‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎Fenway Park Timeline

Record: 105-47, 1st in American League
Manager: J. Garland (Jake) Stahl
Attendance: 597,096
Postseason: Won World Series

The Red Sox opened the 1912 season with new ownership and a new ballpark. General Charles H. Taylor and his son John I. Taylor had sold controlling interest in the team to James McAleer in September 1911, but the Taylor family stayed on as overseers of construction on the club's new ballpark. After a feverish winter of work, Fenway Park, the new home of the Boston Red Sox, was ready for an April 9 exhibition against Harvard College, a 2-0 contest the Sox won amidst snow flurries. Opening Day of the regular season was scheduled for April 18, 1912 and not only did that day get rained out, but both Patriots Day games on the following day did as well - and the newspaper headlines focused mainly on the sinking of the steamship Titanic, which had sunk on April 15.

When the Sox finally took the field for the first official game on April 20, 1912, some 27,000 fans saw the Red Sox prevail in a 7-6, extra-innings victory over the New York Highlanders (renamed the Yankees in 1913). Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, a prominent member of the Royal Rooters fan club and grandfather of future President John F. Kennedy, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

One of James McAleer's first moves had been to entice back first baseman Jake Stahl, who had not played in 1911, making him the manager and giving him a small ownership share. Under Stahl's leadership, the Red Sox secured a hold on first place by June 15 that they never surrendered.

The 1912 Red Sox pitching staff was led by 22-year-old Smoky Joe Wood, who went 34-5 (including 35 complete games) with a 1.91 ERA. Wood's start on September 6, 1912 against Walter Johnson was considered the game of the year, with Wood prevailing 1-0 for his record-tying 16th consecutive victory before a packed Fenway Park. Wood was joined on the staff by two other 20-game winners, Buck O'Brien and Hugh Bedient, as well as the steady Charley Hall and Ray Collins.

With a .383 batting average, 90 RBIs, and a league-leading 10 home runs and 53 doubles, center fielder Tris Speaker was the 1912 American League winner of the Chalmers Award (the equivalent of the Most Valuable Player, presented by the eponymous motor car company). Speaker played a spectacular center field and had three lengthy hitting streaks during the 1912 season.

The Red Sox finished the season with a 105-47 record, which is still the best winning percentage in team history. The team also compiled the largest run differential in franchise history, scoring 799 runs while only allowing 544. Boston in particular dominated New York, with the Sox winning 19 of the season series' 21 contests, and finishing 55 games ahead of the Highlanders, the largest gap ever between the two teams.

The Red Sox went on to face the robust New York Giants in the 1912 World Series. Boston jumped out to a 3-1 series lead, but dropped the next two to force a winner-take-all finale at Fenway. The Sox trailed 2-1 in the final game heading into the bottom of the 10th inning, but Giants center fielder Fred Snodgrass' dropped fly ball gave the Sox life and set the stage for Larry Gardner's game-winning sacrifice fly, clinching Boston's first World Series title in Fenway Park.

Fenway's First Home Run

When Fenway Park first opened, the most prominent feature that greeted fans was the exceptionally tall left-field wall. At a time when home runs were few and far between, almost no one believed that a hitter could ever send a ball above and beyond the towering structure.

Yet on April 26, 1912, an unlikely figure etched his name in Fenway Park lore with an historic shot to left field. Boston backup first baseman Hugh Bradley, a Central Massachusetts native with only one previous round-tripper in his big league career, hit Fenway Park's first home run against the Philadelphia Athletics during the team's fifth home game in their new park.

The shot was Bradley's lone home run of the season, and the final one of his career. After the 1912 season, Bradley went on to play two seasons in the Federal League before bouncing around the minor leagues for several years and then retiring. But Bradley's home run on April 26, 1912 lives on in baseball history as the first of many home runs hit at Fenway Park.

