Back to the MLB Newsfeed

Boston Approves Plan to Rename Yawkey Way Outside Red Sox's Fenway Park

The Boston Red Sox will change the name of Yawkey Way outside of Fenway Park after gaining approval Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

The street was named after former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, the team's owner from 1933–76, after he died in 1977, but allegations of racism against Yawkey led to questions over the appropriateness of the name.

The team filed a proposal to change the street name to Boston's Public Improvement Commission in February with the goal to "reinforce that Fenway Park is inclusive and welcoming to all."

Yawkey's Red Sox didn't field a black player until 1959, making the organization the last in baseball to break the color line.