A new residential development in Herriman, Utah, has gone viral on social media for featuring street names dedicated entirely to Boston Red Sox players and historical icons, according to reporting by Boston.com. Homebuyers in the subdivision can purchase property along roads such as Pedroia Street and Varitek Drive, turning a suburban Utah neighborhood into an unexpected hub for New England baseball fandom.
How the Boston Red Sox Subdivision Started
The Red Sox-themed neighborhood traces its origins to Brandon Parr, a land development project manager with EDGEhomes and a lifelong fan of the franchise, according to Boston.com. Parr started following former third baseman Wade Boggs during the 1980s and has rooted for the team ever since. When EDGEhomes began developing the Herriman subdivision around 2021 or 2022, Parr saw an opportunity to incorporate his favorite team into the layout. According to Boston.com, he encountered no pushback from colleagues when proposing the baseball-themed moniker.
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Parr selected players he felt a personal connection to while watching games over the years, alongside historical names like Fisk, Pesky, and Remy to honor older generations of players, as reported by Boston.com. Not every major star made the final map due to local naming restrictions. Common surnames like Williams, Ortiz, and Ramirez were already in use elsewhere in the municipality, requiring developers to look beyond the most obvious franchise icons, according to Boston.com. That practical limitation explained the inclusion of former pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.
Viral Social Media Reaction and MLB Notice
A screenshot of the subdivision map quickly went viral, prompting Major League Baseball to join in on the attention. MLB posted about the development on social media, joking that infielder Caleb Durbin might earn his own namesake street next, and teasing “Tolle Terrace” after pitcher Payton Tolle threw an immaculate inning against the Kansas City Royals, as noted by Boston.com.
Parr told Boston.com that the online attention has been overwhelming, noting that he was only made aware of the viral posts the morning after they exploded online. He recalled just one negative comment from a local homeowner who initially mistook Pesky Lane for a reference to a nuisance rather than Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky. Due to the positive reception, developers are now discussing internal plans to replicate the sports-themed concept in future subdivisions, potentially including a Yastrzemski Street, according to Boston.com.
Quirky Street Naming Traditions in Greater Salt Lake
The Red Sox subdivision fits into a broader regional pattern of creative community design in the greater Salt Lake City area. According to Boston.com, developers or home builders typically propose street names for new subdivision projects, which local governments must then approve. Across Herriman and surrounding cities and towns, neighborhoods feature themes inspired by pop culture and literature, including “The Lord of the Rings,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wines, authors, Arthurian legends, and “Wayne’s World,” as reported by Boston.com.
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