The 1912 World Series

The 1912 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants began at the Polo Grounds, with 300 of Boston's Royal Rooters taking the train to Gotham for Game One. The Boston contingent included a 30-piece brass band and most of the group wore bright red sweaters with matching hatbands and carried pennants proclaiming "Red Sox World's Champs." Boston Mayor and prominent Royal Rooter John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald led the group in the singing of "Tessie," a song that the Rooters used in Boston's first World Series played against Pittsburgh in 1903. The cheering worked and Boston won Game One, 4-3.

On Wednesday, October 9, 1912, Fenway Park hosted Game Two, the first World Series game at the new park. The contest ended in a 6-6 tie when the game was called after 11 innings due to darkness. At the time, it was only the second World Series game to end in a tie, the first being Game One of the 1907 Series.

On October 10, 1912, before Game Three at Fenway Park, Tris Speaker was given a Chalmers Roadster for winning the season's MVP award and he took the car for a spin before the game. After Boston dropped Game Three to the Giants, the series alternated between the two cities. The Red Sox won the next two games, giving them a 3-1 series lead, but, facing elimination, the Giants won Game Six at home to force a return to Boston.

Up three games to two (not counting the tie), the Royal Rooters marched into Fenway Park on October 15 hoping to witness the clinching victory at home. Led by their band, the Rooters marched to Fenway only to find that their accustomed seats had been sold to others. The game was held up while police restrained the Rooters, who were stirred into a near riot. The Giants beat the Red Sox 11-4 in Game Seven, setting up a series-deciding, winner-take-all finale the next day.

Capping what is considered by many to be the greatest World Series ever played, Game Eight was held at Fenway Park but, due to a boycott staged by the still-furious Rooters, it was witnessed by only 17,000 fans. The pitching was superb, pitting the Giants' already legendary Christy Mathewson (whose 23-12 record in 1912 represented his 10th consecutive 20-plus win season) against 22-year-old rookie Hugh Bedient, who was 20-9 with a 2.92 ERA in 1912. Both pitchers were outstanding but the Giants led 1-0 when the Red Sox came to bat in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and two on, pinch-hitter extraordinaire Olaf Henriksen stepped in for Bedient and doubled in the game-tying run.

Smoky Joe Wood took over for Bedient and shut the Giants down in the eighth and ninth. But the Red Sox failed to generate any offense, and the game entered extra innings. With one out in the top of the 10th, New York's Red Murray hit a double and then scored on teammate Fred Merkle's single. Now leading 2-1, Mathewson started the bottom of the 10th by inducing pinch-hitter Clyde Engle to lift a routine fly ball to center field, but New York's Fred Snodgrass dropped the ball, and Engle wound up on second base.

The play went down in baseball lore as the "$30,000 muff," as that amount was the difference between the collective winners' and losers' shares. Harry Hooper promptly smacked a ball to Snodgrass, who made a truly great catch - but Engle tagged up and took third. After Steve Yerkes walked, Tris Speaker hit a foul pop-up but it fell between Merkle and Meyers. Given new life, Speaker singled, tying the score, and Yerkes took third. Mathewson intentionally walked Duffy Lewis to put a force at every base, but Larry Gardner hit a long sacrifice fly to deep right field and Yerkes ran home to give the Red Sox the World Series victory.

The Giants had out-hit the Red Sox (.270 to .220) and outscored the Red Sox by six runs. Their pitching was much better overall (an earned run average of 1.59 to Boston's 2.92) but timing was everything, as it often is, and the Red Sox came out on top. After the series, thousands upon thousands of delirious Red Sox fans lined the celebration route from Fenway Park to Faneuil Hall, where Mayor Fitzgerald welcomed the 1912 World Champions.

Just three months after the start of construction in late September 1911, the new home of the Boston Red Sox was quickly taking shape. Former Owner John I. Taylor had sold controlling interest in the club to James McAleer shortly before construction commenced but Taylor remained heavily involved as the overseer of construction. Under Taylor's leadership, building efforts proceeded at a breakneck pace: the foundations for the facility were already in place by the start of the New Year and the roof had also been framed.

