Bryn and I had the opportunity to see the Mariners play (and win!) at the new Yankee Stadium and Fenway this past weekend. The two stadiums offered two very different experiences so I thought I would write up this comparison.
| New Yankee Stadium | Fenway Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Inaugural Season | 2009 | 1912 |
| Construction Cost | $1,500,000,000 | $650,000 |
| Seating Capacity | 52,325 | 37,400 |
| Features | A 5900 square foot HD jumbotron*, Monument Park, $2600 tickets | Green Monster, Pesky Pole, "Sweet Caroline" |
| Fans | Yankees "Universe" | Red Sox Nation |
| Result | 8-4 Mariners Win | 3-2 Mariners Win |
Monument Park was cool. It’s like a mini Hall of Fame, except with only Yankees players. They’re going to run out of numbers soon if they keep retiring them all! Get there early because it closes 45 minutes before gametime.
We also got to see Griffey and Ichiro launch some homers during batting practice. But you have to buy the super-expensive tickets to get down close to the field. I enjoyed reading everyone’s t-shirts, especially those in reference to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. A typical Yankee fan might have a shirt saying “Got Rings?”, referring to their 26 World Series Championships (but none since 2000), while the Red Sox fan would have one saying “Got Rings Lately?”, referring to their 2004 and 2007 titles.
The old timey wooden seats at Fenway were a nice touch:
But people were smaller in 1912… I didn’t quite fit!
Here we are at The Pesky Pole. Just 302 ft from home plate, it is the shortest outfield distance in the Major Leagues. It’s named in honor of former light-hitting Red Sox infielder Johnny Pesky, who hit just 17 homeruns in his 10+ season, 4700 at-bat career.
Both games were fun times. I’m going to give the edge to the Red Sox fans for being a little more hard-core though. I mean the place went nuts when Big Papi came on to pinch hit. I think they would have rioted if he’d hit a game-winner.
*For perspective, think of how many square feet your apartment or house is. And then imagine the entire floorspace being an HD jumbotron!
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