Fenway recognized as a destination

BOSTON -- A national fitness magazine is recognizing what every Red Sox fan already knows about Fenway Park -- it's a must-see baseball venue.
Men's Fitness Magazine has named the 96-year-old ballpark as one of the sport's top 10 stadiums.

"Holding the title as Major League Baseball's oldest active ballpark, taking in a game at Fenway is a rite of passage for any baseball nut," according to writer Devin Pratt. "From the legendary Green Monster to the Fisk Foul Pole, Fenway is overflowing with nostalgia."

Pratt also suggests visitors to, "Take notice of the lone red seat in the right field bleachers, which represents the spot where Ted Williams' mammoth home run landed during a June 9, 1946, game against the Detroit Tigers."

Having undergone major renovations for the seventh straight winter to bring capacity to 39,928, Fenway Park opened on April 9, 1912, when the Red Sox beat Harvard, 2-0.

Following a pair of rainouts, the Red Sox won the first official game at Fenway on April 20 that year when they beat the New York Highlanders [later the Yankees], 7-6, in 11 innings before 27,000 fans.

In addition to Fenway, the magazine singled out Pittsburgh's PNC Park, Chicago's Wrigley Field, Baltimore's Camden Yards, Milwaukee's Miller Park, Seattle's Safeco Field, Denver's Coors Field, Cleveland's Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field), Washington's Nationals Park and New York's Yankee Stadium.