Jon Davy (left) and Sam Koch (right)

May 20, 2008

BOSTON, Mass. - It was a historic night at Fenway Park as Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester no-hit the Kansas City Royals - the first for Lester and the 18th in Sox history. Prior to the game, UMass men's soccer coach Sam Koch was honored for guiding the team to the 2007 NCAA College Cup by the organization with the first pitch of the game. Koch, his family and assistant coach Jon Davy were given a private VIP tour prior to the game, collected a few autographs, and watched the game from the stands behind home plate as the game, and history, unfurled pitch-by-pitch.

The group arrived at Fenway Park at 5 PM and was met by Chuck Steedman, Vice President of Fenway Enterprises and Broadcast Services and UMass Hall of Famer and Red Sox Vice President of Publications/Archives Dick Bresciani. Steedman led the group down to the field to watch the Red Sox take batting practice before meeting our tour guide Amy.

Amy took the group on a private VIP tour of the Park starting with the Green Monster. Koch's kids all leaned over the wall watching batting practice and ended up coming away with a homerun ball.

The tour then took the group to the Hall of Sports Illustrated Covers. The hall way contains every cover that has ever featured a Red Sox player or moment. The Sox will have to make room for one more as Lester's performance will certainly grace one of the upcoming covers.

From there, the group walked through the Red Sox Hall of Fame where Davy posed with the plaque for Babe Ruth. This was Davy's first-ever baseball game, so he was quite excited to see such a historic place.

The group was also able to see the Cy Young Awards, try on World Championship Rings, tour the Press Box and look over the field for the Right Field Deck.

By that time, it was getting close to time for Sam to head down to the field as the Red Sox began organzing their pregame ceremonies. The group posed for a few pictures as the grounds crew made final preparations for the game. Sam was even able to get in a few warm-up pitches.

Koch's pitch was a strong one, a bit high, but was still memorable for the Concord, Mass., native and his family. When talking about the moment, Sam said "It's amazing when you get out there. You don't hear a thing; you don't see a thing except for the catcher's mit in front of you. It was so surreal."

After the pitch, the family was escorted to their seats which were in the covered seats behind home plate - a perfect spot to see Lester's historical performance. Even though it was a bit cold and windy, all in all it was a very memorable evening and a very special honor for the UMass soccer program!