PawSox to host a final celebration at McCoy Stadium

The celebration includes A Grand Finale: A 33-Hour Marathon presented by CVS Health along with iHeart Media on October 17 and 18.

Registration is now CLOSED for the "Never Can Say Goodbye" event.

Registration is still open for Unity Fest on Sunday October 18 HERE.

PAWTUCKET, RI – The Pawtucket Red Sox will host a 50TH Anniversary “Final Weekend Celebration” from Thursday, October 15, through Sunday, October 18, featuring a Grand Finale presented by CVS Health: a 33-hour marathon from Saturday, October 17 at 9:00 am until Sunday, October 18 at 6:00 pm. The nonstop finale, which has been programmed in accordance with the city and state COVID-19 guidelines, features Kids Running the Bases, a Scouts’ Sleepover, Batting Practice for high school seniors and Slaterettes, and a Unity Fest to wrap up the weekend and the 50th Anniversary season. PawSox broadcast partner iHeart Media is also a sponsor of the celebration.

On Thursday, October 15 the PawSox/Skeffington Foundation will host the inaugural PawSox Foundation Golf Classic presented by Navigant Credit Union at Pawtucket Country Club. Registration for this event is already full and proceeds will benefit the community so in need in this unprecedented year.

On Friday, October 16 the PawSox will host more outdoor seatings of their summertime (and now autumn) smash, Dining on the Diamond.

Then Saturday and Sunday, October 17-18, the club will pay tribute to the Longest Game in Professional Baseball History—the 33-inning marathon in 1981—with a “Grand Finale: A 33-Hour Marathon presented by CVS Health” that includes favorite PawSox pastimes.

Events start Saturday, October 17 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm with a “Never Can Say Goodbye” visit in which PawSox fans can walk the warning track, receive free PawSox gifts, say hello to beloved mascots Paws and Sox, and reminisce on 50 wonderful years of PawSox Baseball at 78-year-old McCoy Stadium. As required by COVID-19 guidelines, fans must pre-register on pawsox.com in order to participate and receive a time slot.

Dining on the Diamond continues Saturday evening until 8:30 p.m., followed by another McCoy tradition, a Scouts Sleepover. The next morning, starting at 9 a.m., high school senior baseball and softball players, who were deprived of a grand finale to their high school careers this spring, will step on the field and take Batting Practice. The legendary Pawtucket Slaterettes, girls and women from 5 to 55 who play hardball, will follow. The pioneering organization has been active more than 40 years.

The celebration concludes with a community Unity Fest in partnership with Black Lives Matter Rhode Island. The event will promote racial justice and equality, and will bring awareness to the future creation of Pawtucket’s African-American Innovation Center, the first African-American Charter School in New England. Attendees will enjoy Dining on the Diamond paired with community entertainment featuring local speakers and gospel artists.

The full itinerary for the Grand Finale 33-Hour Marathon is outlined below:

Saturday, October 17

9:00 - 3:00 p.m. Never Can Say Goodbye: available free to PawSox fans who preregister on pawsox.com.

4:00 – 8:15 p.m. Dining on the Diamond: the finale of a summertime (and now autumn) fan-favorite.

4:00 p.m. Seating

5:30 p.m. Seating

7:00 p.m. Seating

8:30 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. A Scout Sleepover with the Narragansett Council: a PawSox tradition where Scouts watch a baseball movie, camp out, enjoy special snacks, and sleep overnight on the McCoy Stadium outfield grass.

Sunday October 18

9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Batting Practice with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League for Rhode Island High School baseball players who missed their 2020 senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

11:00 – 12:30 p.m. Batting Practice with the Pawtucket Slaterettes who have been a Pawtucket institution for more than 40 years. Girls and women of all ages may take Batting Practice on their favorite diamond.

2:00 – 6:00 p.m. Unity Fest with Black Lives Matter Rhode Island: A series of speakers and gospel artists, paired with Diamond Dining, to promote racial justice and equality and raise funds for the African-American Innovation Center.

All participants must pre-register for each respective component of the Grand Finale and can find more information at pawsox.com.

Keeping health and safety as the top priority, the PawSox will apply and enforce state- and city-mandated guidelines such as the use of face coverings, social distancing, and a host of precautions. All fans must complete a self-screening prior to entering McCoy Stadium, available in advance at pawsox.com. The PawSox ask that fans stay home if they feel sick.

The PawSox were unable to play their 50th Anniversary season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but have sought to help and entertain the community throughout the crisis. Dozens of gestures to front line heroes, food to the hungry, and virtual forms of baseball entertainment have dotted the calendar in this unexpected and unprecedented season.

The Pawtucket Red Sox first played at McCoy Stadium in 1970 as the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. They later (1973) became the Triple-A affiliate and complete a 50th Anniversary (1970-2020) before playing in their new home, Polar Park, in Worcester, MA, in 2021.