The asymmetrical piece of land that the Taylors had bought in early 1911, combined with the family's wish to utilize the entire parcel, resulted in a ballpark with unique field dimensions. Because all games in the early twentieth century were played during the day, the orientation of the sun to the playing field was a crucial factor. To keep the solar glare out of batters' eyes in the late afternoon hours, home plate was placed in the southwest area of the plot, with the third base line pointing northward.

The new ballpark was ready to hold baseball crowds by the start of the 1912 regular season, but certain areas remained incomplete and the initial plan to build a second deck was abandoned due to the hastened timetable for construction. When it opened, the single-decked grandstand seating areas, both around the infield and down the right-field line, were made of steel and concrete. There were wooden bleacher sections in center field, but other areas didn't have any seating. There were no seats down the left-field line, while the right-field bleachers had also not been built (in fact, there was a large parking lot beyond right field that was used throughout the 1912 season).

The new ballpark had a towering left-field fence and a steep incline in front of the wall that took on the nickname, "Duffy's Cliff," in honor of Red Sox Hall of Famer Duffy Lewis, the starting left fielder for the 1912 team who adeptly handled this tricky part of the field's layout.

When explaining his reason for choosing the new park's name, Taylor casually and rhetorically asked, "because [the park's] in the Fenway, isn't it?" The fact that the appellation provided free publicity for the Taylor family's Fenway Realty Company didn't hurt either.

Fenway Park hosted its first game on April 9, 1912, an exhibition the Red Sox won 2-0 over Harvard University. The park's first official, regular season game was played on April 20, 1912, a contest between the Red Sox and New York Highlanders that drew a crowd of 27,000 fans. On May 17, the formal dedication of Fenway Park took place.

The Red Sox celebrated their first season in the park by winning 105 games, still their highest total in club history, and earned a World Series berth against the National League Champion New York Giants. In preparation for the series, Fenway Park underwent further renovations in September to accommodate the larger crowds expected for the match-up and by the start of Fenway Park's first World Series, the left field and right field bleachers had been built, along with temporary seating in front of the left-field wall and in the outfield.

September 1912 Construction

With baseball fervor peaking as the 1912 regular season came to a close, capacity crowds were expected for the World Series tilt between the Red Sox and the Giants. Boston hadn't been to the Series since 1903, and anticipation for the club's battle with John McGraw's mighty New York club resounded throughout the city.

While the Red Sox were on an early to mid-September road trip through the Midwest, over 10,000 seats were added to handle the expected crowds. In left and right field, bleacher sections were completed and held approximately 4,500 fans each. In addition, temporary seating, which accommodated over 1,000 spectators during the 1912 World Series, was added on Duffy's Cliff in front of the left-field wall and additional seats were built in front of the grandstand beyond each dugout. For the first time, Fenway Park was fully enclosed.

When the team returned home from its road trip on September 23, the sheer number of fans greeting the players confirmed the wisdom of the construction efforts. An estimated 220,000 people lined a route that the team traveled from South Station to the Boston Common, where Mayor Fitzgerald presented each player with a key to the city.

In Fenway Park's inaugural year, the ballpark also hosted amateur baseball games featuring local teams. The first such game ended in a tie when a team from the Christian Science Monitor newspaper played the Somerville Independents for 12 innings on July 27. A week later, the two teams played a do-over of the tie game with the Monitor team emerging victorious. On August 8, the Monitor squad played at Fenway Park again, this time against the Boston Transcript in a newspaper league game, and two days later, the Winthrop Knights of Columbus defeated the Lynn Elks club in seven innings. These four games in the middle of Fenway's first summer were the first of many amateur baseball games in Fenway Park's history.

