What You Need to Know Before Going to a Red Sox Game at Fenway Park

Fenway Park is the oldest stadium still actively used in Major League Baseball and has become somewhat a cultural icon - visitors to Boston will regularly make an attempt to see a game or at the very least go down Yawkey Way to take their picture outside the park.

Planning for a baseball stadium excursion for my family, our first stop must be the hometown stadium to see the hometown team in action.

History.

The Boston Red Sox began life as one of the charter members of the new American League in 1901. Formed as a successor to the Western League, the American League took on new franchises, one of which was in Boston. They also relocated some and disbanded others.

The Huntington Avenue Grounds was the first "home" of the Boston Pilgrims, or Americans, depending on which source you find. Ground was broken across the railroad tracks from Braves Field in March 9, 1901 and the park opened on May 1 with a capacity of 11,500 including standing room.

The Red Sox were the American League's entry to the first championship series between the National and the American leagues - the event which came to be known as the World Series - in 1903. They were also American League Champions in 1904, however there was no championship series that year as the National League Champions, the New York Giants were not of a mind to play the upstart league champions.

During 1910, Red Sox ownership announced they would be building their own ballpark for the team. The Fens area of the city was mostly open farms and marshes, making the land inexpensive. As such, the ball park was dubbed "Fenway" after it's location.

The Park had a soft opening on April 9, 1912 when the Red Sox played an exhibition game with Harvard University, but it's first major league opening day was held on April 20 after rain delayed the start of the season by a couple of days. The Sox beat the then New York Highlanders 6-5.

The distinctive left field wall was originally wooden and stood 25 feet high, only later to be raised to 37 feet and covered with tin. Like many parks of its day, Fenway has so many irregular features to it because it was built around existing street patterns - the Wall is no different, as it acts as a boundary to Yawkey Way just on the other side.

The Park has hosted World Series games in 1912, 1914, 1915, 1918, 1946, 1967, 1975, 1986, and 2004. Interestingly enough, the Red Sox were not involved in the 1914 World Series, but hosted the Braves as their park was under renovation. The Sox won the series in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, and 2004.

For over 20 years, the wall was not the only oddity about Fenway - until Thomas Yawkey bought the team, "Duffy's Cliff" - a steep embankment running from the wall into center field where left fielder Duffy Lewis apparently became a master of playing the incline - was leveled.

While the first 20 years of the American League and the century were good to the Boston franchise, winning 5 World Championships, the next 86 were difficult ones that saw Babe Ruth being sold to the New York Yankees, World Series near misses, blunders, and just flat out bad times.

Fenway was one of the first homes of The Boston Patriots, The Boston Yanks (a team that through a wild and winding road ultimately became the Indianapolis Colts) and The Boston Redskins of the National Football League. It was also home to the Boston Braves during the 1915 season, and the Boston Beacons of the North American Soccer League for their one year of existence in 1968.

The measurements of the park have always been a sort of mystery as well. The original posted measurements of the left field line were 315 feet, but during 1975 it was calculated as 304. 1990 saw the measurement reposted as 310.

The "Green Monster" came to life in 1947 when the advertising on the wall was removed, the wall refurbished, and painted green. A ladder up the wall remains, even though it is functionally obsolete; it was originally designed to allow grounds crew members to retrieve balls from the "monster" netting, however after the seats were installed on the wall in 2003, the netting was removed.

That ladder is in fair territory, meaning when hit balls carom off of it, the ball remains in play.

Of particular note, the restrooms were upgraded in the 1990's - I remember from my childhood, the men's rooms had urinals which were essentially troughs, making the whole experience rather uncomfortable for a young man.

Attending the Game

One of the best ways to get to Fenway is by parking along the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority - MBTA or "T" - rail lines. The Green Line passes through Fenway (at "Landmark Station" the site of a renovated former Sears & Roebuck warehouse). From Lechmere Station outbound, it would be the "D" train. I will usually park at Riverside and go inbound.

If one is feeling particularly lucky, the opportunity to find parking along "the Fenway" near Emmanuel College, Wentworth Institute of Technology or Simmons College School of Social Work exists. While there are many lots in the Fens, more often than not the parking fee will be upwards of $40. I have parked on Brookline Avenue in Brookline and walked the mile or so to the park.

After the game, taking the outbound train from Landmark Station is free of charge, but it is packed. In spite of the large number of people boarding, the T actually does do a good job of clearing people off the platform and into the trains.

Stops along the way before the game include the assorted taverns along the way and the official souvenir store on Yawkey Way. In recent years, the Red Sox have been able to close Yawkey Way to essentially expand the concourse areas. There are plenty of vendors outside of the ball park before the game - sausages to programs - and plenty of eateries. One of the most famous in the area is the Cask and Flagon. Across the street from Fenway is the Boston Beer Works. Of course, it's a short walk to Kenmore Square - home of the Citgo sign that can be seen in the background of many Fenway home runs. There you will find the former Pizzaria Uno, now called the Uno Bar & Grill and many convenience stores.

You will definitely want to walk around the park to Gate B to see the statue of Ted Williams, installed in April, 2004

Retired Numbers

The Red Sox have retired 5 numbers, in addition to Jackie Robinson's #42:

1 Bobby Doerr, Hall of Fame Second baseman

4 Joe Cronin, Hall of Fame Shortstop and Manager

8 Carl Yastrzemski, Hall of Fame Left Fielder

9 Ted Williams, Hall of Fame Left Fielder

27 Carlton Fisk, Hall of Fame Catcher

The Red Sox had maintained a policy on retiring numbers which included the player finishing his career with the Red Sox, however this policy was "bent" in the case of Carlton Fisk and it now stands as:

The Red Sox policy on retiring uniform numbers is based on the following criteria:

"¢ Election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
"¢ At least 10 years played with the Red Sox

The retired numbers are displayed on facade above the right field grandstand.

Having done the research on the Red Sox, the family is now fully prepared to make the trek to Fenway Park and to begin the research on the other 29 major league teams.

REFERENCE:

Ballparks.com, Huntington Avenue Grounds, URL: http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/american/huntin.htm

Red Sox Connection, Huntington Avenue Grounds, URL: http://www.redsoxconnection.com/stories/huntington.html

Wikipedia, 1904 World Series, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1904_World_Series

Sportscylopedia, Boston Red Sox, URL: http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/al/bosox/redsox.html

Official Red Sox site, History, URL: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/history.jsp

Wentworth Institute of Technology, Local History, URL: http://www.wit.edu/Family/local_hist.html

Fenway Fanatics, General History, URL: http://www.fenwayfanatics.com/fenway/history/general/

Wikipedia, Green Monster, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Monster

Save Fenway Park, Significance, URL: http://www.savefenwaypark.com/Significance.htm

About.com, Fenway Park, URL: http://boston.about.com/od/historylandmarks/p/fenwaypark.htm

Wikipedia Fenway Park, URL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenway_Park

Save Fenway Park, Primer, URL: http://www.savefenwaypark.com/Primer.htm

Fenway Park Milestones, URL: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/milestones.jsp

Red Sox Retired Numbers, URL; http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/history/retired_numbers.jsp