Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:4 Yawkey Way
Boston, Massachusetts
Our Sports Superfan Says:
The oldest professional baseball stadium still in use has also become one of the most modern and up-to-date stadiums in the United States. Opened the week after the sinking of the Titanic, in April, 1912, Fenway Park has been the home of the Boston Red Sox ever since, hosting many great players including Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Carl Yastrzemski, and Lefty Grove. Jon Lester's no hitter was played here in 2008, as well as the first World Series in Major League Baseball history in 1903. The 1918 World Series was also played at Fenway Park in 1918, never to return for another 86 years. Though some of the real Red Sox greats played thirty years ago or earlier, they still do have some of the best players in MLB today, including two-time all-star, 2008 AL MVP and 2007 Rookie of the Year, Dustin Pedroia, who has now been recognized as one of the best second basemen in MLB today. In fact, with 213 hits, 54 doubles, and a batting average of 0.326 he just might be one of the best hitters in baseball in history.
Because of Fenway's age, it has a unique character and quirkiness that is not present in any other ballpark in the country. The most obvious of these attributes is the 37-foot high leftfield wall, known as "The Green Monster." The height counteracts the wall's relative closeness to home plate, but results in a number of not particularly well-struck fly balls becoming homeruns. No better example of this can be found—to the dismay of Boston fans and the delight of Yankee diehards—then by light-hitting New York shortstop, Bucky Dent, in a playoff game in 1978. The homerun capped off an amazing Yankees' stretch run to wrest the championship from a collapsed Boston team who'd held a 14-game lead.
Moving to the right, there are various nooks and crannies along the outfield, with a very deep right field alley easing towards the home plate right field foul pole, known as Pesky's Pole (which is 302 feet away). The pole was named after Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky, who wrapped a few of his six career Fenway Park homeruns around the pole. In deep right field there is also one seat painted red (as opposed to the regular green). This commemorates the longest homerun measured in Fenway Park, hit by arguably the greatest player in Red Sox history, Ted Williams.
Along the Green Monster, there is also a large, famed, hand-operated scoreboard, the interior of which has been signed by many players and guests over the last nine decades.
Fenway Park has seen seven World Series championships for the Red Sox, and nine World Series overall. The Red Sox went 86 years between two World Championships, from 1918 to 2004. Many blamed this drought on the mythical "Curse of the Bambino." The Bambino refers to baseball great Babe Ruth, who pitched and hit the Red Sox to three titles, before being sold to the archrival Yankees in 1920 by Red Sox owner and theater investor Harry Frazee to finance his production "No No Nanette." But finally, in 2004, the Red Sox shocked the baseball world, recovering from a 3 and 0 deficit in the playoffs against the Yankees, becoming the first baseball team ever to do so in a postseason series. The comeback began with two epic extra inning games at Fenway Park. The Sox then went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Boston fans were delighted yet again when, on October 28, 2007 the Red Sox won the World Series against the Colorado Rockies, for their seventh World Series title.
Other memorable contests at Fenway were Game 7 of the 1946 World Series, which ended in a win by the Cardinals in the late innings when Enos Slaughter ignored his coach's stop sign at third base, and Game 6 of the 1975 World Series, when Carlton Fisk hit a 12th inning homerun to keep the Red Sox's season alive. Fenway has also hosted the 1946, 1961, and 1999 All-Star Games.
Despite its age, Red Sox ownership has continued to improve the park in recent years. In 2003, immensely popular seats were added above the Green Monster and on the roof in right field. More seats and interior improvements have been added since, bringing what used to be baseball's smallest park to a capacity of 38,805. Furthermore, the streets surrounding Fenway Park have been turned into a street fair before every Red Sox home game. And while previous Red Sox owners suggested building a new Fenway in the late 1990s, the subsequent improvements should suffice to keep the Major League's oldest gem around for the foreseeable future.
Fenway has also housed assorted football games over the years, as well as minor league and college baseball games. The new ownership has added a twice-a-year concert series as well.
Tours of Fenway Park are available seven days a week, and are given every hour between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. There are no advanced sales, except for groups. Fenway Park is located near Boston's Back Bay area, and is accessible via the T (Boston's subway) on the Green Line, as well as via the MBTA Worcester/Framingham commuter train on game days.