In a ballpark in Brockton, a team was getting ready for first pitch. The names on the front of these jerseys say "Rox" as in the Brockton Rox. But it's the names of the players wearing these jerseys that are drawing a lot of attention.
The sons of Red Sox legends David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez and Keith Foulke are all on the same Futures Collegiate Baseball League team. Add in the son of former New York Yankee great Gary Sheffield, and the five are affectionately known as, "The Sons."
"We are regular people honestly and everyone knows that once you hang out with us," said Pedro Martinez Jr.
Some 30 miles from Fenway Park where their fathers cemented their hero status in Red Sox nation, their sons are making a name for themselves.
"It is a blessing having that resource and not many kids have it," D'Angelo Oritz said.
In the Rox locker room, the five say they are all just teammates, but it is nice having some help just a phone call away.
"I call my dad, 'hey papi can you come up here can you come help me?' The next day he is here sits with me in the cage every single day," Manny Ramirez Jr. said.
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For Kade Foulke, a pitcher for the Rox, learning from his dad has been invaluable.
"He tells me everything I need to know but he also lets me figure out myself too," Fouke said.
With their famous last names, the five also know the responsibility that comes with it, meeting with fans and serving as ambassadors for the team.
"There is a lot of support and I think there is more support than there is hate," Martinez said. "We are not even close to where our fathers were, and this just shows how mentally strong you have to be."
"The Sons" are soaking up this year, unsure where they'll all be next season.
"It is just nice to have guys at this level that can relate to me more personally than I feel like anyone else can," Jaden Sheffield said Wednesday. "This is definitely something that doesn't happen in college baseball, and this is definitely something that isn't normal, this is a very unique situation."
Five young men, looking to make it, all on their own.
"We don't sit back and think, our dads did this, no no no we are here to do our thing and it is as simple as that," Ortiz said.
