July 27, 2015

1787 UNITED STATES (Massachusetts) - Baseball at Fenway Park in Boston


Located at 4 Yawkey Way near Kenmore Square, Fenway Park is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, being the home of the Boston Red Sox team even since it was opened in 1912. Nevertheless, or maybe because of that, is the fourth smallest among MLB ballparks by seating capacity, second smallest by total capacity, and one of eight that cannot accommodate at least 40,000 spectators. The park has been renovated or expanded many times, resulting in quirky features including The Triangle, Pesky's Pole, and the Green Monster in left field.

Fenway has hosted the World Series ten times, with the Red Sox winning five of them, and the Braves (then of Boston) winning one. Beside baseball games it has been the site of many other sporting and cultural events including professional football games for the Boston Redskins, Boston Yanks, and the Boston Patriots; concerts; soccer and hockey games; and political and religious campaigns. Former pitcher Bill Lee has called Fenway Park "a shrine". Today, the park is considered to be one of the most well-known sports venues in the world.

Founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Boston Red Sox have won 8 World Series, having appeared in 12. The name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, around 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings". Boston defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first World Series in 1903 and won four more championships until 1918. However, they then went into one of the longest championship droughts in baseball history, called by some the "Curse of the Bambino" after its alleged beginning with the sale of Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees in 1920, an 86-year wait before the team's sixth World Championship in 2004.

About the stamps
The first stamp is part of Wedding series, about which I wrote here. The last is part of the series Medal of Honor: World War II, about which I wrote here.

References
Fenway Park - Wikipedia
Boston Red Sox - Wikipedia

Sender: Denise 
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 08.01.2014
Photo: Jonathan J. Klein

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