Home of the
Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from their inception in 1901 until the opening of
Fenway Park in 1912.
The Huntington Avenue Grounds were built on top of an abandoned circus lot,
across the railroad tracks from the Boston Braves park, the South End Grounds. However, the Red Sox didn't bother to change the dimensions of the lot, and failed to maintain the outfield properly. This led to large patches of sand where grass refused to grow, and rolling hills and large weeds in the outfield. Center field was 635 feet from home plate (most modern parks measure little more than 400 feet), and included a large tool shed that was in play. Right field, however, was only 280 feet, and this combination of odd dimensions led the Boston American League team to lead the league in home runs.
The Huntington Avenue Grounds was the site of the first perfect game in modern baseball history, as Cy Young accomplished the feat on May 5, 1904, against the Philadelphia Athletics. The Grounds also hosted the first World Series in 1903 between the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The first three games were played in Boston, as well as the decided eighth game, won by the Red Sox.
Today, the site of the Huntington Avenue Grounds is occupied by Northeastern University. There is a plaque commemorating the park where the right field foul pole used to be, and there is a statue of Cy Young near the site of the pitcher's mound.