Huntington Avenue Grounds

About Huntington Avenue Grounds

The Huntington Avenue Grounds was the original home of the Boston Americans — the team that would become the Red Sox — from the founding of the American League in 1901 through 1911. Built on the grounds of a former circus lot, the simple wooden ballpark was the site of the first modern World Series in 1903, when the Americans shocked the heavily favored Pittsburgh Pirates, winning five games to three in a best-of-nine format.

Cy Young, perhaps the greatest pitcher in baseball history, called Huntington Avenue home during his Boston years. He won 192 games for the Americans at this park, and his dominance helped establish the American League as a legitimate rival to the older National League. The atmosphere was electric but intimate — standing-room crowds often doubled the official capacity, with fans roped off in the outfield.

The park was demolished in 1912 when Fenway Park opened, but its legacy endures at Northeastern University, which now occupies the site. A bronze statue of Cy Young stands at the exact location of the pitcher's rubber, and a marker designates home plate — making it one of the most historically minded commemorations of a long-gone ballpark in all of American sports.

Fun facts

• Cy Young won 192 games here — the most by any pitcher at a single home park in baseball history.
• A bronze statue of Cy Young now stands at Northeastern University on the exact spot of the pitcher's mound.
• Standing-room crowds regularly doubled the 9,000-seat capacity, with fans standing in roped-off outfield areas.
• The 1903 World Series was a best-of-nine format; Boston won 5-3 in what is considered the first modern Fall Classic.

More historical ballparks

• Houston Astrodome · Houston, Texas
• Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome · Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Jack Murphy Stadium / Qualcomm Stadium · San Diego, California
• Jarry Park Stadium · Montreal, Quebec
• Joe Robbie Stadium / Pro Player Park · Miami, Florida