Fenway Park improvements revealed ahead of home opener

The return of baseball in Boston is just days away.

The Red Sox will play their home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon.

Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy took the media on a tour of the beloved ballpark Tuesday afternoon to showcase some of the upgrades made.

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The biggest change fans will see at the park is new netting. Protective netting has been installed and now goes past each dugout and up each baseline. The idea has been in the works after several fans have been injured by foul balls in parks across the country, including a local woman who was hit by a line drive foul ball back in 2015. All 30 Major League clubs have extended protective netting for the 2018 season.

Fans will also see a new field-level seating area on the first base line, beyond the Red Sox dugout. The Jim Beam Dugout will seat 25 people and is sold on a game-by-game basis.

The Right Field Roof Deck has been rebranded as the Sam Deck, as part of the new partnership with Samuel Adams as the Official Beer of the Boston Red Sox. Sammy's on 3rd has replaced the 3rd Base Saloon. The Coca-Cola Corner has also been updated with new turf, picnic tables and chairs.

A trip to a Sox game isn't complete without a Fenway Frank, but now, several additional concession items will be added to the menu.

Gilbane Inc., with offices in Boston, was the general contractor for the 2018 improvements. DAIQ Architects, based in Somerville, provided the architectural work. Over $300 million has been invested in the improvement of Fenway Park since 2002.

Cox Media Group