Today, we finish our look at
current ballparks that were in use in the mid-1980s. For #1, we go to the east
coast and the best of the old parks.
#1. Fenway Park,
Boston, Massachusetts
Home of: Boston Red Sox since 1912
Built in: 1912
Baseball Capacity: 37,673
Previous Names: None
History: Built in 1912, Fenway Park is
the oldest park in use in Major League Baseball. On March 7, 2012, during its
centenary year, the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
While playing at Fenway, the Bosox have won the World Series in 1912, 1915,
1916, 1918, 2004, 2007 and 2013. The Sox clinched the World Series at Fenway in
1912, 1916, 1918 and 2013. All-star and Hall-of-Fame Red Sox players who have
played in Fenway include Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton
Fisk, Jim Rice, Luis Tiant, Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Mo Vaughn, Nomar
Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.
Charm: What’s not to love about the best ballpark in
baseball? Fenway has so many features to it. We can start with the “Green
Monster”, the 37-foot wall in left field. Then there’s the “Triangle”, the spot
in centrefield where the walls meet to form….well, a triangle. “Williamsburg”
is the name of the area where the bullpens are located, named after Ted
Williams who had many of his homeruns land there, and “Pesky’s Pole”, a quirky
spot down the right field line where balls are hit for homeruns that might be
foul balls in other parks. About ten years ago, seats were added above the
Green Monster that make for great spectating areas for fans.
Great Moments:
October 17, 2004: The Red Sox trailed
the ALCS 3-0 to their heated rivals, the New York Yankees. They also trailed
Game 4 by a score of 4-3 going to the bottom of the ninth and had to try and
comeback against Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer on baseball
history. Kevin Millar led off the inning with a walk. Dave Roberts pinch-ran
for Millar and stole second base. Bill Mueller singled, scoring Roberts and
tying the game at four. In the bottom of the twelve, David Ortiz drilled a
two-run homer into the right field stands, giving the Red Sox a 6-4 win. They
would win the next three, becoming the first team in MLB history to win a
series after being down 3-0 in games. It hasn’t been done since.
October 30, 2013: In Game 6 of the
World Series, the Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 6-1 to
claim their third World Series championship in ten years. It was the first time
the Sox won the World Series at home in 95 years (1918). It would cap off a
worst-to-first year for the Red Sox. After finishing last in the AL East in
2012, they fired manager Bobby Valentine and brought back former pitching
coach, John Farrell, as their manager. They finished the regular season with 97
wins, defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in four games in the Division Series, and knocked
out the Detroit Tigers in six games in the American League Championship before
disposing of the Cardinals.
October 21, 1975 : Even though I wasn’t
watching baseball in October of 1975 (I wouldn’t be born for another 25 days)
Game 6 of the 1975 World Series is too big a moment to leave off the list. The
Red Sox trailed the Series three games to two to the Cincinnati Reds and
trailed the game 6-3 going to the bottom of the eight. Pinch-hitter Bernie
Carbo slammed a three-run home run on a 2-2 pitch to the left of dead centre
field tying the game at six. That would set the stage for the dramatic bottom
of the twelfth inning, when catcher Carlton Fisk, pulled the first pitch he saw
down the left field line that curve, but just stayed on the fair side of the foul
pole to give the Sox the victory. They would lose the Reds in the seventh game
but images of Fisk waving his arms trying to will the ball to stay fair would
be stamped in the memory of baseball forever.
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