Red Sox Asking City of Boston to Change Name of Yawkey Way to Show Inclusion

The Red Sox would like the city of Boston to get rid of Yawkey Way. 

In a statement released by the team on Wednesday, the Red Sox said they would like to see the city change Yawkey Way to Jersey Street, which was its original name prior to 1977. 

"Restoring the Jersey Street name is intended to reinforce that Fenway Park is inclusive and welcoming to all," the statement said, via Martin Finucane of the Boston Globe.

Last August, Red Sox owner John Henry told the Boston Globe's Mark Arsenault in an email he wanted to lead an effort to change the name of Yawkey Way. 

“The Red Sox don’t control the naming or renaming of streets. But for me, personally, the street name has always been a consistent reminder that it is our job to ensure the Red Sox are not just multi-cultural, but stand for as many of the right things in our community as we can — particularly in our African-American community and in the Dominican community that has embraced us so fully."

The street is named after former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey, who bought the franchise in 1933 and ran it until his death in 1976. Jackie Robinson told a Chicago newspaper the franchise's color ban was due to Yawkey, per Michael Stout of the Massachusetts Historical Review. 

The Red Sox were the last MLB team to integrate when they called up Pumpsie Green in 1959, 12 years after Robinson's big league debut. 

Fenway Park, the Red Sox's home stadium since 1912, is located at 4 Yawkey Way.