The Red Sox welcomed drag queens to Fenway Park as part of their traditional Pride Night.

The Boston Red Sox hosted their annual Pride Night on Monday and continued their tradition of hosting a drag show inside the gates of Fenway Park while also welcoming drag queens onto the field for the ceremonial first pitch.

Ahead of what was a 10-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, fans of all ages entered the gates of the historic ballpark and were greeted by a drag show on a stage built right in front of some of the concessions. 

The Red Sox and their Pride-themed logo on X shared a video of various men dressed in drag dancing for fans before the first pitch of the contest.

Speaking of the first pitch, the drag queens who participated in the show, as well as individuals representing various LGBTQ+ causes and organizations in Boston, were welcomed onto the diamond with the stadium’s announcer urging fans in attendance to applaud them.

“We know that visibility and inclusivity in sports not only affirm the right of everyone to participate and along, but also enrich the spirit of competition and camaraderie,” the announcer said over the stadium’s loudspeakers. 

“When teams, front offices, and fans come together to create welcoming environments, everyone can thrive and we prove that we are all better when we stand together.”

The Boston Legacy Football Club of the NWSL, the Boston Fleet of the PWHL, Boston Common Golf, the Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics were all mentioned as having representatives on the field for the ceremonial first pitch.

The Red Sox have welcomed drag queens to Fenway Park for their annual Pride Night dating back to at least 2022, according to archived Getty Images. 

The Red Sox promoted Pride Night leading up to the game with an exclusive ticket purchasing offer where fans would receive a Red Sox hat in Pride colors while also inviting them to attend a Pride Party – presumably the drag show – inside Fenway Park prior to the game starting.

Superior Court Judge Sarah W. Ellis is presiding.

Seven jurors were chosen on Friday, and on Monday, several more were seated for a total of 15. Opening statements are set to follow later Monday, officials said.

Crosbie is accused of raping a woman while she slept in March 2024, when he was in Boston to participate in St. Patrick’s Day parade with fellow members of the Dublin Fire Brigade.

Crosbie was originally scheduled to leave the United States after the parade on March 19, officials have said. But after Crosbie spoke with police on March 15, he went to Logan International Airport for a 10:10 p.m. flight bound for Ireland, officials said.

He boarded an earlier flight at 7 p.m., but was pulled off the airplane by State Police and arrested, officials said.

Prosecutors allege that Crosbie raped a “female stranger” at the Omni Parker House hotel in downtown Boston on March 14, 2024.

The woman, 28, had gone to dinner with coworkers at The Black Rose, a pub near Faneuil Hall, and met a man, Liam O’Brien, along with his fellow Irish firefighters, according to prosecutors and court records.

The woman told police on March 15 that she agreed to return to O’Brien’s room, which he was sharing with Crosbie, at the Omni Parker House.

Video shows that around 11:30 p.m., the woman left a restaurant with O’Brien and returned to the room, prosecutors said.

The pair had a consensual encounter in the room, according to prosecutors. O’Brien then fell asleep on one of two beds in the hotel room, and the woman went to sleep on the other bed, prosecutors said.

Crosbie left the hotel at 11:55 p.m., according to hotel security video, and swiped his key card back into the room at 1:55 a.m., prosecutors said. At some point in the night, the woman woke up as Crosbie was allegedly raping her, according to a police report.

The woman “tried to push the male off” and she said “What are you doing? Stop!” the report said. Crosbie said “this guy is sleeping, I know you want this. He fell asleep,” the woman told police.

The woman left at 2:15 a.m., 20 minutes after Crosbie entered the room, prosecutors said. She messaged a friend to say she had been assaulted and went to a hospital, where she spoke with police.

At a hearing in August, prosecutors requested a DNA swab from Crosbie for “comparative testing” A genital swab from the woman revealed male DNA, prosecutors said in court documents.

“In this case, a known DNA sample from the defendant will produce evidence relevant to the question of his guilt,” Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy, chief of the domestic violence and sexual assault unit, wrote in court papers.

