The Boston K Men crew have designed a new t-shirt to celebrate America’s greatest ballpark and to commemorate the 2004 Red Sox World Series Championship season. The best part? All proceeds go directly to The BASE thanks to the generosity of the Bleacher Bar and the Lyons Group.
Here’s how you can get a unique shirt or backwards K hat and give back to our community:
Home Run Level ($30-$50):
Get your t-shirts in Fenway green or brick red (long sleeve and youth sizes also available)!
Grand Slam Level (+$100):
Buy one or more shirts and donate an additional $100 to be entered to win two Red Sox tickets and a spot posting Ks on the Green Monster in 2024! The drawing for tickets will be held at the All Star break.
World Series Championship Level (+ $1,000): Buy one or more shirts and donate an additional $1,000 to automatically receive the full K Men experience: four Red Sox tickets, a spot posting Ks on the Green Monster, a Red Sox autographed baseball, and an original K sign to display at your home or office.
Pitch in today!
The BacKstory
The Boston K Men began 26 years ago, when Pedro Martinez joined the Red Sox.
At every home game that Pedro pitched between 1998 and 2004, the crew — mostly teenagers — plastered K signs symbolizing his strikeouts on the back wall of the Fenway Park bleachers.
After Pedro left the Sox, the K Men mellowed and migrated from Section 39, Row 31 to their current perch above the Green Monster, posting Ks each season for the team’s ace pitcher — from Daisuke Matsuzaka to Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to Chris Sale. In 2024, we are posting our K signs for Brayan Bello, who we hope will channel Pedro — the Hall of Fame pitcher who inspired us back in 1998.
Why K for strikeout?
K is the symbol for strikeout because it is the last letter of the word “struck,” as in, “most batters who faced Pedro struck out.” We post the K forward if the batter strikes out swinging; backwards if the umpire calls the third strike.
Each year, longtime K Man and children’s book illustrator and writer Matt Tavares designs new shirts and hats, which we sell on this website to benefit student-athletes in our city.
We are committed to using our small role and platform within Red Sox Nation to proudly promote the important work of The BASE and to provide access to communities that have been excluded for too long.
This year, we’re celebrating the place we’ve called home since 1998 and raising money for our city’s kids with these new Fenway Park shirts and backwards K hats.
Pitch in and support Boston’s youth by ordering your Fenway Park shirts here.
and backwards K hats here!
You can also donate directly to the organization here.
Thanks to a generous donation from the Bleacher Bar and the Lyons Group, 100 percent of your donation will go to The BASE. And with the support of the Boston Red Sox, The BASE’s players, coaches and families are still posting Ks up on the Green Monster at games throughout the season. Look for them posting Ks, buy Fenway Park shirts and backwards K hats and support urban talent here.
Why The BASE
The BASE is an urban academy that uses the power of sports to engage youth in a positive, success-driven culture. They provide high-quality sports training and competition, along with programs for college access, career development, health and wellness, and STEM learning. The BASE develops and elevates urban talent and builds pathways to success for local student-athletes.
Our goal is simple: raise funds and awareness for our city’s kids — and help build a movement of citizens committed to their success.
VIDEO: NESN’s Tom Caron interviews the K Men about their campaign
You can also make a donation directly to The BASE here.
K Men or K People?
While “The K Men” is the group’s official name, it is a bit of a misnomer. The K Men believe in equal opportunity, with representation from men, women and children.
Support Boston’s youth by ordering your Fenway shirts here and backwards K hats here.
You can also make a donation directly to The BASE here.
ThanK you!
All Boston K Men official gear is designed by artist Matt Tavares, a longtime K Man and now a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many award-winning children’s books including Growing Up Pedro.