1912 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

July 27 -- Christian Science Monitor 8, Somerville Independents 8 (12 Innings) (Tie)

August 3 -- Christian Science Monitor 4, Somerville Independents 1

August 8 -- Christian Science Monitor 2, Boston Transcript 1

August 10 -- Winthrop Knights of Columbus 3, Lynn Elks 1 (7 Innings)

The 1912 World Series wasn't the only championship decided at Fenway Park in its inaugural year. On November 30, 1912, Oak Park High School of Illinois faced off against local Everett High School in the National High School Football Championship Game. Boston Latin High School and Boston English High School also played a late-November football game in 1912 and the Boston Lodge of Elks held a field day in August that included an appearance by famous athlete Jim Thorpe.

1912 Non-Baseball Events At Fenway Park

August 10 -- Boston Lodge of Elks Field Day

November 28 -- Boston Latin 7, Boston English 6 (Football)

November 30 -- Oak Park High School (IL) 32, Everett High School (MA) 12 (Football)

Oak Park High School (IL) Defeats Everett High School (MA)

On November 30, 1912, Oak Park High School (IL), led by future Hall of Fame coach Robert Zuppke, defeated Everett High School by a score of 32-14 in the National High School Football Championship Game. A crowd of over 10,000 filled the bleachers and was described in the following excerpt from the game account from the Boston Evening Record:

"The Oak Park squad came onto the field amid a momentary hush and then the Everett cohorts gave a lusty yell for the westerners that seemed to put added life into the practice, and they charged up and down the gridiron with speed, their husky backs keeping well together in interference.

The Everett players watched their antagonists with a great deal of attention, each man giving his opponent for the afternoon a sizing up.

When the Everett boys went out for their practice the entire crowd rose and gave a cheer that would have done credit to the Harvard cheering section." (Boston Evening Record, December 1, 1912)

Just prior to the game, fans spilled from the bleachers onto the field and had to be restrained by mounted police summoned by Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald.

Despite the heroics of Everett's captain Charlie Brickley, Coach Cleo O'Donnell's Everett team couldn't match the razzle and dazzle style employed by Oak Park. At times the Illinois team made as many as six laterals before charging forward in an attack that wowed fans and sportswriters alike.

Oak Park's victory represented their third title in the first three years of the competition and was also Zuppke's last game at Oak Park prior to taking over the football program at the University of Illinois. At Illinois, Zuppke led his squad to four national titles.

The first regular season National League games at Fenway Park took place on April 13, 1913 when the Boston Braves hosted the New York Giants for a doubleheader, since Fenway offered greater seating capacity than the home of the Braves, the South End Grounds. Though the Braves lost both games that day, they returned to Fenway on May 30, 1913 for a Memorial Day doubleheader against Brooklyn and won their first regular season game at Fenway Park in the second game.

On May 6, 1913, Fenway Park hosted its first high school baseball game when local High School of Commerce defeated Columbia Park Boys High of San Francisco, 24-0. The next day, Noble & Greenough beat the Volkmann School 1-0 in a very exciting private school game. After the Red Sox season ended, Obrion, Russell & Co. (an insurance company) played Old Colony Trust Company (a banking company).

1913 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

April 19: New York Giants 7, Boston Braves 2

April 19: New York Giants 10, Boston Braves 3

May 6: High School of Commerce 24, Columbia Park Boys High of San Francisco 0

May 7: Noble & Greenough 1, Volkmann School 0

May 30: Brooklyn Dodgers 2, Boston Braves 1

May 30: Boston Braves 7, Brooklyn Dodgers 6

October 11: Obrion, Russell & Co. 9, Old Colony Trust Company 5

Having bought a vacant lot at 70 Brookline Avenue (between modern-day Gates A and E) in January 1913, New Hampshire Governor John Smith began turning the space into a functional commercial area in 1914. Over time, various auto companies and media outlets have called this area home, including the New England Sports Network, which launched in 1984. Known today as the Jeano Building, this space currently houses many of the Red Sox offices and owes its name to longtime Red Sox Owner Tom Yawkey, whose Jeano Company (named after his wife, Jean) bought the 70 Brookline Avenue plot in 1955. Together, the Jeano Building, the Fenway plot the Taylor family bought in early 1911 and the Fenway Garage structure completed in 1913 comprise the three-part facility we know today as Fenway Park.

