The annual spring exhibition game the Boston College baseball team plays against the Boston Red Sox is always special for the Eagles.
But it will be a little more so this year, because when the teams take the field on Tuesday afternoon every player, amateur and professional alike, will be wearing the same number -- No. 3. And every Eagle will bear the same name on his back: Frates.
The Eagles and Red Sox are teaming up to honor Pete Frates, the former BC outfielder whose battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at least partially inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge that swept the country this past summer.
More than $200 million was raised via that social media phenomenon.
On Tuesday, Boston College will wear replica uniforms designed to look like the jerseys Frates and his teammates wore during the 2007 season, when Frates served as senior captain. The Beverly, Massachusetts, native finished his BC career with 107 starts, a .228 average, 88 hits, 56 RBIs, 11 home runs and 34 stolen bases.
After the game, all the uniforms will be auctioned off to raise money for the Pete Frates No. 3 Fund, which was set up after his 2012 diagnosis to pay medical costs not covered by insurance and to raise awareness of and funds for the fight against ALS.
Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey.
