Huntington Avenue Grounds
Roxbury, Massachusetts
1903
Located across the
railroad tracks from the Boston Braves’ South End Grounds, the
Huntington Avenue Grounds opened on May 8, 1901
and was the home field for the Boston Pilgrims (later known as the
Boston Red Sox). The park had a huge playing field with a 635-foot deep
center field, a 440-foot left field, and a 280-foot right field.
The Huntington
Avenue Grounds was built to hold 11,500 spectators but often exceeded
that number. It was estimated that 15,000 fans watched Baltimore defeat the Boston Pilgrims on April 19, 1902
at the American League opening day game.
The field was the
site of the first American League versus National League World Series
game on October 1, 1903 between the Boston Pilgrims and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
To accommodate the huge crowd during one of the World’s
Series games, fans were allowed in the outfield and any ball hit into
the crowd was considered a “ground rules” double. The field is also
known for its connection to Cy Young, the indomitable pitcher for the
Boston Pilgrims, who threw the first perfect game in the park on May 5,
1904.
In the 1950s, the field was purchased by Northeastern University, but several plaques have been placed on the site commemorating its importance in Boston's sports history. In 1993, a statue of Cy Young was placed where the pitchers mound was once located.
Resources:
1. Jimmy Collins of the Red Sox at the Huntington Avenue Grounds
Image number: 05_02_010622
Photographer: Bond, E.E. (Edmunds E.), 1871-1969
Roxbury, Massachusetts (ca. 1905)
Collins, wearing dress shoes, cooperates with the photographer in a posed "action" shot. Collins, holding ball, jumps off the bag while another player poses as if diving to bag. Although Collins was a third baseman, posed shot appears to be at second ba
3. Northeastern University expands on site of Huntington Avenue Grounds
Image number: 05_02_010883
Photographer: Eastern Aerial Surveys, Inc.
Roxbury, Massachusetts (1955)
Newspaper caption on verso reads, "The location of the first World Series baseball game, where the Boston Americans defeated the Pittsburgh Nationals in 1903 is gradually being covered by Northeastern buildings. The new $1,500,000 Classroom Laboratory Bu
Sports
Temples of Boston: Images of Historic Ballparks, Arenas and Stadiums,
1872-1972
has been made possible through a Library Services and
Technology Act grant
administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners.
