Fenway Park Historic Opening (1912)
The oldest active ballpark in MLB, a symbol of Boston.
Fenway Park is a ballpark in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, close to Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantially rebuilt in 1934, and underwent major renovations and modifications in the 21st century. It is the oldest active ballpark in MLB. Because of its age and constrained location in Boston's dense Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood, the park has many quirky features, including "The Triangle", Pesky's Pole, and the Green Monster in left field. It is the fifth-smallest among MLB ballparks by seating capacity, second-smallest by total capacity, and one of nine that cannot accommodate at least 40,000 spectators.
- Location
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Architect
- James E. McLaughlin
- First Game Opponent
- New York Highlanders (now Yankees)
- First Game Result
- Red Sox win 7-6 in extra innings
- Notable First Pitcher
- Smoky Joe Wood
Lore & Background
The first game was played April 20, 1912, with Mayor of Boston John F. Fitzgerald throwing out the first pitch and Boston defeating the New York Highlanders, 7–6 in 11 innings. Newspaper coverage of the opening was overshadowed by continuing coverage of the Titanic sinking five days earlier. In June 1919, a rally supporting Irish Independence turned out nearly 50,000 supporters to see the president of the Irish Republic, Éamon de Valera, and was allegedly the largest crowd ever in the ballpark.
In Their Own Story
The air on April 20, 1912, tasted of fresh-cut grass and coal smoke. Thousands crammed onto the newly laid wooden bleachers, their eyes wide as they took in the strange, intimate geometry of the new field. The sun glinted off the brass buttons of the umpire's uniform as Smoky Joe Wood wound up on the mound, the roar of the crowd vibrating through the soles of his cleats. A line drive screamed toward left field, bouncing high off the newly erected wall, sending a shockwave of cheers that seemed to shake the very foundations of the Muddy River banks. In that moment, the old Huntington Avenue grounds were forgotten; the future had arrived, and it wore red socks.
Reader's Guide
Fenway Park has hosted the World Series 11 times, with the Red Sox winning six of them and the Boston Braves winning one. Besides baseball games, it has also been the site of many other sporting and cultural events including professional football games for the Boston Redskins, Boston Yanks, and the Boston Patriots; concerts; soccer and hockey games (including the NHL Winter Classic in both 2010 and 2023); and political and religious campaigns. On March 7, 2012 (Fenway Park's centennial year), the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is a landmark at the end of the Boston Irish heritage trail. Former pitcher Bill Lee has called Fenway Park "a shrine". It is a pending Boston Landmark, which will regulate any further changes to the park.
Did You Know?
- The park's address was originally 24 Jersey Street. In 1977, the section of Jersey Street nearest the park was renamed Yawkey Way, and the park's address was 4 Yawkey Way until 2018, when the street's name was reverted t
- In 1947, arc lights were installed at Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox were the third-to-last team out of 16 major league teams to have lights in their home park.
- The Green Monster was completed at 37-feet high, replacing the 10 foot tall Duffy's Cliff and the original 25 foot wall.
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