The Great Ballpark Chase: Fenway Sizzle, Then Fizzle

timothynrussell

Boston’s Fenway Park is one of the most recognizable baseball ballparks in the world.

We’ll start this year’s Great Ballpark Chase series with a pair of questions:

  • What constitutes a ballpark visit?
  • When do you count it as official in your count?

Understandably, there are many answers, but the primary one is: your chase, your rules.

Some say just setting foot in the ballpark is enough. Still others say you must see an actual game, not just a tour of the park. Some will count it if you see a concert or football game instead of a baseball game.

And then there is the question of how long you must stay? Some say you need to be there for the entire game, first pitch to last pitch. Still others say if you hear the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” it’s a visit.

Again, your chase, your rules.

For me, personally, I try to stay for the entire game. I have long had this rule about attendance at any sporting event. I always stay to the last pitch or the final buzzer. Part of that is just wanting to soak in the entire atmosphere and part of it is, even during a blowout, you might see a key moment or something unusual happen.

But there are exceptions. During my Chase, there have been a couple of occasions where I was forced to leave early. I’ll usually count it with an asterisk, meaning I’ll get back there at some point to remove it and see an entire game. When I am forced to leave, it’s usually due to something out of my control, thus allowing me to officially count it.

For example, back in 2016, my brother and I were in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., for a week since the Detroit Tigers were playing Baltimore and Washington.

Our hotel was in Baltimore and the commute between the two cities is usually fairly easy. But the MARC commuter train shuts down before the end of the game and the last Amtrak back to Baltimore leaves around 10 p.m.

We spent the day in D.C. doing some sightseeing before the game, but had to leave about the sixth inning to catch the subway over to Union Station to get that last Amtrak. It ended up being the game Max Scherzer racked up 20 strikeouts against the Tigers so we always joked we saw about 15 of them.

This year, rain got in the way of seeing a game.

I was on the “Hall of Fame Tour” with Coast 2 Coast Sports Tours. We were set to open the tour at Boston’s Fenway Park, but Mother Nature had other ideas.

Fenway Park Tarp
Not everyone gets to see the Fenway Park tarp, right?

We were scheduled for a private tour, rain or shine, which is why I still count it in my tally. The weather was out of my control and due to the itinerary, we couldn’t attend the makeup game the following day. I was able to make a few bucks selling the tickets though:-)

That takes us inside Fenway, which is probably considered the Holy Grail of baseball parks. A national shrine, as former pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee once said. Even without seeing a game there, it was still an awesome feeling just to walk through. There is so much history.

Sure, the seats may put you at a weird angle, looking into center field instead of home plate. And the seats may not be as comfortable as the more modern parks, but there is still something special about being there.

There are also the obstructed views, which – as a metro Detroit native – I became familiar with at the old Tiger Stadium. Chicago’s Wrigley Field is also famous for posts blocking your view.

There are the statues outside of Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and The Teammates (Red Sox greats Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, and Johnny Pesky).

Ted Williams Statue
The Ted Williams statue outside Fenway Park.

And, of course, there is the Green Monster in left field. That is obviously the first thing that strikes you as you walk in. But then you look around and get a feeling of awe, just soaking it all in, quirks and all.

One of the quirks is the ladder on the Green Monster. Before there were seats on top, there used to be nets to catch home runs. Park staff needed the ladder to retrieve the balls. When the Monster seats were added in 2003, they left the ladder in place, which is in play and can yield some crazy caroms.

The Green Monster from a distance and looking straight down the foul pole.

The only ground rule, concerning the ladder, is if it gets stuck then it’s a ground rule double. Otherwise, the ball is in play and can end up with some crazy caroms. The last time a ball struck the ladder was in 2014, when Kansas City’s Omar Infante ended up with a double.

The Green Monster has one of the few hand-operated scoreboards still used today. Some Fenway tours will get you on to the field and inside the Monster. Unfortunately, I was only on the pregame tour, which did not include that. But I was able to go on top the Monster and look straight down the 37 ½ feet to the playing field. Inside the Monster are signatures of many ballplayers who have signed the structure throughout the years.

Other Fenway quirks include Pesky’s Pole, which is the right field foul pole that is just 302 feet from home plate. Pesky is famous for curving home runs around the pole. The left field foul pole is 310 feet down the line. The outfield dimensions are also kind of quirky, it juts out to 379 and 389 feet in left-center, 420 in center field (also known as the Triangle, due to the unique shape of the stands, and 380 in right-center.

Most of the park is painted in Fenway Green, except for one seat. Section 42, row 37, seat 21 in the right field bleachers. That seat is red and is 502 feet from home plate. It marks the longest home run in Fenway history, hit by Williams on June 9, 1946.

Fenway grandstands
Can you spot the red seat which commemorates Ted Williams’ 502-foot homer?

The capacity of Fenway is 37,755, making it one of only seven parks that is less than 40,000. But that part of what keeps the charm and nostalgia of the park. There was a movement to build a new Fenway Park in 1999, but opposition to that rose and the idea faded.

On March 7, 2012, which was Fenway’s centennial year, the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a pending Boston Landmark, which will regulate any further changes to the park.

It is considered to be one of the most well-known sports venues in the world.

While I did not see an actual game in Fenway Park, I’ll still check it off my list (my rules, right?), since I did go inside. At some point, I’ll definitely go back and see a game. For now, it resides as No. 17 out of 30.

One reason to go back is to participate in the singing of “Sweet Caroline,” the song by Neil Diamond. Every eighth inning, fans sing the song during the inning break. I also want to hear the clang of the ball hitting the Green Monster.

While the atmosphere of a tour was great, I’m sure it’s even more electric during a game, especially a rivalry game with the New York Yankees, which is what we were supposed to see.

To paraphrase James Earl Jones’ Terence Mann character from “Field of Dreams,” “I’ll be back. I’ll most definitely be back” to Fenway.

Fenway Farms
Fenway Farms sits atop a roof in the stadium and helps supply herbs and produce.

Previous Installments of the Great Ballpark Chase by Tim Russell