For the second time in three years, Fenway Park hosted the World Series. However, in 1914, it was the Braves and not the Red Sox who represented Boston. On August 3, 1914, Red Sox President Joseph Lannin sent a telegram to Braves President James Gaffney offering the use of Fenway Park (free of charge) in place of the smaller South End Grounds where the Braves played their home games. A month later, on September 3, Gaffney wired Lannin that the Braves would play their remaining home games at the American League park.

Though the Braves had used Fenway Park before, they officially called the ballpark home for the rest of the 1914 regular season, starting with a Labor Day doubleheader against the New York Giants on September 7. Two days later, in the second game of another doubleheader at Fenway Park, the Braves' George Davis pitched the first no-hitter in the ballpark's history, a 7-0 win over Philadelphia. The "Miracle Braves" went on to win the National League pennant and swept the 1914 World Series, winning Games Three and Four at Fenway Park.

In addition to the Braves, a few high school and college baseball teams were able to play at Fenway Park in 1914 and on August 17, a five-inning, rain-shortened game was played as part of a Progressive Party field day that was attended by former President Theodore Roosevelt.

1914 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

April 11: Tufts 6, Dartmouth 4

June 12: English High School 16, High School of Commerce 3

June 15: Boston College High 2, Rindge Technical School 1

June 15: Holy Cross 8, Boston College 0

June 17: Harvard 7, Yale 3

June 20: Yale 13, Harvard 8

August 1: Boston Braves 4, St. Louis Cardinals 3 (10 Innings)

August 8: Boston Braves 4, Cincinnati Reds 3 (10 Innings)

August 17: Progressive Party Field Day: Beverly Progressives 5, Irish Athletic Association Club 0 (5 Innings)

September 7: Boston Braves 5, New York Giants 4

September 7: New York Giants 10, Boston Braves 1

September 8: Boston Braves 8, New York Giants 3

September 9: Philadelphia Phillies 10, Boston Braves 3

September 9: Boston Braves 7, Philadelphia Phillies 0

September 10: Boston Braves 3, Philadelphia Phillies 0

September 10: Boston Braves 7, Philadelphia Phillies 2

September 11: Boston Braves 6, Philadelphia Phillies 5

September 12: Brooklyn Robins 4, Boston Braves 3

September 14: Boston Braves 4, Brooklyn Robins 3

September 15: Boston Braves 7, Brooklyn Robins 5

September 16: Boston Braves 6, St. Louis Cardinals 3

September 17: Boston Braves 5, St. Louis Cardinals 1

September 18: Boston Braves 1, St. Louis Cardinals 1 (Tie)

September 19: Boston Braves 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

September 21: Boston Braves 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5

September 22: Boston Braves 8, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

September 23: Boston Braves 3, Cincinnati Reds 2

September 23: Cincinnati Reds 3, Boston Braves 0

September 24: Boston Braves 5, Cincinnati Reds 0

September 24: Boston Braves 2, Cincinnati Reds 2 (Tie)

September 25: Boston Braves 2, Cincinnati Reds 0

September 25: Boston Braves 4, Cincinnati Reds 3

September 26: Boston Braves 6, Chicago Cubs 2

September 26: Boston Braves 12, Chicago Cubs 2

September 28: Boston Braves 7, Chicago Cubs 6

September 29: Boston Braves 3, Chicago Cubs 2

October 12: Boston Braves 5, Philadelphia Athletics 4 (World Series Game 3) (12 Innings)

October 13: Boston Braves 3, Philadelphia Athletics 1 (World Series Game 4)

September 7, 1914
 Braves Split Labor Day Doubleheader With Giants

Newspaper accounts estimated the crowd for the September 7 morning/afternoon doubleheader between the surging Boston Braves and John McGraw's New York Giants to be anywhere from 73,000 to 80,000 fans. The crowds began gathering on Lansdowne Street at 7:30 AM for the morning game, which was scheduled for 10 AM. Ticket scalpers made easy money hawking $1.00 grandstand tickets for $5.00 and $0.75 general admission tickets for $2.50. Once the stands were filled, the overflow crowd was allowed to spill onto the outfield and many more perched themselves at the base of Duffy's Cliff.

