Fans watch Sox at Fenway's State Street Pavilion
Dice-K may have struggled early in Tokyo, but that hardly dampened the zeal of 300 people who came to the State Street Pavilion in an empty Fenway Park this morning to watch the game on big screen TVs.
The host of this baseball-and-breakfast event was State Street Corp., the big Boston firm that provides financial services to institutional investors. 
State Street, which acquired naming rights to the State Street Pavilion two years ago, is also a major sponsor of the Red Sox road trip to Japan - indeed chief executive Ron Logue (left) is in Tokyo - while back at Fenway Park, State Street guests this morning were lining up to get autographs from such baseball legends as Luis Tiant (right) and Jim Lonborg, along with their bacon and eggs from the buffet spread.
State Street executives said that the company's baseball sponsorships have helped its growing business in Asia.
"It has opened some doors," vice chairman Jay Hooley said.
In all, foreign business now accounts for 43 percent of State Street revenues, he noted, and the company employs about 400 professionals in Japan.
Groups that State Street invited to Fenway this morning included representatives from the Asian American Civil Association, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, and North Quincy High School.
They couldn't have been too thrilled to see the Sox opponent, the Oakland A's, jump out to an early 2-0 lead, but going into the fourth inning, the atmosphere at the State Street Pavilion remained upbeat and noisy.
(By Ross Kerber, Globe staff)
