Starting times of Red Sox vs. Orioles games moved to 6:05 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox today announced that the starting times of the Tuesday, June 10 and the Thursday, June 12 games with the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park have been moved from 7:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m.

The Tuesday and Thursday games will start one hour earlier so that fans may enjoy both the Red Sox-Orioles games and the NBA Final Series between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Games 3 and 4 of that series will be played on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, in Los Angeles with tip-offs both nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Red Sox moved their starting time for the June 5 game with Tampa Bay to 6:05 p.m. due to Game 1 of the NBA Finals at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Fenway Park gates will open at 4:05 p.m. on both Tuesday and Thursday. NESN's pre-game coverage will begin at 5 p.m. both days.

The Red Sox-Orioles game on Wednesday, June 11 remains a 7:05 p.m. start.

Prior to Tuesday's game, the Red Sox will honor Manny Ramirez for becoming the 24th player in major league history to hit 500 career home runs. Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, who played with Ramirez in Cleveland from 1994-96 and is currently tied with the Red Sox slugger for 23rd all-time with 504 homers, will participate in that ceremony. There will also be video tributes from active members of the 500-home run club. The ceremony is expected to take place at approximately 5:45 p.m.

On Wednesday night, Jon Lester, Jason Varitek, and Manny Ramirez will donate items to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum during a pre-game ceremony. The artifacts are from Lester's May 19 no-hitter, the major league record fourth caught by Varitek, and Ramirez' 500th home run on May 31. Hall of Fame executives, Chairman of the Board, Jane Forbes Clark and President Jeff Idelson will join Hall of Famers Wade Boggs, Bobby Doerr, Dennis Eckersley, Carlton Fisk, and Eddie Murray in the ceremony.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's traveling exhibit, Baseball As America, will be on display at Boston's Museum of Science from June 15-September 1. The Hall of Famers are in Boston to celebrate the opening of that exhibit.