The throng's cheers could be heard on Beacon Hill and Boston Common as they roared at the pre-game antics of Braves shortstop and Springfield native Rabbit Maranville who entertained the capacity crowd by taking throws while sitting on the second base bag and throwing strikes home while remaining seated.

The Braves captured the first game in dramatic fashion, as Johnny Evers stroked a two-run double off Christy Mathewson to secure a 5-4 decision. The second game was a 10-1 Giants rout marred by the near riot precipitated by New York outfielder Fred Snodgrass, who thumbed his nose to both the Braves and the crowd after being hit by a Lefty Tyler pitch. The crowd reacted by pelting Snodgrass with a barrage of garbage. Amidst the chaos Boston Mayor James M. Curley, demanding that Snodgrass be ejected from the game, scampered onto the field and called for a police escort for the Giants' outfielder. Despite the disappointing loss in the second game, the Braves had done nothing less than capture both the heart and imagination of Boston in one dramatic day at Fenway Park.

October 12-13, 1914
 The 1914 World Series At Fenway Park

After taking the first two games of the 1914 World Series from the heavily-favored Athletics in Philadelphia, the "Miracle Braves" returned to Fenway Park and took Game Three in a 12-inning thriller. Looking to close out the A's in Game Four, Braves captain Johnny Evers stroked a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to break a 1-1 tie. Before a crowd that was slightly smaller than the Labor Day throng from a month earlier, the Braves held onto their 3-1 lead, sweeping Philadelphia in one of the greatest upsets in World Series history.

After winning the World Series at Fenway Park in 1914, the Boston Braves continued to use the home of the Red Sox in 1915, while their new ballpark, Braves Field, was being built. After playing a pair of April exhibition games against New England colleges, the Braves played at Fenway Park until the end of July. Braves Field opened on August 18, 1915, though the Braves' final home game at Fenway Park came three weeks earlier thanks to a lengthy road trip that lasted from July 27 through August 16. During the 1915 season, the Braves went 32-19 at Fenway Park with one tie game, bringing their cumulative regular season record at Fenway Park (including four games in 1913 and the latter part of the 1914 season) to 56-26-3.

