Fenway Park Opening Day (1912)

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 Their Own Story

The air smelled of fresh-cut grass and coal smoke as spectators filed through the turnstiles on a crisp April morning. A young boy pressed his face against the iron fence near the third-base line, eyes wide at the towering left-field wall. Inside, the players warmed up, their uniforms crisp white against the green diamond. When the umpire called time, silence fell over the crowd before the first crack of the bat echoed into the Fenway sky, sealing a promise that this place would endure forever.

Reader's Guide

Fenway 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.

Did You Know?

• Fenway Park has hosted the World Series 11 times, with the Red Sox winning six of them and the Boston Braves winning one.
• On March 7, 2012, the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
• The park's address was originally 24 Jersey Street; in 1977 it was renamed Yawkey Way, then reverted to Jersey Street in 2018.
• In 1947, arc lights were installed; the Red Sox were the third-to-last team out of 16 major league teams to have lights in their home park.