The Roaming Photographer: Fenway Park

Part - 2 is a continuation of the article about Fenway

Park which was posted on December 17, 2024

The seat directly on the foul side of Pesky’s Pole in the front row is Section 94, Row E, Seat 5, and is usually sold as a lone ticket.

In a ceremony before the Red Sox’ 2005 game against the Cincinnati Reds, the pole on the left field foul line atop the Green Monster was named the Fisk Foul Pole, or Pudge’s Pole, in honor of Carlton Fisk(84). Fisk provided one of baseball’s most enduring moments in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series against the Reds. Facing Reds right-hander Pat Darcy in the 12th inning with the score tied at 6, Fisk hit a long fly ball down the left field line. It appeared to be heading foul, but after initially appearing unsure of whether or not to continue running to first base, Fisk famously jumped and waved his arms to the right as if to somehow direct the ball fair. It ricocheted off the foul pole, winning the game for the Red Sox, sending the series to a seventh, and deciding game the next night, which Cincinnati won. Like Johnny Pesky’s No. 6, Carlton had his No. 27 player number retired by the team.

“Dusty’s Cliff”

From 1912 to 1933, there was a 10-foot-high incline in front of the then 25-foot-high left field wall at Fenway Park, extending from the left-field foul pole to the center field flag pole (and thus under “The Triangle” of today). As a result, a left fielder had to play part of the territory running uphill (and back down). Boston’s first star left fielder, Duffy Lewis, mastered the skill so well that the area became known as “Dusty’s Cliff”.(16)

The incline served two purposes: it was a support for a high wall and it was built to compensate for the difference in grades between the field and Lansdowne Street on the other side of that wall. The wall also served as a spectator-friendly seating area during the dead ball era when overflow crowds, in front of the later Green Monster, would sit on the incline behind ropes. (85)

As part of the 1934 remodeling of the ballpark, the bleachers, and the wall itself, Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey arranged to flatten the ground along with the base of the wall, so that Duffy’s Cliff no longer existed. The base of the left field wall is several feet below the grade level of Lansdowne Street, accounting for the occasional rat that might spook scoreboard operators. (86)

There has been debate as to the true left field distance, which was once posted as 315 feet. A reporter from The Boston Globe was able to sneak into Fenway Park and measure the distance. When the paper’s evidence was presented to the club in 1995, the distance was remeasured by the Red Sox and restated at 310 feet(87). The companion 96-meter (315 ft) sign remained unchanged until 1998 when it was corrected to 94.5 meters (310 ft). (88)

Dell EMC Club

In 1983, private suites were added to the roof behind home plate. In 1988, 610 stadium club seats enclosed in glass and named the “600 Club”, were added above the home plate grandstand replacing the existing press box. The press box was then added to the top of the 600 Club(89). The 1988 addition has been thought to have changed the air currents in the park to the detriment of hitters(90). In 2002, the organization renamed the club seats the “.406 Club” (in honor of Ted Williams’ batting average in 1941). (90)

Between the 2005 and 2006 seasons, the existing .406 club was rebuilt as part of the continuing ballpark expansion efforts. The second deck now features two open-air levels: the bottom level is the new “Dell EMC Club” featuring 406 seats and concierge services and the upper level, the State Street Pavilion, has 374 seats and a dedicated standing room area. The added seats are wider than the previous seats. (90)

Statues

Outside Gate 5 is The Teammates statue, by Antonio Tobias Mendez, which depicts Red Sox players Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio, Ted Williams, and Johnny Pesky. It was unveiled in 2010. (91)

There is also a solo statue of Williams, unveiled in 2004, depicting him placing his cap on the head of a young boy. (92)

