Happy 100th Anniversary Fenway Park

There probably isn’t a more iconic ballpark in Major League Baseball than Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. When someone refers to “The Green Monster”, you know they’re not talking about “The Incredible Hulk”. Yes, the “House That Ruth Built’, the former Yankee Stadium was legendary, but they tore it down. On this day, April 20, 1912 Fenway Park opened, and the rest is history.

According to baseballalmanac.com:

“The architect who designed Fenway Park was James McLaughlin and the construction was done by Charles Logue Building Company at the cost of $650,000. On January 5, 1934, a major fire destroyed much of Fenway Park. Osborn Engineering & Coleman Brothers, Inc. were brought in to fix the park ($1,575,000 worth of repairs) and the wooden grandstands were replaced with steel & concrete grandstands. The seats were and still are made of solid oak.”

What was the first game played at Fenway? According to the Boston Red Sox website:

“After two rain delays, Fenway Park finally hosted its first professional baseball game on April 20, 1912. (The first official game played in Fenway actually occurred on April 9 when the Sox beat Harvard University, 2-0.) The Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders — later known as the Yankees — before 27,000 fans,7-6 in 11 innings. The event would have made front page news had it not been for the sinking of the Titanic only a few days before.”

What better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary than a home game against the New York Yankees, today at 3:05 p.m., complete with retro uniforms and all the legendary rivalry that goes with it.

Whether you’re a member of the “Red Sox Nation” or a Yankee fan, you have to admire the Bosox for keeping Fenway Park as a national treasure. Play ball, and happy 100th anniversary Fenway!