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The Boston Red Sox surprised many by winning the 1998 American League wild card, finishing second in the American League East behind the Yankees, the 1998 World Champions. The Red Sox lost the Division Series with AL Central champion Cleveland 3-1, but ended their streak of 13 straight postseason losses that stretched back to the infamous Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

the Red Sox suffered a big loss, though, as power-hitting first baseman Mo Vaughn became a free agent and signed a contract with the Anaheim Angels. The Red Sox hopw that new arrivals like Jose Offerman, as well as returning stars John Valentin, Nomar Garciaparra, and Mike Stanley, help fill the gap. The core of 1998's pitching staff, including starters Pedro Martinez, Brett Saberhagen, and Tim Wakefield, as well as closer Tom Gordon, are back, along with new faces Mark Portugal, Kip Gross, and, later this season, Ramon Martinez, brother of Pedro.

Jimy Williams returns in his third year as manager of the Red Sox. His coaching staff includes pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, hitting coach Jim Rice, first base coach Dave Jauss, and third base coach Wendell Kim, among others.

All Red Sox games are carried on the radio by a 65-station network that is led by Boston's WEEI 850 AM. Televised games are carried by WLVI-TV, channel 56 in Boston (taking over from channel 68) and other stations in the region as well as the New England Sports Network (NESN) on cable television. The team's Web site offers a wide range of features, including detailed game summaries and updates on games in progress, team and player information, and online ticket ordering, as well as information about the 1999 All-Star Game, which will be played at Fenway Park July 13.

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Historic Fenway Park is one of the oldest parks in the majors (along with Tiger Stadium in Detroit), opening on April 20, 1912 (after rainouts the previous two days.) While plans are on the drawing boards for a new park, perhaps on the waterfront near downtown, the team will continue to make Fenway its home likely through the turn of the century. Last fall Major League Baseball announced that Fenway will host the 1999 All-Star Game, likely meaning the old park will be spruced up in preparation for the event.

The park is probably most famous for its left field wall, the Green Monster. Not originally green, the 37-foot, 2-inch high fence was covered with advertisements until 1947. The wall itself was installed in 1976, replacing an earlier wall of the same height, which in turn had replaced a 25-foot high wall that burned in a January 1934 fire.

The park has undergone a number of modifications since its original construction. Much of the park was rebuilt after a 1934 fire. The bullpens were placed in their current position, in front of the bleachers in right field, in 1940 to decrease the distance to home plate for slugger Ted Williams. An electronic scoreboard in center field was added in 1976. Private rooftop boxes were added in the early 80s, and a glassed-in section called "The 600 Club" was built above the grandstand in the late 1980s.

Officially, the field measures 310 feet down the line in left, but outside measurements, using aerial photography among other techniques, have found the distance to be 5-10 feet shorter. It's 388 feet from home to the other end of the Green Monster in left-center field, 390 to center but 420 to just right of center, 383 to right-center and a mere 302 feet to the right field foul pole (known as Pesky's Pole after former Red Sox star Johnny Pesky).

To see more images of Fenway Park, visit the Ballpark Gallery.

Directions: Fenway Park is located just south of Kenmore Square, on Brookline Ave. just past the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). Limited parking is available near the park for $10-12, but given the congestion in the area, driving to Fenway is usually not advisable. Green Line MBTA subways stop at Kenmore Square, a short walk from the ballpark. Fenway is also served by commuter rail trains at Yawkey Station near the park. You can use this map to help you find your way.

Tickets: Ticket prices have gone up again for 1999. Lower bleacher seats are $12 ($10 in 1998) and upper bleacher seats $14 ($12 in 1998). Reserved grandstand seats are $24 ($20 in 1998) and outfield grandstand seats are $18 ($16 in 1998). Right field roof box seats are $26 ($25 in 1998). Many Red Sox games are sellouts, so consider buying your tickets in advance.

League and Team Information

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• Major League Baseball Links: Boston Red Sox

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• Yahoo! Boston
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