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Huntington Avenue Grounds /
Boston Red Sox / 1901-1911
Seating:
11,500
Fenway Park has been home to the century-old Red Sox franchise
for over 90 years. And while the "lyric little bandbox" is
synonymous with Boston Red Sox baseball, few fans know about
the predecessor to the current stadium, the ballpark that
actually gave birth to the franchise. The American League
began operations in 1901 with eight charter franchises, and
with an announcement on January 28 of that year the team that
would become known as the Red Sox was officially inducted into
the League and the city. The announcement of the team was preceded by Connie Mack's
mission to Boston to locate a tract of land within the city
that would be used for a ballpark. Mack was about to embark on
a career that would gain him notoriety and a place in the Hall
of Fame by managing the Philadelphia Athletics for a
remarkable 50 years, a time in which he amassed a Major League
record 3,731 victories. But first the Massachusetts born Mack made a significant
contribution to the Red Sox when he found suitable land owned
by the Boston Elevated Railroad on the south side of
Huntington Avenue. The plot was located at the intersection of Huntington
Avenue and Rogers (present day Forsyth) Street and was in the
same neighborhood, but on the other side of the railroad
tracks, as the South End Grounds (1871-1915), home of the
Boston National League team. The location was 1.5 miles from
where Fenway Park would eventually be built. The land was purchased by Charles Somers, a wealthy
Cleveland businessman who, at the time of the purchase, was a
part owner in the Cleveland franchise in addition to his title
of American League Vice President. The first home of the Red Sox was built for $35,000 in
1901. Ground was broken for construction on March 9 and was
completed two months later. In between the start and finish of
construction, Somers sold his interest in the Cleveland team
and became Boston's first official owner. When it was completed, the ballpark dubbed Huntington
Avenue Grounds seated 9,000 fans, with room for thousands more
standing behind ropes in the outfield and the ample foul
territory, where 90 feet separated the stands from the
diamond. The initial outfield dimensions were 320 feet down
the lines and a daunting 530 feet to center, which was
expanded to 635 feet in 1908. The ballyard had only a single
entrance with just one turnstile as the team simply known as
the Boston Americans won their first home opener on May 8 when
Cy Young beat Mack's Athletics 12-4. The wood-framed Huntington Avenue Grounds proved to be a
success for the first-year franchise in the new league, as
estimates placed between 289,000 and 322,000 fans through the
sole turnstile, twice as many paid admissions garnered by the
previously established Boston National League team. While the
"Nationals" (later called the Braves) charged 50 cents for
admission, the "Americans" charged only 25 cents for a
grandstand seat. As the Boston Americans began to carve out their niche in
the sport recognized as the National Pastime, the feats
accomplished by the Red Sox franchise in the brief era they
played at Huntington Avenue Grounds were responsible for two
of the game's most noteworthy firsts. The 1903 team would make history as not only Boston's first
champions, but baseball's as well. But before the team left
for spring training in Macon, Georgia it was sold to Milwaukee
lawyer Henry Killilea. Although he owned the club for only a
year, it was one that history recalls fondly for the Red Sox
fan. In a year of firsts, May 7, 1903 marked the beginning of
the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. The first game took place at the
Huntington Avenue Grounds as 5,000 fans watched Boston beat
the Highlanders (or Invaders) 6-2. The team that would
eventually change its nickname to the Yankees spent the first
two years of their existence as the Baltimore Orioles. Prior
to the move to New York they were Boston's main nemesis and
the relocation only strengthened the resolve of what remains
the most storied and intense rivalry in all of sports. But the most memorable event of 1903 in the annals of
baseball history was the beginning of what the press at the
time called the "world's series." The first game of the now
renowned Fall Classic was played in Boston on October 1
between the Red Sox franchise and the National League's
Pittsburgh Pirates. At the time, many did not recognize the
American League as an equal to the National League, which
began in 1876. As a result it was no surprise to many that the
heavily favored Pirates beat Cy Young in Game 1 by a 7-3
score.
Original Price: $35,000
Huntington Grounds after it first opened.
A bronze statue depicting Cy Young was
unveiled in 1993 on the Northeastern campus. Young pitched the first game at the
Huntington Avenue Grounds in 1901. He later pitched in the first World Series
game held in 1903, and one year later threw the first perfect game in the modern
era from the same mound.
A crowd overflows the playing grounds prior to Game 3 of the 1903 World Series. The street behind the left field wall is Huntington Avenue.
The Series can be summed up
from the inscription on a home plate shaped plaque that was
dedicated on May 16, 1956 and still stands as a memento today
on the grounds where the first game took place:
"On October 1, 1903 the first modern World Series between the
American League champion Boston Pilgrims (later known as the
Red Sox) and the National League champion Pittsburgh Pirates
was played on this site. General admission tickets were fifty
cents. The Pilgrims, led by twenty eight game winner Cy Young,
trailed the series three games to one but then swept four
consecutive victories to win the championship five game to
three."