1915 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

April 10: Boston College High School 19, Cambridge Latin 2

April 12: Boston Braves 7, Harvard College 3

April 13: Boston Braves 6, Brown University 0

April 14: Philadelphia Phillies 3, Boston Braves 0

April 15: Philadelphia Phillies 7, Boston Braves 1

April 17: Boston Braves 5, Brooklyn Robins 1

April 19: Boston Braves 7, Brooklyn Robins 2

April 19: Boston Braves 6, Brooklyn Robins 4

April 20: Boston Braves 4, Brooklyn Robins 3

April 21: Brooklyn Robins 8, Boston Braves 4

May 6: New York Giants 3, Boston Braves 1

May 7: Boston Braves 11, New York Giants 7

May 8: Boston Braves 4, New York Giants 3

May 10: Boston Braves 14, New York Giants 9

May 11: St. Louis Cardinals 5, Boston Braves 1

May 13: Boston Braves 6, St. Louis Cardinals 2

May 14: St. Louis Cardinals 5, Boston Braves 4

May 15: Pittsburgh Pirates 10, Boston Braves 6

May 18: Boston Braves 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

May 19: Pittsburgh Pirates 7, Boston Braves 0

May 20: Boston Braves 4, Cincinnati Reds 2

May 21: Chicago Cubs 3, Boston Braves 2

May 22: Chicago Cubs 5, Boston Braves 4

May 24: Chicago Cubs 9, Boston Braves 1

May 25: Boston Braves 3, Cincinnati Reds 1

May 27: Cincinnati Reds 6, Boston Braves 0

May 28: Boston Braves 5, Philadelphia Phillies 2

May 28: Boston Braves 5, Philadelphia Phillies 4

May 29: Boston Braves 9, Philadelphia Phillies 4

May 31: Boston Braves 2, Philadelphia Phillies 1

May 31: Philadelphia Phillies 5, Boston Braves 2

June 1: Boston Braves 7, New York Giants 0

June 2: Boston Braves 5, New York Giants 5 (Tie)

June 3: New York Giants 10, Boston Braves 3

June 22: Boston Braves 3, Brooklyn Robins 2

June 23: Boston Braves 3, Brooklyn Robins 2

June 24: Boston Braves 6, Brooklyn Robins 0

July 9: Boston Braves 4, St. Louis Cardinals 3

July 10: St. Louis Cardinals 7, Boston Braves 1

July 10: Boston Braves 3, St. Louis Cardinals 1

July 12: St. Louis Cardinals 2, Boston Braves 1

July 12: St. Louis Cardinals 4, Boston Braves 3

July 13: Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Boston Braves 1

July 13: Boston Braves 7, Pittsburgh Pirates 6

July 15: Boston Braves 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2

July 16: Boston Braves 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5

July 17: Boston Braves 3, Cincinnati Reds 2

July 17: Boston Braves 3, Cincinnati Reds 2

July 19: Boston Braves 4, Cincinnati Reds 1

July 20: Boston Braves 6, Cincinnati Reds 2

July 21: Cincinnati Reds 2, Boston Braves 1

July 22: Boston Braves 4, Chicago Cubs 3

July 23: Boston Braves 2, Chicago Cubs 1

July 24: Boston Braves 1, Chicago Cubs 0

July 26: Boston Braves 1, Chicago Cubs 0

Fenway Park hosted three amateur baseball games in 1916, including a Massachusetts Police baseball league playoff game between the Boston Police and the Newton Police.

1916 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

May 26: Noble & Greenough 16, Volkmann School 2

September 2: Pere Marquette Council, Knights of Columbus of South Boston 3, Salvador Council of New York 2

September 21: Boston Police 10, Newton Police 6

On September 4, 1916, the Galway Men's Association held a field day at Fenway Park with competitions that included hurling and two football matches. Six days later, 15,000 Odd Fellows gathered at the ballpark for a religious and patriotic service. The group proceeded down Tremont Street, Boylston Street and Commonwealth Avenue, before marching into Fenway Park for a rousing rally before an enthusiastic crowd. Amateur football games filled the Fenway docket during late October, November and early December, including a memorable victory by Boston College over their rival Holy Cross.

1916 Non-Baseball Events At Fenway Park

September 4: Galway Men's Association Field Day

September 10: Odd Fellows Religious Service

October 20: High School of Commerce 21, Lowell High 19 (Football)

October 27: Boston College High 52, South Boston High 0 (Football)

October 30: High School of Commerce 13, Brockton High 0 (Football)

November 1: Boston English 25, Mechanic Arts 0 (Football)

November 15: Boston Latin 3, Mechanic Arts 0 (Football)

November 16: Boston English 27, Brockton High 0 (Football)

November 17: High School of Commerce 27, Dorchester High 0 (Football)

November 18: Rindge Tech 17, Boston College High 0 (Football)

November 23: Boston English 20, High School of Commerce 7 (Football)

November 25: Syracuse 20, Tufts 13 (Football)

November 30: Boston English 13, Boston Latin 0 (Football)

December 2: Boston College 17, Holy Cross 14 (Football)

December 9: Somerville High 7, DePaul Academy (IL) 0 (Football)

September 10, 1916
 Thousands Cheer Odd Fellows On Their Three Mile March To Fenway Park

On a weekend during which the Red Sox battled the Washington Senators at Griffith Park in their quest for back-to-back pennants, Fenway Park answered to a higher calling.

