Fenway Park

At 9:35 p.m. Wednesday, in the seventh inning of a game against the Oakland A's, the Red Sox cut off ticket sales at Fenway Park with an estimated 300 seats unsold, according to a Globe gate-by-gate review and interviews with team executives. At 10:19 p.m., the Sox announced the game was sold out. Seconds later, they said they had extended their sellout streak to 723 games, the longest in the history of Major League Baseball. But had Fenway Park really sold out all 37,495 seats?

In 1912, Isabella Stewart Gardner caused a sensation by appearing at a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert in Symphony Hall wearing a white headband with the words "Oh you Red Sox. " But she must have started something, because 100 years later, it's no longer a surprise to hear "The Impossible Dream" from a Symphony Hall organ, or to find vendors in Red Sox shirts selling popcorn and Cracker Jack in the aisles. That was the case Wednesday as Keith Lockhart, the Boston Pops, and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus presented the first of three sports-themed "City of Champions" concerts, in a salute to the only American...

The Red Sox have released the schedule for 2012. Highlights include an April 20 matchup with the Yankees on the 100th anniversary of the first Red Sox game at Fenway Park. The Red Sox open the season at Detroit April 5, and play their home opener April 13 against the Rays. They will face the Phillies, Nationals, Marlins, Braves, and Cubs in interleague games. Click the image above to see a high-resolution image of the schedule.

BALTIMORE - Daniel Bard junked his delivery in the fourth inning Wednesday, pitching from the stretch as he tried to find some way to get the ball over the plate. It paid off in the sense that he pitched long enough to get the victory against the Orioles, going 5 ⅓ innings in a game the Red Sox won, 6-5. But it was another game in which Bard struggled. The righthander allowed two runs on five hits with four walks, a hit batter, and two strikeouts. "I couldn't maintain a consistent delivery or arm slot," Bard said.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff Liverpool FC will play AS Roma at Fenway Park on July 25 according to a release from Fenway Sports Management. It will be Liverpool's first trip to the United States since 2004. The team is owned by Red Sox owners John Henry and Tom Werner. Boston will serve as Liverpool FC's home base throughout the tour and the team will conduct its pre-season training sessions at Harvard. Details and ticket sales information for other tour stops and venues will be announced in the near future.

In the final months of two mostly unmemorable terms in office, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri boasted about his little state's big splash - stealing former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and his nascent video game company from Massachusetts. "This is a risk worth taking," said Carcieri, a Republican, announcing the 2010 deal that lured Schilling's company, 38 Studios, to Providence, and put Rhode Island taxpayers on the hook for up to $75 million in guaranteed loans to an athlete who liked video games but had never developed one. ...

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff PHILADELPHIA — Josh Beckett may not be the most popular player on the roster. But you can't deny the results lately. The righthander carried a shutout into the eighth inning on Sunday as the Red Sox stopped the Phillies again, 5-1, to take the series. That's eight wins in the last 10 games for the Red Sox, now 20-21 and headed to Baltimore on a train for a three-game series against the first-place Orioles. Beckett allowed seven hits, four of them infield singles.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will play at Fenway Park on Aug. 14. Tickets go on sale May 19 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com, Etix.com, the Orpheum Theatre box office or by calling 800-514-3849. Springsteen was the first music act to play Fenway in decades back in 2003 when he played to sellout crowds on Sept. 6 and 7.

Fenway Park in the 1960s

Tim Wakefield got to throw one more knuckleball at Fenway Park. The Red Sox honored Wakefield on Tuesday afternoon with a ceremony before Boston's game against Seattle. He wiped away a few tears during all the accolades for both his 17 seasons of pitching and his charitable work, which earned him the Roberto Clemente Award in 2010. Boston brought in former catcher Doug Mirabelli to catch the ceremonial first pitch, which was a knuckler that floated to the right of home plate.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Down by three runs in the sixth inning, the Boston Red Sox desperately needed a spark to get back into the game against the Baltimore Orioles. With one mighty swing, David Ortiz launched a ball out of Camden Yards and sent the Red Sox on their way to an uplifting 8-6 victory Monday night. Dustin Pedroia had two RBIs and Mike Aviles scored the go-ahead run in the seventh to help Boston secure its ninth win in 11 games. The Red Sox are tied with the New York Yankees in the AL East cellar but are at .500 (21-21)

PHILADELPHIA - Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine walked through the clubhouse Sunday morning, making sure he had enough healthy players to field a representative lineup against the Phillies. Against his better judgment, Valentine kept Adrian Gonzalez in right field and David Ortiz at first base. He also used catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a day game after a night game. With outfielders Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney out, the Sox started the game with only three players available off the bench.

The Braintree 4th of July celebration committee will host a Red Sox game night at Southside Tavern on May 31 from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person and $35 maximum per family. Kids under 10 are free. The tavern will be transformed into the iconic Fenway Park. There will be a buffet of standard ballpark fare, face painting, raffles of tickets and memorabilia, trivia and most fanatical dress contests, and viewing of the game. "This is a great family and community event for everyone to show their love for the Sox and our country.

By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff PHILADELPHIA — Josh Beckett may not be the most popular player on the roster. But you can't deny the results lately. The righthander carried a shutout into the eighth inning on Sunday as the Red Sox stopped the Phillies again, 5-1, to take the series. That's eight wins in the last 10 games for the Red Sox, now 20-21 and headed to Baltimore on a train for a three-game series against the first-place Orioles. Beckett allowed seven hits, four of them infield singles.

It was a beautiful evening at Fenway Park, but Jim Walker didn't come just to see the game. Desperation also drew the season ticket holder to the park, for one final attempt to unload a dozen tickets, even if it meant parting with a $125 seat for $35. "People used to call all the time," said Walker, president of Walker Motor Sales in Woodsville, N.H., and a longtime season ticket holder. Now, he's the one dialing. "They'll take my calls, but they're not interested," he said.

Here are the lineups: RED SOX (17-20) Aviles SS Pedroia 2B Ortiz DH Gonzalez 1B Middlebrooks 3B Ross RF Nava LF Byrd CF Shoppach C Pitching: LHP Felix Doubront (3-1, 4.46) RAYS (24-14) Zobrist RF Upton CF Scott DH Keppinger 2B Pena 1B Rodriguez 38 Johnson SS Gimenez C Thompson LF Pitching: LHP Matt Moore (1-3, 5.31) Game time: 7:10 p.m. TV/Radio: NESN, MLB Network / WEEI Rays vs. Doubront: Pena 1-5, Zobrist 1-6, Rodriguez 2-5, Scott 2-4, Upton 1-4, Joyce 1-2, Keppinger...

Bill Greene/Globe Staff By Tony Massarotti, Boston.com Columnist The last time the Red Sox won five games in a row, the streak ultimately reached six. And then, just as the Sox reached .500 and suggested they were prepared to turn a corner, they dropped 9 of 11 and plummeted right back into the depths of dysfunction and futility. So here we are again. You buying yet? Pictures: Red Sox-Mariners series Still the possessors of a losing record, the Red Sox defeated the impotent Seattle Mariners by a 5-0 score at Fenway Park on Tuesday behind a honed, refined Josh Beckett.

PHILADELPHIA - Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine walked through the clubhouse Sunday morning, making sure he had enough healthy players to field a representative lineup against the Phillies. Against his better judgment, Valentine kept Adrian Gonzalez in right field and David Ortiz at first base. He also used catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a day game after a night game. With outfielders Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney out, the Sox started the game with only three players available off the bench.