From Yesterday......
......To Today!
Fenway Park has a nack for captivating all of it's visitors in seconds flat. From one fan of Fenway to another I give you a tribut to Fenway! Below is a list of some of Fenway's biggest moments. It would be impossible to capture them all but here are some of the bigger moments in Fenways illustrious history!
The home of the Boston Red Sox resounds with the echoes of great baseball players: Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Jimmy Collins, Duffy Lewis, Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper, Joe Cronin, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski, to name just a few. Fenway Park is actually the second home for the Sox. In 1901, the Boston Pilgrims became one of the charter members of the fledgling American League. The Pilgrims played ball at the Huntington Avenue Grounds, now a part of Northeastern University's campus. Boston Globe owner General Charles Henry Taylor, a Civil War veteran, bought the team for his son John I. Taylor in 1904. In 1907, owner Taylor changed the club's name from the Pilgrims to the Red Sox. In 1910, tired of the leasing arrangement for the Huntington Avenue Grounds, Taylor made a big announcement: he would build a new ballpark for his Red Sox. Taylor dubbed the new ballpark Fenway Park because of its location in the Fenway section of Boston.
The First Game After two rain delays, Fenway Park finally hosted its first professional baseball game on April 20, 1912. (The first official game played in Fenway actually occurred on April 9 when the Sox beat Harvard University, 2-0.) The Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders — later known as the Yankees — before 27,000 fans,7-6 in 11 innings. The event would have made front page news hadit not been for the sinking of the Titanic only a few days before. Even after the Sox made Fenway their home, they didn't always play their games there. Occasionally, the Red Sox scheduled their "big games" at Braves Field to accommodate larger crowds — like those that were over 42,000 strong for Games Three and Four of the 1915 World Series. Boston won that year too, beating the Philadelphia Phillies. Fenway Park's peculiar dimensions were not intended to provide a tempting target for home run hitters, but to keep non-paying customers out of the park. In left field, there was a steep 10-foot embankment that ran in front of the wall where fans were allowed to sit. The Sox' Duffy Lewis was so skilled at playing balls hit to the ledge that it became known as Duffy's Cliff.
Fires at Fenway Fenway Park remained unchanged until a May 8, 1926 fire destroyed bleachers along the left field line. John Quinn, the owner at the time, simply carted the charred remains out of the park; because of a lack of funds, he didn't bother to rebuild the bleachers. Left fielders didn't complain — they were able catch foul balls for outs behind the stands. Tom Yawkey, who bought the financially strapped club in 1933, began a major overhaul of the park. The revitalization project, however, came to a screeching halt on January 5, 1934 when a second fire ravaged the building for five hours. Few areas of the ballpark were left undamaged. Construction crews worked diligently to reconstruct the ballpark in time for the season opener on April 17, 1934. And when Fenway Park did open that day, it had a new look. Concrete bleachers replaced the wood bleachers in centerfield. Duffy's Cliff was leveled off — though not completely. And the 37-foot wooden left field wall was replaced by a more durable, 37-foot sheet metal structure. In 1936, a 23-1/2-foot tall screen was added on top of the wall to better protect the windows of buildings on adjoining Lansdowne Street. When the wall's advertisements were covered by green paint in 1947, Fenway Park's signature feature — the Green Monster — was born.
Fenway Facelifts Three years later, sweet-swinging Ted Williams, a dead-pull left-handed hitter, came to Boston. The following year, 1940, bullpens were constructed in right field to bring the fence 23 feet closer to home plate for Williams. The new bullpens appropriately became known as Williamsburg. The ballclub installed skyview seats at Fenway Park in 1946. Lights followed in 1947, and Fenway's first message board in was added over the centerfield bleachers in 1976. In 1988-89, stadium club seats were constructed above grandstand behind home plate — where the former press box was located. Before the 2003 season, a seating section was constructed on top of the Green Monster. Other than those additions, Fenway Park for the most part is unchanged. With its manually operated scoreboard, its geometrically peculiar shape (including the only ladder in play in the majors) and the stories of the legends that have played there for more than eight decades, Fenway remains a link to the legends of baseball's past. On any given night at Fenway Park, there's no telling what you might see: a living legend may homer in his last at bat, a pitcher named "Smokey" live up to his name, or a catcher from New Hampshire hit a ball just fair past the left field foul pole into the cool October night.
