The Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds was built for $35,000 in 1901. Ground was broken on March 9, 1901 and the first game was played just over two months later on May 8, 1901. A near capacity crowd entered the one turnstile, through the one entrance, and watched Cy Young's Boston Americans (now the Boston Red Sox) crush Connie Macks' Philadelphia Athletics (now the Oakland Athletics) 12-4.
The Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds was the scene of the first ever modern World Series (picture below) and a plaque at Northeastern University now commemorates the location of the site that was once home of the first American League Boston franchise.
"Site of the former Huntington Avenue American League Baseball Grounds, on which in 1903 four games of the first World Series were played; The Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Nationals five games to three; This plaque is located approximately on what was then the left field foul line." - Plaque on wall at Northeastern University Physical Education Center (dedicated on May 16, 1956)
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds
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Data | ||
First Game | 05-08-1901 | |
Last Game | 10-07-1911 | |
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds
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Capacity Changes (Yearly Attendance) |
1901 | 9,000 |
1908 | 11,500 | |
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds
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Data | ||
Backstop | 1901 | 60' |
Left Field | 1901 | 350' |
Left-Center Field | 1901 | 365' |
Center Field | 1901 | 530' |
1908 | 635' | |
Right Field | 1901 | 280' |
1908 | 320' | |
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds
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Data | ||
Fences | 1901 | 14' Wood |
First Night Game | n/a | None Played |
Field Surfaces | 1901 | Grass |
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds |
Most fans know that the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds was home of the 1903 World Series — the first modern Fall Classic, but did you know it was also the scene of the first American League perfect game?
Northeastern University now sits where Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds once proudly stood and a plaque commemorating the site is mentioned at the top of this page. However, probably the nicest "memory" is the bronze statue of Cy Young (pictured below along with the inscription at the base of the statue) that was erected in 1993 where home plate used to be.
CY YOUNG
AT THIS SITE IN OCTOBER 1903
BASEBALL'S WINNINGEST PITCH LED BOSTON
TO VICTORY IN THE FIRST WORLD SERIES
Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds items of interest: A groundskeeper tool shed was built in deep center field and anything hit into the shed was in play; the actual address was 400 Huntington Avenue; and the grass from the playing field was taken to Fenway Park for its field.