Program Hawkers

In 1990, Mike Rutstein started handing out the first issue of Boston Baseball Magazine (originally called Baseball Underground) outside of the park. (93) He was frustrated with the quality of the program being sold inside the park, which also came out once every two months(94). The program was sold for $1.00 half the cost of the programs being sold inside the park. To sell the program, Rutstein’s employees would stand outside the park wearing bright red shirts and greet fans by holding a program up and shouting “Program, Scorecard, One Dollar!”(95). By 1992, the Red Sox organization filed complaints with the city code enforcement arguing that the scorecard inside the magazine was not covered under the First Amendment protecting magazines and that Rutstein’s employees were operating on the streets without a permit(96). Despite a lot of attention in the news, Rutstein said the charges were not pursued and no further legal action was taken(97). In 2012, one of Rutstein’s long-time employees Sly Egidio(97) quit Boston Baseball to start “The Yawkey Way Report”, named after Yawkey Way. By that time, Boston Baseball was selling for $3.00 per program, $2.00 cheaper than the in-park programs selling for $5.00. The Yawkey Way Report cost $1.00 and Egidio stationed his hawkers close to Boston Baseball hawkers, starting a “hawker war”(98). The Yawkey Way Report also came with baseball cards, ponchos, and tote bags, which caused Rutstein to file his own complaints with Boston city code enforcement. Despite the rivalry, both programs continued to be hawked outside of Fenway Park and are often the first thing fans see when they approach the stadium on game day.

Use

Baseball

The Red Sox’ one-time cross-town rivals, the Boston Braves, used Fenway Park for the 1914 World Series and the 1915 season until Braves Field was completed; ironically, the Red Sox would then use Braves Field – which had a much higher seating capacity – for their own World Series games in 1915 and 1916. (99)

Since 1990 (except in 2005 when, because of fieldwork, it was held in a minor league ballpark, and 2002, as the tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic), Fenway Park has also hosted the final round of a Boston-area intercollegiate baseball tournament called the Baseball Beanpot, an equivalent to the more well-known hockey Beanpot tourney. The teams play the first rounds in minor league stadiums before moving on to Fenway for the final and a consolation game(100). Boston College, Harvard University, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst compete in the four-team tournament. (101)

Since at least 1997 Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” has been played at Fenway Park(102) during Red Sox games, in the middle of the eighth inning since 2002. (103) On the opening night of the 2010 season at Fenway Park, the song was performed by Diamond himself in the middle of the eighth inning.(104)

Beginning in 2006, the Red Sox have hosted the “Futures at Fenway” event, where two of their minor-league affiliates play a regular-season doubleheader as the “home” teams. Before the Futures started, the most recent minor-league game held at Fenway had been the Eastern League All-Star Game in 1977.(105)

From 1970 to 1987, the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) played its annual all-star game at various major league stadiums. The games were interleague contests between the CCBL and the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL). The 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987 games were played at Fenway. The MVP of the 1977 contest was future major league slugger Steve Balboni, who clobbered two home runs over the Green Monster that day. The CCBL returned to Fenway in 2009, 2010, and 2011 for its interleague all-star game matching the league’s East and West divisions. The 2009 game starred East Division MVP and future Red Sox Chris Sale of Florida Gulf Coast University. The CCBL also holds an annual workout day at Fenway where CCBL players are evaluated by major league scouts.(106)(107)

Baseball Records and Events of Note

Red Sox first baseman Hugh Bradley hit the first home run at Fenway Park on April 26th, 1912(108)

The first Grand Slam hit at Fenway Park was by Rabbit Maranville of the Boston Braves in a 6 – 2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on September 26th, 1914(109)

On June 21st, 1916, Rube Foster pitches the first no-hitter at Fenway in a 2 – 0 victory over the Yankees(110)

On August 4th, 1959, Elijah “Pumpsie” Green became the first African-American player in the Red Sox lineup to play at Fenway(111)

On August 19th, 1967, Red Sox switch-hitter Reggie Smith became the first player in Fenway Park to hit a home run from both sides of the plate(112)

