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  Fenway Park Photo Gallery

Fenway Park Opens 113 Years Ago Today, April 20, 1912!

As we prepare to enjoy Easter Sunday festivities with family and friends, it’s also a good time to recall that today, April 20, 2025, is the 113^th anniversary of the first game played at Fenway Park. The inaugural contest had been scheduled for two days previously, but rain delayed the opener until the 20^th. Newspaper coverage of the opening was overshadowed by continuing coverage of the sinking of the Titanic five days earlier. 

(The featured photo above shows Fenway in 1912).

It’s always fun to look through box scores of old games, looking for interesting tidbits of information. I found that the game was played between the Red Sox and the New York Highlanders (later the Yankees). It went three hours and ten minutes and resulted in a 7-6 Boston walk-off win in 11 innings in front of 24,000 fans. The first pitch was thrown out by Boston Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, grandfather of future president John F. Kennedy.

The star of the game was the Red Sox’s great Hall of Fame centerfielder, Tris Speaker, who made a game-saving catch in the top of the eleventh. Then in the

bottom of the frame, Speaker’s single with two outs brought home Steve Yerkes with the winning run. Yerkes had reached on an error and then advanced to second on a passed ball.

There must have been plenty of Opening Day jitters, as there were a total of 10 errors in the game, seven by the Red Sox (three by second baseman Steve Yerkes), and three by the Highlanders.

The winning pitcher for the Red Sox was Charley Hall, and the loser was Jim “Hippo” Vaughn, who later gained fame with the Cubs for being the losing pitcher in the only double no-hitter in baseball history.

In addition to Speaker, the Red Sox outfield included Hall of Famer Harry Hooper in right and Duffy Lewis in left. This trio is considered one of the greatest outfields of all time. Their catcher was Bill Carrigan, who later managed the Red Sox to World Series victories in 1915 and 1916. Babe Ruth later commented that Carrigan was the best manager he ever played for.

Besides Hippo Vaughn, other notable players for the Highlanders included Gabby Street, who later managed the St. Louis Cardinals to pennants in 1930 and 1931 and a World Series championship in 1930; and the noted baseball crook, first baseman Hal Chase, who was banned for life by Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Behind the plate was umpire Tom Connolly, later inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Fenway Park is the oldest active ballpark in the major leagues. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantially rebuilt in 1934, when the famed Green Monster was added. Fenway has hosted the World Series eleven times, with the Red Sox winning six of them and the Boston Braves winning one.

Happy Easter!

Gary Livacari

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