Green Monster 180809 226082549 2008-07-16T19:19:53Z 216.179.123.198 odd spacing {{otheruses1|the left-field wall at [[Fenway Park]]}} [[Image:Green Monster 2006.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Green Monster in 2006, showing the manual scoreboard and Green Monster seating, and more recent additions, including charity advertisements along the top, billboards above the Green Monster seating, and the [[American League East]] standings.]] The '''Green Monster''' (often known simply as '''The Monster''') is the nickname of the 37-foot, two-inch (11.3 m) left field wall at [[Fenway Park]], home to the [[Boston Red Sox]] [[baseball]] team. Part of the original ballpark construction of [[1917 in baseball|1912]], the wall is made of wood, but was covered in tin and concrete in [[1934 in baseball|1934]], and then hard plastic in [[1976 in baseball|1976]]. A manual [[scoreboard]] is set into the wall. Despite the name, the Green Monster was not painted green until [[1947 in baseball|1947]]; before that it was covered with advertisements. The "Monster" designation is relatively new. For most of its history it was simply called '''The Wall'''. The wall is the highest among [[Major League Baseball]] fields, and is the second highest among all professional baseball fields (including [[minor leagues]]), falling approximately six inches short of the left field wall, the [[Sovereign Bank Stadium#The Arch Nemesis|"Arch Nemesis"]], at [[Sovereign Bank Stadium]] in [[York, PA]]. The York wall, however, is smaller horizontally, making the Monster's approximately 9000 sq. ft. area significantly larger than the [[Sovereign Bank Stadium#The Arch Nemesis|"Arch Nemesis"]]. The phenomenal depth of the "Arch Nemesis" makes it the volume winner with 144,000 cubic feet. The Green Monster is famous for preventing [[home run]]s on many [[line drive]]s that would clear the walls of other ballparks. A side effect of this is to increase the prevalence of [[double (baseball)|doubles]], since this is the most common result when the ball is hit off the wall (often referred to as a "wallball double"). Some left fielders, predominantly those with vast Fenway experience, have become adept at fielding caroms off the wall to throw runners out at second base or hold the batter to a [[single (baseball)|single]]. Compared with other current major league parks, the wall's placement creates a comparatively shallow left field; the wall falls approximately 304 - 310 feet from the plate along the left-field foul line. Consequently, although the wall turns some line-drive homers into doubles, it also allows some high yet shallow fly balls to clear the field of play for a home run. An example of this was in the [http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS197810020.shtml one game playoff] of the [[1978 in baseball|1978]] season on [[October 2]], where [[Bucky Dent]] hit a fly ball towards the wall. The ball cleared the fence giving [[New York Yankees]] a 3-2 lead and, despite a late inning rally, an eventual 5-4 win. The Yankees would go on to win the [[1978 World Series]], in which Dent was named [[World Series MVP Award|MVP]]. [[Image:GreenMonsterLarge.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Profile of the Green Monster in 2004.]] [[Image:Fenway Park05.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Green Monster seats]] The distance from home plate to the Monster has long been disputed. For many years, it was posted as 315 feet. During the Red Sox pennant race in [[1975 in baseball|1975]], an overhead photograph of Fenway Park was shown to a man who had analyzed reconnaissance photos in preparation for bombing missions in [[World War II]]. He determined that the foul pole was just 304 feet from home plate, but the marker on the wall was not changed. Writers from the [[Boston Globe]] once sneaked onto the field and measured it as 304.7 feet. In [[1990 in baseball|1990]], Red Sox management relabeled the distance at 310 feet, though many people still believe it to be closer than that. {{Fact|date=May 2007}} During [[2001 Major League Baseball season|2001]] and [[2002 Major League Baseball season|2002]], the Green Monster's height record was temporarily beaten by the center field wall at [[Riverfront Stadium|Cinergy Field]] in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]. During the construction of [[Great American Ball Park]], located right next to Cinergy Field, a large section of seats was removed from the center field area to make room and a 40 foot black wall was erected as a temporary [[batter's eye]]. The entire wall was in play, too. This new wall was often called "The Black Monster." When [[Riverfront Stadium|Cinergy Field]] was demolished in 2002, the Green Monster reclaimed the record. In honor of the famed wall, the Red Sox mascot is a furry green monster, named [[Wally the Green Monster|Wally]]. == Features == === Duffy's Cliff === [[Image:Duffy Lewis Baseball.jpg|right|thumb|Duffy Lewis was famous for his ability to handle the Fenway outfield]] From [[1912 in baseball|1912]] to [[1933 in baseball|1933]], there was a 10-foot-high mound that formed an incline in front of the Green Monster, extending from the left-field foul pole to the center field flag pole. As a result of the mound, a left fielder in Fenway Park had to play the entire territory running uphill. Boston's first star left fielder, [[Duffy Lewis]], mastered the skill so well that the area became known as ''Duffy's Cliff''. In [[1934 in baseball|1934]], Red Sox owner [[Tom Yawkey]] arranged to flatten the ground in left field so that Duffy's Cliff no longer existed and became