Braves Field

About Braves Field

When Braves Field opened in 1915, it was the largest baseball stadium in the world, seating 40,000 fans — a staggering capacity for the era. Built along the Charles River in the Allston neighborhood, the park's dimensions were so cavernous that inside-the-park home runs became almost routine. Center field stretched to 550 feet in its early configuration, and the distance to left and right field made true home runs nearly impossible during the park's first decade.

The park gained an unusual footnote in 1916 when the Boston Red Sox actually used Braves Field for two World Series games — Fenway Park was too small to accommodate the demand, so the Sox borrowed their rivals' home. The Braves won their only Boston championship in 1948 with the pitching rotation of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain — whose workload inspired the phrase "Spahn and Sain and pray for rain."

When the Braves relocated to Milwaukee after the 1952 season, Braves Field was sold to Boston University and converted into Nickerson Field, the school's athletics facility. The original main entrance gates still stand on Commonwealth Avenue, and BU's football and soccer programs play on what was once the outfield of one of baseball's grandest stadiums.

Fun facts

• When it opened in 1915, Braves Field was the largest baseball stadium ever built.
• Center field was originally 550 feet deep — making true home runs almost impossible.
• The Red Sox borrowed the park for two 1916 World Series games because Fenway was too small.
• Now Boston University's Nickerson Field; the original entrance gates still stand on Commonwealth Avenue.
• Warren Spahn won 21 games here in 1947, part of the greatest pitching era in Boston Braves history.

More historical ballparks

• Baker Bowl · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Bennett Park · Detroit, Michigan
• Busch Memorial Stadium · St. Louis, Missouri
• Candlestick Park · San Francisco, California
• Cleveland Municipal Stadium · Cleveland, Ohio