Boston’s Red Sox are possibly the most storied franchise in all of baseball, and it’s not a reach to call Fenway Park the most beloved grounds in the USA. Have a look at some facts we’ll bet you didn’t know about!
The Story Behind the Ted Williams Seat
Knowing as much as you can about your favorite team, or even just the one you regularly back when you enjoy online betting can only intensify your enjoyment of their performance. Whichever group you fall in to, if you have ever attended a game at Fenway Park you will have noticed the solitary red seat in the bleachers, situated in the 42nd section, the 37th row, and the 21st seat, to be exact. This is where Mr Ted Williams hit a home run of 502 feet on the 9th of July 1946, which, to date, remains the longest ‘run in the Park’s history. The legend takes us a little deeper.
Joe Boucher, a 56-year old construction worker from Albany New York was in that seat on that day, and the story goes that Williams spotted Boucher nodding off beneath his straw heat. His remedy? Launching a ball directly into that field of bleachers! The ball ripped through Boucher’s hat and hit him on the head, after which he joked that he was a Yankees fan and would be taking the ‘run as a sign from the gods of baseball to never more root against the Sox.
Why Did the Green Monster Get Built?
The Green Monster has become as much a part of the history of the Red Sox as Fenway Park, after being introduced in 1914, when the rest of the ballpark was. But why? What was the reasoning behind a 37-foot wall being put in the left field to start with? The answer was cheapskates trying to watch the Sox play without paying for the privilege.
Tom Yawkey Said No Free Rides
Legend has it that Yawkey, the Red Sox owner at that time, was strolling down Lansdowne Street in Boston’s downtown area when he saw that all of the bars and restaurants lined up along the road had a totally unobstructed view of the ballpark. Deciding right then and there that no one would be watching his team play for free, Yawkey ordered the building of a wall tall enough to stop passersby from sneaking a peek at the action.
Why Is it Called the Green Monster?
The Monster part doesn’t need too much of an explanation. The left-field wall at Fenway is the highest in the whole of baseball at 27 feet. But why Green?
No doubt in order to recoup the cost of its erection, the original Green Monster was completely covered up in adverts until 1947. That was the year it received a coating of Fen Green paint, now known as Monster Green. A journalist later baptised it The Green Monster, which is a lot more interesting than its previous moniker: The Wall.