Boxing

On October 9th, 1920, Fenway Park was the site of the open-air boxing show in Boston. The card featured four bouts. Although Eddie Shevlin and Paul Doyle fought in the feature bout, Daniel J. Saunders of the Boston Daily Globe described heavyweights Battling McCreery and John Lester Johnson as “the only boxers who caused any excitement”. McCreery, who according to Saunders, “was to take a flop in five rounds”, won by a judge’s decision in ten rounds. After the fight, Johnson punched McCreery while McCreery was trying to shake his hand. McCreery then knocked Johnson out of the ring and hit him over the head with his chair. The card drew 5,000 spectators (half of what was expected) and brought in $6,100 (several thousand less than what was promised to the fighters). (113)

In 1928, New England Welterweight Champion Al Mello headlined three cards at Fenway. He defeated Billy Murphy in front of a crowd of 12,000 on June 26th, Charlie Donovan on August 31st, and Murphy again on September 13th.(114)(115)(116)

On September 2nd, 1930, Babe Hunt defeated Ernie Schaaf in what The Boston Daily Globe described as a “dull bout” and a “big disappointment”. The undercard featured future light heavyweight champion George Nichols, who defeated Harry Allen of Brockton, Massachusetts in ten rounds. (118)

In 1932, Eddie Mack promoted ten cards at Fenway Park. The August 2nd card featured World Light Heavyweight Champion Maxie Rosenbloom defeating Joe Barlow of Roxbury and Taunton Henry Emond defeating The Cocoa Kid(119). On August 23rd, Dave Shade defeated Norman Conrad of Wilton, New Hampshire in front of 3,500 attendees(120). The September 6th card was headlined by World junior lightweight champion Kid Chocolate, who defeated Steve Smith.(121)

On June 25th, 1936, former world heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey defeated Phil Brubaker in what would be his final career victory.(122)

In 1937, Rip Valenti and the Goodwin Athletic Club promoted five cards at Fenway. Three of these were headlined by the New England Heavyweight Champion Al McCoy. On June 16th, McCoy defeated Natie Brown in front of a crowd of 4,516(123). On July 29th, he knocked out Jack McCarthy in the third round(124). On August 24th, he and Tony Shucco fought to a draw(125). Future WBA featherweight champion Sal Bartolo fought one of his first professional fights on the May 24th undercard. (126)

On June 25th, 1945, Tami Mauriello knocked out Lou Nova in 2 minutes 47 seconds. An estimated crowd of 8,000 was in attendance. (127)

On July 12th, 1954, Tony DeMarco knocked out George Araujo 58 seconds into the fifth round in front of 12,000 spectators. (128)

The most recent boxing event at Fenway Park took place on June 16th, 1956. The undercard consisted of Eddie Andrews vs. George Chimenti, Bobby Courchesne vs. George Monroe for the New England Lightweight Championship, and Barry Allison vs. Don Williams for the New England Middleweight Championship. In the main event, Tony DeMarco defeated Vince Martinez by decision. An estimated 15,000 were in attendance – far below promoter Sam Silverman’s expectations. (129)

Soccer

On October 17th, 1925, the Boston Soccer Club and the Fall River F.C. of the American Soccer League played a scoreless tie before 4,000 fans(130). Boston also hosted the Providence Clamdiggers and Indiana Flooring at Fenway later that season(131)(132). On June 18th, 1928, Boston played Rangers F.C. to a 2 – 2 tie in front of a crowd of 10,000(133)(134). In 1929, Boston hosted two more matches at Fenway Park; a 3 – 2 victory over the New Bedford Whalers on August 10th, and a 3 – 2 loss to Fall River on August 17th(135)(136).

On May 30th, 1931, 8,000 fans were on hand to see the American Soccer League champion New York Yankees defeat Celtics 4 – 3(137). The Yankees goalkeeper, Johnny Reder, would later return to play for the Boston Red Sox. During 1968, the park was home to the Boston Beacons of the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL)(138).

