Fenway Park

Fenway Park

History of Fenway Park

Perhaps the most famous baseball stadium in the world is Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened on April, 20, 1912, this stadium is the oldest in all of MLB.

Fenway Park

Hosting 11 World Series, hockey games, concerts, football games, political campaigns, and many other events, Fenway was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in March of 2012. Besides being THE most famous park in all of baseball, this park continues to sell out on a nightly basis and be perhaps the #1 landmark in all of historic Boston. Known for the world-famous "Green Monster" left-field wall, this ballpark is arguably the most famous in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Monster Fenway Park was built by Osborne Engineering for $650,000 in 1912. Named after the Fenway neighborhood where it is located, Fenway was constructed on an asymmetrical block in the city, like many other "classic" ballparks of that time period. Fenway has gone through many changes over the years, including its famous hand-operated scoreboard in 1934, an upper deck in 1946, and lights in 1947. In 2003, seats were added above the "Green Monster" in right field.

Fenway Park Capacity

With the longest sellout streak in MLB history at 820, the Red Sox have arguably the most loyal fans in all of baseball. Through the years, Fenway Park's capacity has changed many times. From its opening in 1912 through 1946, the capacity at Fenway was 35,000. After that, the Red Sox removed some seats, and the capacity varied from a low of 33,300 to a high of 37,499 which is the current capacity in 2014. Roughly 400 more tickets are sold for the night games than day games.

Field Dimensions of Fenway Park

Being built in a period where stadiums occupied a complete city block, Fenway baseball stadium has perhaps the most unique field dimensions in all of baseball. The left-field line is only 310 feet, but it has the 37' "Green Monster as the fence. With this short distance and huge wall, the Monster gets pelted every game with hits from batters. Centerfield is not a traditional distance at Fenway but instead a triangular area. "The Triangle" has 420 feet in the farthest corner and a center field of approximately 390 feet, even though it is unmarked. Right field is the shortest in all of baseball at 302 feet with the world-famous "Pesky's Pole" foul pole down the line. The pole was named after Johnny Pesky, a long-time Red Sox player and coach, as almost all of his six career home runs barely cleared the tiny 302 feet right-field line.

Fenway Park Amenities

The greatest amenity at Fenway Park is the park itself. With the nostalgia and uniqueness of Fenway, this is the main attraction for visitors. With that being said, there are also some very nice amenities at Fenway Park for the fans.

  • Yawkey Way before the game is an attraction in itself as the whole street is blocked off before Red Sox games. With live bands playing, souvenir stands, and food, this is one of the greatest places to go before an MLB game.
  • Autography Alley is located within one of the Red Sox team shops and a place you will often find former Red Sox greats signing autographs.
  • Green Monster seats are among the best views out of any stadium in baseball. While these are perhaps the most expensive seats in all of baseball, if you are planning a one-time trip to Fenway Park, this is the best place to sit.

Fenway Park Food

Known for having some of the best traditional ballpark foods in baseball, Fenway Park food is among the best in all of the MLB. Here is a pick of three of our favorites.

  • EL Tiante - El Tiante is technically outside of the stadium, but since it requires a ticket to the game, we have rated this as our favorite spot to eat at Fenway Park. Named after 1970s Red Sox great Luis Tiant, this place is known for its Cuban sandwiches, which are perhaps the best tasting sandwiches in any ballpark in the league. Grab one before the game, and you will love it.
  • Taste of Fenway - Taste of Fenway is where you can find almost any type of food in Fenway. A Taste of Fenway rotates some of the best culinary items in the park and offers those during each game.
  • State Street Pavilion Club - The State Street Pavilion is our pick for the best of the upscale restaurants at Fenway Park. While it has upscale food for Fenway, it also offers a pizza and Panini station for traditional ballpark food.

Overall

Not enough can be said about the greatness and overall feel of Fenway Park. Besides Wrigley Field, Fenway Park is the only other ballpark where I had personally got the chills when I entered. The history of this park and the feel are the best in the league and unmatched.