BOSTON -- Before ALS was a mainstream cause, it was important to the Boston College baseball team.
It is important to the Eagles because it is important to Pete Frates, the team’s former captain who, along with his Beverly, Mass., native family, has raised awareness and funds for the disease since he was diagnosed at 27 years old.
The Eagles play for Pete, who namely championed the Ice Bucket Challenge among many other ventures, every day. But for the second straight year on Saturday, the team’s annual ALS Awareness Game was played on one of the grandest stages in all of baseball, Fenway Park. This year’s seventh edition drew a crowd of 5,433 to “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark,” which meant the event’s goals were achieved.
“More importantly than what (the attendance, which set an ALS Awareness Game record) means for the program is what it means for Pete's mission, which became our mission, and that’s raising awareness,” BC head coach Mike Gambino said. “It's just awesome to see the support from the Boston College community and the Boston baseball community … and to see people rally around Pete and the Frate Train.”