April 20, 1912: Fenway Park officially opens. After two rainouts, the Red Sox defeat the New York Highlanders (now the New York Yankees) 7-6 in 11 innings in the first professional baseball game played at Fenway Park. The first game ever played at Fenway Park actually occurred on April 9, when the Red Sox beat Harvard University, 2-0. May 8, 1926: The first Fenway fire occurs. The bleachers along the left-field foul line burn down and are not replaced, giving fielders the chance to snare foul flies behind the third base grandstand.
1931: The Red Sox players first wear numbers on their uniforms. Since then, the Red Sox have retired five uniform numbers: Ted Williams' No. 9 and Joe Cronin's No. 4 officially retired May 29, 1984; Bobby Doerr's No. 1 retired May 21, 1988; Carl Yastrzemski's No. 8 retired August 6, 1989; and Carlton Fisk's No. 27 retired September 4, 2000. Major League Baseball retired the No. 42 of Jackie Robinson.
July 3, 1932: The Red Sox play the team's first Sunday game at Fenway, a 13-2 loss to the Yankees. Sunday baseball was approved in Boston three years earlier, but not at Fenway due to its proximity to a church. The Red Sox then played their Sunday games at Braves Field on Commonwealth Avenue until the law was changed. The first Red Sox Sunday game actually played in Boston was a 7-3 loss to Philadelphia at Braves Field on April 28, 1929 (the Braves game of April 21 was rained out) before 22,000 fans.
January 5, 1934: The second Fenway fire occurs. A four-alarm, four-hour blaze virtually destroys the construction underway to refurbish the park by new owner Thomas A. Yawkey.
April 17, 1934: A newly rebuilt Fenway Park opens. The Washington Senators, led by shortstop-manager Joe Cronin beat the Red Sox, 6-5 in 11 innings.
Biggest baseball crowds at Fenway: 47,627 for a Yankees doubleheader on September 22, 1935...46,995 for a Detroit Tigers doubleheader on August 19, 1934...And — a week earlier — 46,766 to say goodbye to Babe Ruth at a Yankees doubleheader on August 12, 1934. Those crowds will never be equaled under Fenway's current dimensions. More stringent fire laws and league rules after World War II prohibited overcrowding that was permitted in the Thirties.
1936: A 23-1/2-foot tall screen is installed above the left field wall to protect the windows of buildings on Lansdowne Street, the road on the other side of the left field wall.
July 13, 1939: The first road night game is played by the Red Sox in Cleveland. The Red Sox win 6-5 in 10 innings; the winning pitcher was Joe Heving.
1940: Bullpens are constructed in front of the bleachers, replacing the old bullpen areas in the outfield foul territory beyond the dugouts.
1946: Ted Williams hits a monumental 502-foot home run to right field off Detroit right hander Fred Hutchinson on June 9. The ball lands on top of the straw hat of Joseph A. Boucher, 56, a construction engineer from Albany, NY who is sitting in section 42, row 37, seat 21. "The sun was right in our eyes," he said. "All we could do was duck. I'm glad I didn't stand up. They say it bounced a dozen rows higher, but after it hit my head, I was no longer interested." At that time the bleachers were real bleachers and not individual seats.
1947: Arc lights are installed at Fenway Park, making the Red Sox the third last team among the then 16 major league clubs to do so. The Red Sox defeat the White Sox, 5-3, in Fenway's first night game on June 13, with Dave Ferriss getting the win. Green paint replaces advertisements covering the left field wall, giving rise to the nickname "The Green Monster" — no more Calvert owl ("Be wise"), Gem Blades ("Avoid 5 o'clock shadow"), Lifebuoy ("The Red Sox use it") and Vimms ("Get that Vimms feeling").
