Red Sox Requesting Name Change For Yawkey Way

BOSTON, MA — The Red Sox have taken a step towards renaming the street named after their former owner, who also has a well-known racist.

The Boston Red Sox announced Wednesday that they have filed a petition the with the City of Boston Public Improvement Commission to change the name of Yawkey Way back to its original name - Jersey Street.

"Restoring the Jersey Street name is intended to reinforce that Fenway Park is inclusive and welcoming to all," the team said in a release. "It is important to separate the unfortunate and undeniable history of the Red Sox with regards to race and integration from the incredible charitable work the Yawkey Foundation has accomplished over the last 16 years. The positive impact they have had, and continue to have, in hospitals, on education programs, and with underserved communities throughout Boston and New England, is admirable and enduring. We have the utmost respect for their mission, leadership, and the institutions they support."

Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in August that he wanted to rename Yawkey Way. Fenway Park itself is located at 4 Yawkey Way. The public road is named after the Hall of Fame former owner Tom Yawkey, whose own racist legacy is something Henry is "haunted" by.

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• Red Sox Want To Rename Yawkey Way

Yawkey owned the Red Sox from 1933 to 1976, building a complicated legacy during the longest ownership stretch of any team in baseball history. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1980, four years after he died of leukemia.

On his watch, the Red Sox became the last team to integrate black players onto a Major League roster. Pumpsie Green debuted with Boston 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier with the Dodgers.

Reporting by Mike Carraggi was used in this story.

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