Perhaps the most famous ballpark in the MLB, Fenway Park is the oldest venue to host a major league team, a couple of years older than Wrigley Field, which is another ballpark that rivals Fenway in terms of history and fan appreciation. This stadium cost $650,000 to build and the original structure was built at an incredibly rapid pace. Ground broke for Fenway Park on September 25th, 1911 and the ballpark opened on April 20th, 1912 – barely half a year later.

Part of the reason that Fenway is well loved, other than the age of the venue, is the quirky dimensions of the playing field. The Green Monster is the most famous feature of any ballpark, arguably of any professional North American sports facility, consisting of a 37-foot wall that’s between 310 and 315 feet from home plate. “The Triangle” is the deepest portion of the park, at a distance of 420 from home plate, where fielders have to sprint to avoid a well-hit ball from becoming an inside-the-park homer.

A bullpen was built along the right field wall during the era of Ted Williams, to conscientiously help him and other left handed Boston sluggers hit more home runs. Journalists nicknamed this feature “Williamsburg”. 

Boston Red Sox Stadium

After vanquishing “The Curse of the Bambino” in 2004, which was blamed for events such as Billy Buckner’s between-the-legs error and Carlton Fisk’s clutch homer in 1975, the Boston Red Sox have played well, routinely qualifying for the playoffs by winning the tough American League East division or qualifying as a wild card entrant.

After winning their latest World Series Championship in 2013, the Red Sox have faltered badly, finishing in the basement of their division during 2014 and 2015. In 2014, their home record was 34-47, which was shockingly worse than their road record of 37-44. In 2015, their home record returned to several games above .500, although their play on the road prevented them from making the playoffs for the second straight year.

Fenway Park is typically considered a hitter’s park because of the ease in which homers can be hit, especially along the left and right field foul lines. 2015 MLB Park Factor stats show that Fenway was top five in terms of the rate of runs produced, although the number of home runs hit hovered around average. Fenway was also top five for hits and doubles, while an average amount of triples were ripped during the 2015 season. 

Stadium Vitals

Date Opened: September 25, 1911

Construction Cost: $650,000

Architect: James McLaughlin

Ballpark Type: Jewel Box

Capacity Attendance: 37,673 

Playing Surface: Kentucky Bluegrass

Previous Boston Red Sox Stadiums

Huntington Avenue Grounds

Other Major Events

U.S. National Register of Historic Place

Just shy of its hundredth birthday, Fenway Park joined the list of historic places in the United States on March 7th, 2012. 

College Football

A variety of football teams have played at Fenway throughout the history of the venue, with the most recent match taking place in 2015 between Notre Dame and Boston College. 

2010 NHL Winter Classic

The Boston Bruins played against the Philadelphia Flyers on New Year’s Day of 2010 as part of the NHL Winter Classic. The Bruins bested the Flyers by a score of 2-1 in overtime, resulting in the first home team win during the NHL’s outdoor game series.