On July 21st, 2010, Fenway hosted an exhibition game between European soccer clubs Celtic F.C. and Sporting C.P. in an event called “Football at Fenway”. A crowd of 32,162 watched the two teams play to a 1 – 1 draw. Celtic won 6 – 5 on a penalty shoot-out, winning the first Fenway football challenge Trophy(138). Recent matches have taken place in Liverpool, an English Premier League club owned by FSG partner Thomas R. DiBenedetto. The July 25th, 2012 match ended in a 2 – 1 win for AS Roma before a crowd of 37,169(139). AS Roma also won the rematch on July 23rd, 2014, by a score of 1 – 0(140). On July 21st, 2019, Liverpool returned to Fenway for a preseason match against Sevilla, the Spanish team won 2 – 1 at the end of regulation.

American Football

Football has been played at Fenway since 1912, the year the venue opened(141). In 1926, the Boston Bulldogs of the first American Football League (AFL) played both at Fenway and Braves Field; the Boston Shamrocks of the National Football League (NFL) played at Fenway for four seasons (1933 – 1936) after playing their inaugural season in 1932 at Braves Field as the Boston Braves. The Boston Yanks played there in the 1940s, and the Boston Patriots of the 1960s American Football League (AFL) called Fenway Park from 1963 to 1968 after moving there from Nickerson Field. At various times in the past, Dartmouth College, Boston College, Brown University, and Boston University teams have also played football games at Fenway Park(142). Boston College and Notre Dame played a game at Fenway in 2015 as part of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series(143). The annual Harvard – Yale game in November 2018 was played at Fenway. (144)

In September 2019, it was announced that the Fenway Bowl, a postseason bowl game, would be played at Fenway Park beginning in 2020, pitting a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference against a team from the American Athletic Conference(145). However, both the 2020 and 2021 games were canceled, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The bowl was finally played for the first time in December 2022, as Louisville defeated Cincinnati. (146)

Professional Wrestling

On July 9th, 1929, World Heavyweight Champion Gus Sonnenberg defeated Ed “Strangler” Lewis in front of a crowd of 25,000 at Fenway Park. (147)

In 1932, Charlie Gordon promoted shows at Fenway Park. On June 16th, 1932, a card headlined “The Georgia Leech” by Paul Adams and George Myerson drew 8,000 spectators(148). 10,000 people turned out on July 6th, 1932, to see a show main event by Ted Germaine and Stewart Spears(149). The following week, Steve Passas handed German wrestler Mephisto his first loss in the United States in Fenway(150). The next week’s card was headlined by Myerson and Germaine. Meyerson was knocked unconscious but was declared the winner after referee Joe Beston disqualified Germaine for using a choke hold(151). The card scheduled for July 27th was postponed until August 3rd due to rain(152). It rained again on August 3rd, and the card was pushed back another week. However, due to a scheduling conflict, Steve Passas was forced to withdraw from his main event bout with Fred Bruno(153). On August 10th, 1932, Adams defeated Louis Poplin in front of 8,000 fans in the substitute main event.(154)

On August 18th, 1934, a crowd of 30,000 turned out for a card headlined by AWA World Champion Ed Don George and NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jim Londos. The fight ended in a draw after 3:14:13. (155)

On June 27th, 1935, Danny O’Mahony captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Londos in front of 30,000 fans. (156)

On July 18th, 1935, Ed Don George defeated Frank Sexton in an exhibition bout during a musical and athletic carnival benefiting Boston’s Department of Public Welfare that also featured a five-mile race, firearms exhibition drill, a boxing exhibition, tug of war contest, and a baseball game. Due to rain, only 5,000 attended the event and the ball game was called off after three innings. (157)

On September 10th, 1935, O’Mahony successfully defended his title against George in front of an estimated crowd of 25,000. The bout, the second between O’Mahony and George, was refereed by world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock. The Paul Bower-promoted card also featured Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Frank Sexton, Jack Spellman, and Karl Pojello(158). During the main event, a spectator suffered a heart attack and died. It was the eighth such death at a Boston wrestling event bout in the past two years. (159)

On June 29th, 1937, around 7,000 spectators saw Steve Casey defeat Ed Don George in a card that also featured Danno O’Mahony, Tor Johnson, and William “Wee Willie” Davis(160). On July 20th, 1937, Casey defeated another former heavyweight champion, Danno O’Mahony, in front of 8,000(161). On July 26th, 1938, Casey successfully defeated his AWA World Heavyweight Championship against Dick Shikat before a crowd of 5,000. (162)

