Unless the Boston Red Sox are playing on Sunday Night Baseball, their schedule is pretty routine through the weekend into Monday. It's a night game on Friday, an afternoon game on Saturday, an early afternoon game on Sunday and then either a night game or off day on Monday. Fans are used to that ebb and flow, even early in the season. But the Red Sox will turn that on its head on Patriots' Day.
On Monday, April 21, while the city of Boston is also gathered around to celebrate the running of the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox are also involved in the festivities. And if you're an MLB fan, particularly not one in Massachusetts, you're probably looking at the schedule and wondering why the Red Sox are playing so early — or maybe even wondering if the start time is a typo against the Chicago White Sox.
It's not, though. It's all real with an exceptionally and uniquely early start time for the Red Sox on Monday, so let's dive into everything you need to know about the game and why it's being played so early.
What time do the Red Sox play today, April 21?
The Red Sox first pitch against the White Sox today will be at 11:10 a.m. ET. There are so few first pitches that happen before noon local time in MLB these days that this definitely serves as an outlier, but it's something special for Boston to be able to do this every season with the early start.
In the matchup, it'll be Walker Buehler on the mound for Boston as they face off against White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon. Buehler has been uneven this season but put together a nice start his last time out while the 24-year-old Cannon has been solid with a 4.42 ERA on the season. This will be the series finale for these two clubs, a rare Monday finish, with the Red Sox taking the first two games but Chicago bouncing back for a comeback win on Sunday.
Why do the Red Sox play early on Patriots Day?
Now to the real question: Why are the Red Sox playing an MLB game before Noon ET because it's Patriots' Day? It all has to do with the Boston Marathon. The city is enamored, and rightfully so, with the annual 26.2-mile race and the baseball team has made efforts to accommodate that. While runners in the marathon aren't able to attend the Red Sox game, fans who do show up to Fenway Park for the early affair should have time to leave the ballpark, head to Kenmore Square, and then have a chance to cheer on runners on that part of the route near the park.
Red Sox history on Patriots' Day
The Red Sox have been scheduled to play on Patriots' Day every year since 1960 with three exceptions: A random off day in 1967, the MLB players strike of 1995, and 2020 due to COVID-19. However, the game has been postponed due to weather on several different occasions. Even still, the fact that this tradition in Boston has been ongoing for more than 60 years at this point speaks to how important it is to the residents, to the fans and to the city at large.
What does Patriots' Day celebrate?
Patriots' Day is held on the third Monday of April to honor the start of the American Revolution as April 19, 1775 was the date of the Battles of Lexington and Concord as well as Menotomy. However, if you're not from Massachusetts, there's a chance you might not be familiar with the holiday. As of 2025, there are only seven of the 50 states in the U.S. that observe Patriots' Day: Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, North Dakota, Florida, Wisconsin and Tennessee.
In fact, not even all of the seven states recognize the holiday on the third Monday in April as Florida, Wisconsin and Tennessee choose to observe always on April 19.
With the holiday being founded by governing bodies in Massachusetts in 1894, though, it's only fitting that the Boston Marathon has been run on Patriots' Day every year since 1897, just three years after the observation of the day began.