part of the lore of Fenway Park. ===Right Field=== Fenway's left-field distortion is offset by the odd shape and generous size of right field, which is 302 feet along the line (almost the same as in left), but 380 feet at its deepest. === Green Monster seating === In [[1936 in baseball|1936]], the Red Sox installed a 23-foot net above the Monster in order to protect the storefronts on adjoining Lansdowne Street from home run balls. The net remained until the 2002-03 offseason, when the team's new ownership constructed a new seating section atop the wall to accommodate 274 fans. Wildly popular, these "Monster seats" were part of a larger expansion plan for Fenway Park seating. The Red Sox later added a smaller seating section in [[2005 Major League Baseball season|2005]], dubbed the "[[Red Sox Nation|Nation]]'s Nest," located between the main seating section and the center field scoreboard. === The ladder === Comprising yet another quirk, a [[ladder]] is attached to the Green Monster, extending from near the upper-left portion of the scoreboard, 13 feet above ground, to the top of the wall. Previously, members of the grounds crew would use the ladder to retrieve home run balls from the netting hung above the wall. After the net was removed for the addition of the Monster seats, the ladder ceased to have any real function, yet it still remains in place as a historical relic. [[Image:Green Monster.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Green Monster in 2006 as it is seen from the grandstand section. The ladder is visible to the right of the Red Sox Foundation logo.]] The placement of the ladder is noteworthy given the fact that it is in fair territory; it is the only such ladder in the major leagues. On at least two occasions, a batted ball has struck the ladder during game play, each time leading to an [[inside-the-park home run]].<ref>[http://graphics.boston.com/globe/magazine/4-11/featurestory2.shtml http://graphics.boston.com/globe/magazine/4-11/featurestory2.shtml]</ref> During a [[1950 in baseball|1950]]s game, Red Sox outfielders [[Ted Williams]] and [[Jimmy Piersall]] both tracked a fly ball in left center, but the ball struck the ladder and caromed into center field, giving batter Jim Lemon enough time to round the bases. Later, in [[1963 in baseball|1963]], the slow-footed [[Dick Stuart]] hit a high fly that ricocheted first off the ladder, and then the head of outfielder [[Vic Davalillo]], before rolling far enough away to allow Stuart to score. === Advertisements === After the wall was painted green in 1947, advertisements did not appear on the wall until 1999, when the All-Star Game at Fenway was being promoted. Various ads have appeared above the scoreboard since then, such as the Jimmy Fund. But the Coke Bottles on the left light tower were a target for power-hitters when they were placed in 1997. These 3D advertisements were taken down before the 2008 season where a LED sign was built above the new left-field upper deck seats. As a lead up to his 500th career home run, Manny Ramirez's home run count was tallied on the bottom of the light tower. Ads beside the manual score board were added when the scoreboard was expanded. Above the manual scoreboard, where a Jimmy Fund advertisement had remained for many years, the logo for Covidien Healthcare is now a prominent aspect of Fenway Park. ==Citgo Sign== An electrically lit [[Citgo]] sign can be seen from inside the park, located outside the park, in the view above the left-field wall. The famous sign, located atop a building on nearby [[Kenmore Square]], was erected in 1965. == See also == * [[Fluor Field at the West End]], home of the [[Greenville Drive]], has a "Greenville Monster" as well, as the park's dimensions exactly replicate that of Fenway Park's. The Drive is the lower-A affiliate of the Red Sox. * [[Hadlock Field]], home of the [[Portland Sea Dogs]], the AA affiliates of the [[Red Sox]]. This stadium boasts a replica of the green monster, nicknamed the "[[Maine Monster]]". * [[Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome]], home of the [[Minnesota Twins]]. The 23-foot-high blue tarp hung over the fold-away football seating is referred to as the "Baggie," and is an attractive target for left-handed [[power hitter]]s. * [[Minute Maid Park]], home of the [[Houston Astros]], has an incline in deep [[center field]] ([[Tal's Hill]]) as well as a flagpole on the incline. * [[Sovereign Bank Stadium]], home of the [[York Revolution]], has "The Arch Nemesis" that is six inches taller than the Green Monster. * [[Telus Field]], home of the [[Edmonton Cracker Cats]] has a 34 foot-high green monster which boasts the record of never having a home run hit over it [which could be because the wall is situated 420 feet from home plate]. * [[Fukuoka Dome]], home of the [[Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks]], has a 5.84-meter-high (19.2-foot-high) "Green Monster" in out field. * The [[Kingdome]] in Seattle, Washington had a high right field wall that was dubbed ''"The Walla-Walla"'' after [[Walla Walla, Washington]] * [[Durham Bulls Athletic Park]], home of the [[Durham Bulls]], AAA affiliate of the [[Tampa Bay Rays]]. This stadium has a 32-foot wall in left field named the "Blue Monster." * [[PNC Park]], home of the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]], has a 21-foot-high right field wall, paying homage to the Pirates' [[National Baseball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] [[right fielder]] [[Roberto Clemente]], who wore #21. == References == {{reflist}} {{Boston Red Sox}} [[Category:Boston Red Sox]] [[nl:The Green Monster]]