The WWE (then the World Wide Wrestling Federation), hosted its only event at Fenway Park on June 28th, 1969. 17,000 turned out to see WWWF World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino defeat Killer Kowalski in a stretcher match and an undercard that featured a steel cage match between The Shiek and Bulldog Bower, a ten-man battle royal won by Mitsu Arakawa, a six-man midget wrestling tag match, a best three out of five falls six-woman tag team match between The Fabulous Moolah, Donna Christanello, and Toni Rose and Vivian Vachon and Rita and Bette Boucher, and singles match between George Steele and Victor Rivera, Antonio Pugliese and Baron Mikel Scicluna, Dominic DeNucci and Lou Albano, and Ricky Sexton and Duke Savage. (163)(164)

Hockey

Fenway Park has hosted ice hockey games on five separate occasions, beginning in 2010 when the third annual NHL Winter Classic was held at the stadium on New Year’s Day(165). The Boston Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2 – 1 in sudden-death overtime, securing the first home-team victory in the relatively short history of the annual series. The 2010 Winter Classic paved the way for further use of the stadium for ice hockey, as the “Frozen Fenway” series was introduced. Frozen Fenway is a semi-annual series of collegiate and amateur games featuring ice hockey teams from local and regional high schools, colleges, and universities. Division I matches between Hockey East rivals have been a staple of the Frozen Fenway series, which has seen games played in 2012, 2014, 2017, and 2023 at the ballpark. When not in use for games, the rink is also open to the public for free ice skating(166). Fenway Park became the first stadium to host two Winter Classic games in January 2023, as the Boston Bruins once again secured a 2 – 1 victory, this time defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Hurling and Gaelic football

Fenway has hosted Gaelic games over the years. On June 6th, 1937, Mayo, the All-Ireland Football champions, defeated a Massachusetts team, 17 – 8,(167)(168) and on November 8th, 1954, Cork, the All-Ireland Hurling champions, defeated an American line-up 37 – 28(169). In more recent times, the Fenway Hurling Classic for the Players Champions Cup has been staged, first in November 2015 when Galway defeated Dublin,(170) and subsequently in November 2017(171) and November 2018. (172)

Concerts

Fenway has been home to various concerts beginning in 1973 when Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles first played there(173). No further concerts were played there until 2003 when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a leg of their The Rising Tour(174). Since 2003, there has been at least one concert every year at Fenway by such artists as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel, Shakira, Journey, Def Leppard, The Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond, The Police, Jason Aldean, Motley Crue, Dave Matthews Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Aerosmith, Phish, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, James Taylor (2015 – 2017 consecutively: 2015 & 2017 with Bonnie Raitt, 2016 with Jackson Browne), Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Dead & Company, and New Kids on the Block 2011 (with Backstreet Boys), 2017 and 2021.

In 2017, Lady Gaga brought her Joanne World Tour to the stadium,(175) making her the first woman to headline a concert there. In 2022, she returned with The Chromatica Ball. In 2019, The Who played their first-ever show at the stadium with the Boston Symphony Orchestra(176). On August 3rd, 2021, Guns N’ Roses played a show as part of their 2020 Tour, where they revealed a new song “Absurd”(177). Aerosmith returned for their 50th-anniversary celebrations on September 8th, 2022, and the show labeled the venue’s highest ticket sales to date. (178)

On July 31st and August 1st, 2023, Pink performed at the stadium as part of her Summer Carnival tour, and broke the record for biggest two-day attendance. (179)

Ski and Snowboard

Polartec Big Air At Fenway is the first big air snowboarding and skiing competition that was held on February 11th-12th, 2016. This event was part of the U.S. Grand Prix Tour and the International Ski Federation’s World Tour. Notable winter athletes who competed are Ty Walker, Sage Kotsenburg, and Joss Christensen. The big air jump was constructed to be about 140 feet tall, standing above the lights of the stadium. (180)

