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, the Red Sox moved a 7:10 p.m. game to 4:05 p.m. and said it was “a courtesy to fans who want to watch Game 7.”