Crosbie objected to providing a sample on grounds of unreasonable searches and seizures, court filings show.

“My client is not concerned about what the DNA is going to return or say,” Reilly said at the time. “He is adamant that he had no physical contact with her.”

The status of the DNA testing wasn’t immediately clear on Monday.

Material from previous Globe articles was used in this report.

Ava Berger can be reached at ava.berger@globe.com. Follow her @Ava_Berger_.

WELLESLEY — In the very back of Chelmsford ace Matt Stuart’s mind is that each of the program’s last three state tournament runs have ended in games he started.

Yet another gem from the senior Gardner-Webb University-commit on Sunday instead has the Lions reaching a new height.

With a complete-game shutout, in which the four-year starter allowed just three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts, Stuart won a true pitchers duel to lift 14th-seeded Chelmsford (17-8) over No. 11 Wellesley, 1-0, in the Div. 1 state quarterfinals to secure the program’s first trip to the Final Four.

Evan Kobrenski’s RBI double in the fifth inning proved the game-winner, getting just enough against Raiders sophomore Max Boehm (complete game, one run, four hits, four strikeouts) in a 74-pitch gem.

“It’s amazing, it’s what we’ve been working for all year,” Stuart said. “Every year so far, we’ve been knocked out when I’ve been pitching. I was 0-for-3 coming into this (tournament). So that first game (in the first round) was a big step for me, and to win this one is just amazing.”

“We’re crazy excited,” added Chelmsford head coach Lou DiStasi. “This team has been building for several years. We challenged ourselves with a really tough schedule because we knew that we wanted to compete for the state title. … To get this, into the Final Four, I think it means so much to the town and to the community.”

Batters had trouble all game producing much of any real opportunities against either pitcher, both of whom each set down seven straight batters at one point. And when chances with runners in scoring position came up, the two combined to force a 1-for-7 mark at the plate.

Boehm efficiently forced a slew of routine plays for his defense by pounding the strike zone, while Stuart’s mix of pitches did the same and produced at least one strikeout in every inning but the third.

“I knew coming in he was a good pitcher,” Stuart said. “But I knew if we got one, I knew I wasn’t going to let up a run. So just get that run, and it was over.”

It wasn’t until the fifth inning that a run was scored, in which Boehm nearly got out of the jam prior. John Latham’s leadoff double was advanced to third on a Keegan Briere (2-for-2) sacrifice bunt. Boehm answered by taking away a squeeze opportunity with a lineout.

On the next pitch, Kobrenski tucked a grounder just inside the first-base line for a two-out double and the 1-0 lead.

“That’s been our team all year,” DiStasi said. “(Kobrenski) has been unbelievable for two consecutive years. … To get that double for us to win, couldn’t have gone to a better kid.”

That’s the only damage Boehm allowed, but Stuart held up his promise.

Will Goggin (2-for-2) and Cole DeFina hit two-out singles to put runners on first and third in the fifth, only for Stuart to force a lineout to shortstop to end the threat. Only one runner reached in the sixth and seventh innings, and it came on a dropped routine fly in the outfield.

Stuart, whopitched well in those three previous state tournament losses, closed the door in the program’s biggest win to date.

“It was like he always does,” said DiStasi. “He pitches every single one of the big games that we ever get. … It’s the way he’s been his entire career. We expect him to do something like that, even though every time he does it, you just smile and say, ‘Wow, you’re an amazement.’ He’s the biggest competitor I’ve ever coached.”

There’s quite a history with this Chelmsford group, as many of the players were on the Cal Ripken 11-year-old team for DiStasi back in 2019, which qualified for the 2020 World Series as 12-year-old representatives.

COVID cancelled it, and they never had the chance for that glory.

“Our 12-year-old team that was destined to go to the World Series … never had the chance to do it,” DiStasi said. “This might be a nice little alternative, so we’ll take it.”

Originally Published: June 8, 2025 at 4:42 PM EDT