Public Address Announcers

Frank Fallon was the first public address (PA) announcer for the Red Sox and held the job from 1953 to 1957. Fred Cusick, better known for his career of announcing Boston Bruins hockey games, joined him in 1956 and also left after 1957(181). Jay McMaster took over in 1958, until his replacement by Sherm Feller in 1967(182). Feller served as the announcer for 26 years until his death after the 1993 season(183). He was known for beginning his games by welcoming the fans with “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Welcome to Fenway Park,” and ending them by saying “Thank You”(184). Leslie Sterling took the job for the 1994 season, becoming the second female PA announcer in the history of Major League Baseball(181). Ed Brickley took over in 1997 and was replaced by Carl Beane in 2003(181)(182). Beane was regarded as an “iconic” announcer and served until his death in 2012, which was caused by a heart attack suffered while driving(184)(185). Fenway used a series of guest announcers to finish the 2012 season(note 2) before hiring Henry Mahegan, Bob Lobel, and Dick Flavin for 2013(187). Flavin died after the 2022 season. (188)

Retired Numbers

There are eleven retired numbers above the right-field grandstand. The numbers retired by the Red Sox are red on a white circle. Jackie Robinson’s 42, which was retired by Major League Baseball, is blue on a white circle. The two are further delineated through the font difference; Boston numbers are in the same style as the Red Sox jerseys, while Robinson’s number is in the more traditional “block” numbering found on the Dodgers jerseys.

The numbers originally hung on the right-field façade in the order in which they were retired: 9-4-1-8. Dan Shaughnessy pointed out that the numbers, when read as a date (9/4/18), marked the eve of the first game of the 1918 World Series, the last championship that the Red Sox won before 2004(189). After the façade was repainted, the numbers were rearranged numerically (190). The numbers remained in numerical order until the 2012 season when the numbers were rearranged back into the order in which they were retired by the Red Sox.

The Red Sox policy on retiring uniform numbers was once one of the most stringent in baseball – the player had to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, play at least 10 years with the team, and retire as a member of the Red Sox. The final requirement was waived for Carlton Fisk as he had finished his playing career with the Chicago White Sox. However, Fisk was assigned a Red Sox front office job and effectively “finished” his baseball career with the Red Sox in this manner(191). In 2008, the ownership relaxed the requirement further with the retirement of Johnny Pesky’s number 6. Pesky has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame, but in light of his over 50 years of service to the club, the management made an exception. Pesky would have had 10 seasons, but he was credited with the three seasons he served as Operations Officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II(192). The most recent number retired was 34, worn by 2013 World Series Most Valuable Player David Ortiz.

No.	Player	Position	Red Sox Years	Date Retired	Notes
Red Sox retired numbers^[193]
1	Bobby Doerr	2B	1937–44 1946–51	May 21, 1988	US Army, 1945
4	Joe Cronin	SS	1935–45	May 29, 1984	Player-Manager
6	Johnny Pesky	SS, 3B, 2B	1942, 46–52	September 28, 2008	US Navy, 1943–45
8	Carl Yastrzemski	LF, 1B, DH	1961–83	August 6, 1989	AL MVP (1967) Triple Crown (1967)
9	Ted Williams	LF	1939–42 1946–60	May 29, 1984	US Marines, 1943–45, 52–53
14	Jim Rice	LF, DH	1974–89	July 28, 2009	AL MVP (1978)
26	Wade Boggs	3B	1983–1992	May 26, 2016
27	Carlton Fisk	C	1969, 71–80	September 4, 2000	AL Rookie of the Year (1972)
34	David Ortiz	DH	2003–2016	June 23, 2017	3× World Series Champion (2004, 2007, 2013) 2004 ALCS MVP 2013 World Series MVP
45	Pedro Martínez	P	1998–2004	July 28, 2015	World Series Champion (2004)
42	Jackie Robinson	Brooklyn Dodgers 1947–1956, retired by Major League Baseball, April 15, 1997