Fenway Park facts for kids
Fenway Park is a famous baseball stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. It's the home field for the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Fenway Park first opened in 1912, making it the oldest baseball park still used by a Major League Baseball team today!
Besides baseball, Fenway Park has also hosted many football games, including some played by college teams from Boston. The New England Patriots also played there when they first started.
The stadium gets its name, Fenway Park, because it's located in the Fenway area of Boston. One of its most famous parts is the Green Monster, which is a very tall wall in the left field area.
Fenway Park has been the site of big baseball events, like the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1946, 1961, and 1999. It has also hosted nine exciting World Series games.
Contents
What Else Happens at Fenway Park?
Fenway Park isn't just for baseball! This historic stadium is used for many different events.
You might be surprised to know that soccer, boxing, football, and even ice hockey games have been played at Fenway. There was even a cool ski and snowboarding competition held there!
The park is also a popular place for big concerts, bringing many famous musicians to Boston.
A Look Back at Fenway Park's History
The Boston Red Sox moved to Fenway Park from their old field, the Huntington Avenue Grounds. In 1911, the team's owner, John I. Taylor, bought the land and built the larger baseball stadium we know today.
Taylor said he named it Fenway Park because it was in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. This area was created by filling in marshland, which are like "fens." The first game at Fenway Park was on April 20, 1912. Boston beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in a long game. Interestingly, news about the opening of Fenway Park was overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic just a few days earlier.
For many years, Fenway Park didn't always have a lot of fans in the stands. But after the Red Sox's exciting "Impossible Dream" season in 1967, more and more people started coming to games. On September 8, 2008, Fenway Park set a Major League record for selling out 456 games in a row! This amazing streak of sold-out games finally ended on April 11, 2013, after 794 regular season games and 26 postseason games were completely sold out.
The park's address was originally 24 Jersey Street. In 1977, the street was renamed Yawkey Way to honor Tom Yawkey, who owned the Red Sox for a long time. So now, the park's address is 4 Yawkey Way.
Cool Features of Fenway Park
Fenway Park is located in the Kenmore Square area of Boston. It blends in with the buildings around it because they are similar in height and style. When pitcher Roger Clemens first arrived in Boston in 1984, he thought his taxi driver had made a mistake. He told the driver, "No, Fenway Park, it's a baseball stadium... this is a warehouse." He only realized he was in the right place when he looked up and saw the tall light towers.
The Famous Green Monster
The Green Monster is the nickname for the huge left field wall at Fenway Park. It's about 37 feet (11 meters) tall! It's located only about 310 to 315 feet (94 to 96 meters) from home plate. This short distance often helps right-handed batters hit more home runs.
The wall was part of the original stadium built in 1912. It was made of wood, then covered in tin and concrete in 1934 when a scoreboard was added. In 1976, it was covered in hard plastic. The scoreboard on the Green Monster is still updated by hand during games. Even though it's called the Green Monster, it wasn't painted green until 1947. Before that, it was covered with advertisements. For most of its history, people just called it "the wall." In 2003, special seats were added on top of the wall, giving fans a unique view of the game.
Understanding "The Triangle"
"The Triangle" is a special area in center field where the outfield walls form a triangle shape. The farthest corner of this triangle is about 420 feet (128 meters) from home plate. This point is usually given as the center field distance. There used to be a smaller triangle near the left end of the bleachers, marked as 388 feet (118 meters). The flagpole stands inside this smaller triangle.
What Was "Williamsburg"?
"Williamsburg" was a nickname given by sportswriters to the bullpen area built in front of the right-center field bleachers in 1940. It was built closer to home plate, about 23 feet (7 meters) closer than the bleacher wall. This was done mainly to help Ted Williams, a famous left-handed batter, and other left-handed hitters, hit more home runs.
The Lone Red Seat: A Legendary Home Run
In the right field bleachers, there's one red seat (Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21) that stands out. It marks the spot where the longest home run ever hit at Fenway Park landed! This incredible hit was by Ted Williams on June 9, 1946. It was officially measured at 502 feet (153 meters). Experts believe the ball would have flown even farther, about 520 to 535 feet (158 to 163 meters), if nothing had stopped it.
The ball actually hit a fan named Joseph A. Boucher on the head, going right through his straw hat! Boucher was surprised and later joked, "How far away must one sit to be safe in this park? I didn't even get the ball."
Other long home runs have been hit at Fenway. In 1926, Babe Ruth hit one that researchers believe traveled an estimated 545 feet (166 meters). In 2001, Manny Ramirez hit a ball that struck a light tower above the Green Monster. It was estimated to be 501 feet (153 meters), just one foot short of Williams' record!
Pesky's Pole and the Foul Poles
Pesky's Pole is the name for the foul pole in right field. It's only 302 feet (92 meters) from home plate, making it the shortest outfield distance in Major League Baseball! Even though it's so close, home runs hit off this pole are rare because the fence curves away sharply right behind it.
The pole is named after Johnny Pesky, a Red Sox player and coach for many years. He was known for hitting some of his home runs near this pole, though never directly off it. Pesky and the Red Sox say that pitcher Mel Parnell came up with the name. One of Pesky's most famous hits was a two-run home run in 1946 that won the Opening Day game.
On September 27, 2006, which was Pesky's 87th birthday, the Red Sox officially named the right field foul pole "Pesky's Pole" and placed a special plaque at its base.
Images for kids
-
Fenway Park Rally Supporting Irish Independence (1919)
-
The old wooden seats of Fenway's Grandstand section.
-
A view of Fenway Park and the surrounding neighborhood, as seen from the Prudential Tower
-
Fenway in 2012, with additions to the left field grandstand
-
Map showing Fenway Park in 1917.
-
The bottom portion of Pesky's Pole, with the Green Monster in the background and Fenway Park's right field seats in the foreground.
-
Pesky's Pole during a night game, September 2007
-
The original ad-covered Green Monster in 1914, with "overflow" fan seating in front of the wall's base, atop "Duffy's Cliff" (seen in the distance, nearest the flagpole).
-
Fenway Park diagram for 1912 World Series
-
The front of Fenway Park facing Jersey Street
-
Holy Cross takes on Boston College in 1916 at Fenway Park. BC won the game, 17–14.
-
The rink layout for the 2010 NHL Winter Classic
-
Dave Matthews Band in concert, 2006
-
The press box
-
Retired numbers on the outside of the stadium in 2010
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Fenway Park para niños
