BOSTON (AP) – It’s a sure sign of spring in New England: Red Sox fans file into Fenway Park for opening day, and despite their team’s tortured history, they find a reason to believe that this will be their year.

“Every year, we hope,” said Tom Creel, 46, of Chelsea, a lifelong Red Sox fan who went to the game with his son Christopher. “We won’t give up til time’s over.”

Friday’s home opener against Toronto, which the Red Sox lost 10-5, came amid particularly high expectations. Boston acquired a pair of highly sought free agent pitchers during the offseason – starter Curt Schilling and closer Keith Foulke – and last year’s record-setting offense remains largely intact.

Adding to the anticipation, Boston’s already heated rivalry with New York escalated to unprecedented levels over the winter.

Aaron Boone’s 11th-inning home run in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series gave the Yankees their 39th pennant and extended Boston’s championship drought to 85 years. And the Yankees’ winter acquisition of reigning MVP Alex Rodriguez was a slap to the Sox, who’d pursued and nearly landed A-Rod for themselves.

But the Yankees don’t come to town for another week, and on the 93rd opening day at the oldest and smallest ballpark in the majors, the disappointment of October seemed a long way off.

“What disappointment?” said season ticket holder Phyllis Cahaly, of Newton, who attended the game with her 8-year-old nephew, Carl Witham, both of them draped in Red Sox paraphernalia. “You never forget, but it’s just about being at Fenway Park. It’s about tradition.”

For Bella Purcell, 72, of Tewksbury, it was her 36th opening day and she’s already gotten over the way last season ended.

“What are you gonna do?” she said. “I still love the Sox. They gave it a good shot. I go one game at a time. It’s a long season.”

On a sunny, breezy spring day, fans got their first look at some additions to the old ballyard, including a new right-field pavilion with 200 seats and room for 150 standing fans, a wider third-base concourse with more concessions and bathrooms, and streetscape improvements along Van Ness Street, behind right field.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino has been under fire for failing to settle contract negotiations with more than 30 unions representing city workers, and a few dozen members used opening day as an opportunity to protest. They handed out scorecards reading “Menino strikes out” near one of the gates to the ballpark.

But for most fans, Friday was all about baseball – specifically, Red Sox baseball.

“It’s not all about winning the World Series,” Cahaly said, “but about enjoying the history and being part of this.”

AP-ES-04-09-04 1833EDT