Pitch in by ordering your unique Fenway Park shirts and backwards K hats here!
The Boston K Men began 25 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 and Curt Schilling to Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to Chris Sale and Brayan Bello. Today, the crew records strikeouts each time the team’s ace takes the mound at Fenway.
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 here.
Pitch in and support Boston’s youth by ordering your Fenway Park shirts
and backwards K hats here!
You can also donate directly to the organization here.
Thanks to a generous donation from the Bleacher Bar,
100 percent of your donation will go to The BASE.
For the second consecutive season, thanks to the generosity of the Red Sox, we are hosting student-athletes from The BASE on the Wall as well
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
Support Boston’s youth by ordering your Fenway Park shirts
and backwards K hats here.
You can also make a donation directly to The BASE here.
Earn your spot on the Green Monster!
For every additional $20 donated to The BASE above the cost of a shirt or hat, participants may submit one individual entry into a drawing to win two Red Sox tickets and a spot posting Ks at Fenway in 2024.
The drawing will be held after the season in fall 2023.
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 Park shirts 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.