Under sunny skies and balmy conditions, thousands of Bostonians cheered 15,000 Odd Fellows representing 200 lodges of Massachusetts as they marched down Boylston and Tremont streets before heading down Commonwealth Avenue towards Fenway Park to hold their annual "Church Day of the Triple Link League of the I.O.O.F."

Among the highlights of their ballpark ceremony was a flag parade featuring 75 flag bearers who marched and countermarched across the Fenway diamond before standing at attention as the crowd thundered forth "The Star Spangled Banner."

In the principal address delivered from a platform located directly over the pitcher's mound, Past Grand Master Joseph Belcher remarked:

"In the olden days, our forefathers in their deep religious feeling, worshipped only in a building of God, deeming it somewhat irreligious to worship in the open air. But who among us cannot feel the inspiration of worshipping our lord and master under the blue canopy of heaven? Surely there can be no one in this present day and generation, who, because of inherited prejudice can fail to catch the splendor of this hour." (Boston Post, September 11, 1916)

After several more speakers, the ceremony closed with the crowd singing "America" to the accompaniment of 10 bands.

December 2, 1916
 Boston College 17, Holy Cross 14

On a Saturday that Bostonians celebrated Thanksgiving, the fans of Boston College were justified in feeling Christmas may have come early.

Of the memorable game, Boston Globe sportswriter Lawrence J. Sweeney wrote:

"For 17 long years, Boston College had awaited the day when her football team should triumph over its time-honored rival from Worcester and yesterday at Fenway Park, as the shadows of eventide crept over the gridiron, her fondest hopes were realized." (Boston Sunday Globe, December 3, 1916)

A crowd of 8,000 that included Mayor James M. Curley and Cardinal William O'Connell attended the historic game.

In the midst of the 1917 Red Sox season, four other baseball games were played at Fenway Park, including the third Fenway match-up between Noble & Greenough and the Volkmann School.

1917 Non-Red Sox Baseball At Fenway Park

May 25: Volkmann School, Noble & Greenough 4

June 20: Mechanic Arts High 8, High School of Commerce 3

August 3: St. John's A. C. of Cambridge 6, Boston Tigers 5

August 13: Boston Printers 8, New York Printers 2

Record: 66-71, 6th in American League
Manager: Edward G. Barrow
Attendance: 417,291

For the first time since 1908, the Red Sox finished below .500, going 66-71 en route to a distant sixth place finish.

Boston's top two pitchers were Herb Pennock (16-8, 2.71 ERA) and Allen Russell (10-4, 2.52 ERA). On May 20, Pennock pitched to the minimum 27 batters, despite giving up three singles. Babe Ruth won nine games but primarily played the outfield and was a star in the batter's box. In 1919, Ruth set a Major League Baseball single-season record with 29 home runs, four of which were grand slams.

The season started nicely with back-to-back shutouts, but it didn't take long to deteriorate and dissension soon permeated the clubhouse. On July 13, Carl Mays bolted the team mid-game, angry at the sloppy fieldwork behind him. Frazee traded Mays to the Yankees soon thereafter, triggering a lengthy controversy with American League President Ban Johnson.

During the September 1919 Boston Police Strike, there was a report that a gang of gunmen had travelled from New York planning to rob Fenway Park. With the local police unavailable, the state militia and volunteer policemen lined the streets outside the park before the team's September 11 doubleheader. Three days later, there was serious discussion about the Red Sox playing all their remaining "home" games at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field until the police strike was resolved.

September 20, 1919 was Babe Ruth Day at Fenway Park, and he hit his 27th home run of the season in what turned out to be his last game in Boston as a player for the Red Sox. In a sign of the rift between Ruth and the club, Ruth complained that Harry Frazee had made the star's wife pay for her own ticket. On the day after Christmas, Frazee sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, borrowing $350,000 as part of the deal and putting up Fenway Park as collateral.