5 Amazing Facts About Fenway Park

5 Amazing Facts You Didn’t Know About Fenway Park

Fenway Park is the home of the Boston Red Sox and it has been standing for over 100 years. Thousands of people still flock to the stadium each game to see the Red Sox in action. This famous stadium has an rich and interesting history — here are five amazing facts you probably did not know.

There Were Plans to Demolish the Stadium

Image via Flickr by Payton Chung

Fenway Park has experienced a lot over its 100 year life — two fires and millions of guests. What you might not know is that in the 1990s, there was a petition to tear the stadium down and build a new one in its place, mainly because it only had a seating capacity of 33,00, deemed too small for a major league team. However, the community rallied together to save their urban stadium and subsequently it underwent a renovation for historic preservation instead.

The Green Monster Has Secrets

Image via Flickr by jamieca

One of the biggest features of Fenway Park is the 37-foot green wall in left field. It has been intimidating ballplayers for decades. However, did you know that the wall wasn’t always green? It used to be completely covered with banners and advertisements. Thankfully the stadium owners decided to take them down because they were distracting the players. Additionally, there is a secret code located on the Green Monster — a tribute to the former team owners, Tom A. Yawkey and his wife. It is written in Morse code on the scoreboard.

The Boston Red Sox Have Shared Fenway Park

Image via Flickr by Werner Kunz

The main attraction at Fenway Park has always been the Red Sox; however, the first game at the stadium wasn’t even played by them. It was played by the Miracle Boston Braves against the Harvard Crimson. The stadium has also housed several exhibitions including football, hockey, boxing, and even a week-long circus. Even the Redskins also used to play there on a regular basis.

The Grand Opening Didn’t Make the Front Page

Image via Flickr by cliff1066TM

You would think that something as big as a stadium opening would be on the front page of a newspaper, but the Fenway Park grand opening actually happened on April 20, 1912 during coverage of the sinking of the Titanic. This news of course was much bigger news around the world. Fenway Stadium couldn’t compete. There was also bad weather in Boston at the time, which took even more people away from the game. Only 3,000 people showed up to the first game in a stadium that can seat 33,000.

The Field Wasn’t Always Flat

Image via Flickr by spinfly

Most baseball fields around the world are completely flat by regulation, but Fenway Park used to have a 10-foot mound in left field that players had to run up to catch fly balls. It has since been removed, but it used to be called “Duffy’s Cliff” because “Duffy” Lewis got so good at catching balls on the mound.

Watching a game at Fenway Park is an experience like none other, so buy Boston Red Sox tickets and experience the excitement for yourself. You might even be able to buy a ticket for the famous red seat.