Boston finished off the best-of-nine series in Game 8 at the
Huntington Avenue Grounds on Tuesday, October 13 as 7,455 fans
turned out to watch Boston claim the championship with a 3-0
victory behind Bill Dinneen. The famed Honus Wagner struck out
to end the series.
The next game for the Americans at Huntington Avenue was on
April 18, 1904, as 10,000 fans watched two 30-foot pennants
raised skyward proclaiming Boston as American League Champions
and World Champions.
The very next day the team was officially sold to the
publisher of the Boston Globe, General Charles Taylor, for
$145,000. Taylor turned the team over to his son, John I.
Taylor, and a string of meddlesome ownership that ended with
Harry Freeze's ouster of Babe Ruth began.
Before John I. dismantled the team, Boston won another
American League pennant in 1904, but the National League
champion New York Giants refused to participate in any
post-season activity. As it turned out, the World Series would
not be an official, annual event until 1905. By default, the
Red Sox repeated as World Champions.
Although there was no post-season
play to speak of, Boston fans were treated to another
afternoon of historical significance on May 5, 1904 when Cy
Young threw the first perfect game in baseball's modern
history, a 3-0 masterpiece over the Philadelphia A's.
After ending their two-year title run by finishing in fourth
place in 1905, Boston slumped to a league worst 49-105 in
1906, the first of three consecutive losing seasons, which
were the result of bad baseball judgment from the front
office, specifically John I. Taylor.
Following another dismal campaign in 1907, Taylor decided the
team would start wearing white uniforms with bright red
stockings for home games, and as a result, on December 18
Taylor announced the team would be officially known as the Red
Sox, the nickname that has identified the team ever since.
After giving the team its identity, Taylor decided to give
them a new home. With the lease for the Huntington Avenue
Grounds set to expire following the 1911 season, Taylor
decided to build a new ballpark in the Fenway. The move was
purely a business decision, as Taylor had already decided to
sell the team to James McAleer. Although he would no longer
own the team, Taylor would own the new ballpark, which he
would rent out to the team's new owner, thus ensuring a
financial windfall from the team's sale and continuing profits
from rent for years to come.
The final game ever played at the Huntington Avenue Grounds
was on October 7, 1911 as the Red Sox defeated Washington 8-1.
After the Red Sox left, the park was torn down and eventually
replaced by the Huntington YMCA, which stood from 1916-53.
After Northeastern University acquired the land they built the
Cabot Physical Education Center. To this day the site remains
a bustling hub of athletic activity for the University.
 |
| The plaque above was dedicated in 1956 and is located on the front wall of Northeastern University's Cabot Center. |
Evidence of the Red Sox' humble origins are etched upon a plaque that dates to May 16, 1956. Visible on the outside wall of Cabot Center from the sidewalk that runs parallel to Huntington Avenue, the marker notes that the Northeastern University Physical Education Center occupies "The 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." --By Graham Knight
This history originally appeared on Red Sox Connection.
STATS
| Dimensions | |||
| Year | LF | C | RF |
| 1901 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1902 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1903 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1904 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1905 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1906 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1907 | 350 | 530 | 280 |
| 1908 | 350 | 635 | 320 |
| 1909 | 350 | 635 | 320 |
| 1910 | 350 | 635 | 320 |
| 1911 | 350 | 635 | 320 |
| Year | Attendance | Average | Rank in League | Record | Standing | |
| 1901 | 289,448 | 4,195 | 2nd out of 8 | 79-57 | 2 | |
| 1902 | 348,567 | 4,909 | 2nd out of 8 | 77-60 | 3 | |
| 1903 | 379,338 | 5,419 | 3rd out of 8 | 91-47 | 1 | |
| 1904 | 623,295 | 7,695 | 1st out of 8 | 95-59 | 1 | |
| 1905 | 468,828 | 2,841 | 3rd out of 8 | 78-74 | 4 | |
| 1906 | 410,209 | 6,089 | 8th out of 8 | 49-105 | 8 | |
| 1907 | 436,777 | 5,600 | 4th out of 8 | 59-90 | 7 | |
| 1908 | 473,048 | 6,143 | 3rd out of 8 | 75-79 | 5 | |
| 1909 | 668,965 | 8,069 | 1st out of 8 | 88-63 | 3 | |
| 1910 | 584,619 | 7,308 | 2nd out of 8 | 81-72 | 4 | |
| 1911 | 502,961 | 6,631 | 3rd out of 8 | 78-75 | 5 |
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