Green Monster

Lore & Background

The wall was part of the original ballpark construction of 1912, along Fenway's north side facing Lansdowne Street. It is made of wood and was covered in tin and concrete in 1934, then with hard plastic in 1976. A manual scoreboard is set into the wall, which has been there at least as far back as 1914. The wall was not painted green until 1947; before that, it was covered with advertisements. The 'Green Monster' designation appeared in print by November 1956, although for much of its history it was simply called 'The Wall'. From 1912 to 1933, a 10-foot mound called 'Duffy's Cliff' formed an incline in front of the wall. In 1934, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey arranged to flatten the ground in left field so that Duffy's Cliff no longer existed.

In Their Own Story

Tim dashes across a mossy ledge, the forest canopy filtering light into emerald shades. A shadow detaches from the wall, its glowing eyes locking onto him. He presses rewind, the world snapping backward like a film reel. The Monster retreats to its spawn point, but Tim knows he must move forward this time. He places a block, lures the creature past it, and slips through the gap just as the shadow lunges.

Reader's Guide

The Green Monster is the highest among the walls in current Major League Baseball fields, and it is the second highest among all professional baseball fields, including Minor League Baseball. In 2007, it was surpassed by 'The Arch Nemesis'—the left field wall of the independent baseball WellSpan Park in York, Pennsylvania—which is approximately 37 feet 8 inches taller. During 2001 and 2002, the Green Monster's height record was temporarily surpassed by the center field wall at Riverfront Stadium (then known as Cinergy Field) in Cincinnati, where a black wall called the 'Black Monster' was erected. When Riverfront Stadium was demolished in 2002, the Green Monster reclaimed the record. The wall is famous for preventing home runs on many line drives, increasing the prevalence of doubles (often called 'wallball doubles'). The major-league record for doubles in a season was set by Red Sox player Earl Webb, who hit 67 doubles in 1931, although only 33 of them were hit at Fenway.

Did You Know?

• The wall is signed as being 310 feet from home plate at the left-field foul line, although for many years, until May 1995, it was signed as being 315 feet.
• In the vertical white lines of the American League section of the scoreboard, Morse code representing the initials of former owners Thomas A. Yawkey and Jean R. Yawkey is visible.
• In honor of the wall, the Red Sox' mascot is Wally the Green Monster.
• In May 2025, the Red Sox announced a new City Connect jersey which pays homage to the Green Monster, featuring a solid green color and lettering in the same font as the letters on the wall.