Scotland Celebrates World Cup Return at Fenway Park

Scotland’s World Cup party didn’t stop at the final whistle. It simply changed stadiums.

Barely a day after sealing their first World Cup appearance in 28 years with a landmark win, the Tartan Army swapped Foxborough for Fenway, trading penalty areas for pitchers’ mounds and turning a slice of Boston into a corner of Glasgow.

They came in their thousands.

Supporters poured out of a public park about half a mile from Fenway Park, snaking through the streets behind the famous centre-field stand. The sound of drums and songs rolled along the road, scarves held high, flags draped over shoulders, as Scotland’s travelling support marched toward one of baseball’s most storied ballparks.

On Saturday night at Gillette Stadium, Scotland had their moment. In the 28th minute against Haiti, John McGinn darted into the box and got the decisive touch, his effort deflecting off a defender and wrong-footing goalkeeper Johny Placide. One deflection, one goal, one 1-0 win – and a result that capped a long-awaited return to the World Cup stage.

By Sunday, the celebrations had a different backdrop.

Boston hosted the Texas Rangers, but the night belonged to tartan. The Red Sox turned it into “Scottish Heritage Celebration Night,” a rare crossover of cultures at a 114-year-old cathedral of American sport. Special jerseys in Scottish colours went on sale as part of a dedicated ticket package, and every last one of them was snapped up.

The promotion sold out. The bars around Fenway filled up. The songs didn’t stop.

In the middle of it all stood Allan Middlemass, 43, from Edinburgh, sporting a blue Red Sox cap bought especially for the trip across the Atlantic. He looked around at the sea of navy shirts and baseball whites, two sporting worlds colliding under the lights.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how Fenway Park deals with us,” he said.

On this evidence, Boston had better get used to the noise.