May 12, 1948: Red Sox games are first televised at Fenway on WBZ-TV.
Oct. 4, 1948: The first playoff game in American League history takes place at Fenway. Cleveland rookie left-hander Gene Bearden beats the Red Sox 8-3; shortstop-manager Lou Boudreau lead the Indians with two home runs and two singles. The defeat prevented the only cross-town World Series in Boston history. Cleveland beat the Boston Braves four games to two in the World Series.
Oct. 21, 1975: The first World Series night game occurs at Fenway Park. The memorable Game 6, delayed three days by rain, lasts four hours and one minute, and ends with Carlton Fisk's dramatic home run off Pat Darcy to lead off the last of the 12th. The Red Sox tie the game at 6-6 in the last of the eighth on Bernie Carbo's three-run, pinch-hit home run with two outs.
1976: Fenway Park gets its first message board in center field. The board installation is part of a construction project that includes a rebuilding of the left field wall as well as a new enclosed press box.
Oct. 2, 1978: The second playoff game in American League history also occurs at Fenway Park. The Red Sox win their last eight games of the regular season to tie the Yankees for first place in the East. The infamous Bucky Dent, two-out, three-run fly ball home run into the left-field net puts New York ahead to stay in the seventh inning. The Red Sox leave two men on in the ninth inning and lose 5-4.
1982-83: The private suites are built atop the left- and right-field stands.
1987-88: A color videoboard with a black and white message board is installed in center field. The playing area is completely resodded. In addition, a new function facility ("Diamond at Fenway") and souvenir shop ("The Lansdowne Shop") are constructed.
1988-89: The Red Sox add 610 stadium club seats ("The 600 Club") above the grandstand behind home plate, the site of the former press box. New broadcast booths and a press box are installed atop The 600 Club.
1989-90: Massive renovations are made to the Red Sox ticket office.
1990-91: A new weight room and a multi-purpose room are constructed in the area of the Red Sox clubhouse.
1991-92: The Red Sox install portable enclosures for bullpen benches during cold weather, in addition to making complete renovations to both dugouts.
1992: A metal awning roof is installed above left- and right-field roof box seats.
1993: Organized tours of Fenway Park begin.
1993-94: A three-year restroom renovation is completed.
1995: The Red Sox install energy efficient lighting, heating/cooling and control systems throughout facility via a Boston Edison Company energy conservation program.
March 19, 1997: The Sox unveil a 25-foot Coca-Cola contour bottle design atop the left-field wall light tower signifying the Red Sox' and Coca-Cola's partnership and their commitment to the fans, community and Jimmy Fund through the "Monster Refreshment" program. The program ensures ticket price savings for fans and significant contributions to the Jimmy Fund for each Red Sox home run hit over the left-field wall or one that hits the Coke bottle. In 1997 the Red Sox hit two home runs off the Coke bottle: Wil Cordero Apr. 13 vs. Seattle and Tim Naehring May 11 vs. Texas.
May 1997: The batting cage beneath the center field bleachers undergo a complete renovation.
March 1999: Red Sox and visitors' clubhouse improvements are completed.
July 13, 1999: The 70th Major League Baseball All-Star Game is held at Fenway Park. Baseball fans everywhere thrill to the presentation of MLB's All-Century Team, with the ultimate finale being an appearance by Red Sox great Ted Williams on the field. In a spontaneous gesture, all of the players and coaches on the field surround Williams to show their respect and appreciation for everything he means to baseball. Sox pitcher and American League starting pitcher Pedro Martinez is named the Most Valuable Player for his pitching performance as the AL defeats the National League, 4-1. Pedro becomes the first pitcher in All-Star history to strike out the game's first three batters. Of the six batters Pedro faces during his two-inning stint, five — Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Jeff Bagwell — struck out.