Fenway Park Turns 100
The 100 most fascinating characters, moments, and tales in our beloved ballpark's history.
93-97. Fenway’s Best Brawls
- Carlton Fisk vs. Thurman Munson: Munson, the Yankee catcher, adds fuel to the Boston/New York rivalry in 1973 when he punches Fisk on the field, leading to a dramatic bench-clearing dustup.
- Tom Yawkey vs. Fenway Park: On the cusp of realizing the Impossible Dream in 1967, Yawkey informs local media that the Red Sox will not be playing in Fenway Park in five years: “We’ve been losing money. You can’t go on forever. … This is not a threat. Merely a statement of fact.”
- Jimmy Piersall vs. Billy Martin: Center fielder Piersall battles the Yankee second baseman in a 1952 brawl that starts on the field and continues in the narrow corridor that connects both clubhouses.
- Edward “Buddy” LeRoux vs. Boston: On June 6, 1983, the day the Sox are honoring fallen hero Tony Conigliaro, part owner LeRoux mars the festivities with a press conference to announce that he’s taking over the team. LeRoux is later rebuffed in court, and eventually sells his interest in the club.
- Pedro Martinez vs. Don Zimmer: After Manny Ramirez takes exception to a Roger Clemens pitch during the 2003 ALCS, both benches empty. In the melee that follows, Yankee bench coach and former Sox manager Zimmer lunges at Martinez, who throws him to the ground.
98. Roughly 220,000 people took the Fenway tour last year.
99. Sox owner Tom Yawkey tried — unsuccessfully — to annex Lansdowne Street in 1958 so Fenway could be further expanded and renovated.
100. Firefighters battle flames at Fenway during a devastating 1934 fire..jpg)