- Fenway Park in Boston is the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. It opened in 1912.
- Wrigley Field in Chicago is second. It opened in 1914.
- Then comes a gap of 48 years. The third oldest, Dodger Stadium, opened in 1962.
- Only 10 of the 30 ballparks in use today opened before 1995.
Baseball fans care about buildings more than fans of most sports do. Every ballpark has its own shape. The distance to the outfield wall, and the height of the wall itself, are different in every city.
Most of the parks in use today are quite new. A few are not, and two of them are older than almost anything else in American sport.
The 10 oldest ballparks, ranked
| Ballpark | Team | Opened | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fenway Park | Boston Red Sox | 1912 | 37,755 |
| Wrigley Field | Chicago Cubs | 1914 | 41,649 |
| Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1962 | 56,000 |
| Angel Stadium | Los Angeles Angels | 1966 | 45,517 |
| Kauffman Stadium | Kansas City Royals | 1973 | 37,903 |
| Rogers Centre | Toronto Blue Jays | 1989 | 39,150 |
| Tropicana Field | Tampa Bay Rays | 1990 | 25,000 |
| Rate Field | Chicago White Sox | 1991 | 40,615 |
| Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore Orioles | 1992 | 42,455 |
| Progressive Field | Cleveland Guardians | 1994 | 34,820 |
Fenway Park, 1912
Fenway opened in April 1912, in the same week the Titanic sank. The Red Sox have played there ever since.
It was squeezed into a city block, which explains its strange shape. Left field is very short, so the park has a wall there that is 37 feet high. It is painted green and known everywhere as the Green Monster. The scoreboard at its base is still changed by hand.
Wrigley Field, 1914
Wrigley was built for a team in a rival league that lasted only two seasons. The Cubs moved in for 1916 and never left.
The outfield wall is covered in ivy, planted in 1937. For decades the park had no lights, and every home game was played in the afternoon. The first night game there was in 1988, long after every other team had lights.
The 48-year gap
Nothing built between 1914 and 1962 is still in use. The famous parks of that era have all been replaced, including the original Yankee Stadium.
The two oldest parks opened before the First World War. The third oldest opened in 1962.
That is why Dodger Stadium is third on this list, though it rarely feels old. It is also the biggest ballpark in the major leagues, with 56,000 seats.
The middle of the list
Angel Stadium opened in 1966 and Kauffman Stadium in 1973. Kauffman is known for the fountains beyond its outfield wall. The Royals have said they want a new home in the years ahead.
Rogers Centre in Toronto was a sensation when it opened in 1989. It was the first stadium with a roof that could open and close completely.
Tropicana Field has had the hardest recent history. A hurricane tore off its roof in October 2024, and the Rays spent the whole 2025 season in a small outdoor park nearby. They moved back in on April 6, 2026, with a new roof overhead.
The park that changed the rest
Rate Field in Chicago opened in 1991. One year later Baltimore opened Camden Yards, and ballpark design changed for good.
Camden Yards was new but built to look old, with brick, steel and an old railroad warehouse beyond right field. Fans loved it. Almost every ballpark built since has copied the idea, starting with Cleveland's Progressive Field in 1994.
That is why the list stops being interesting after 10. Twenty of the 30 parks have opened since 1995.
One that just left the list
Until 2024 the Oakland Coliseum, which opened in 1966, would have been near the top. The Athletics played their last game there that September.
The team now plays in a minor-league park in West Sacramento with about 13,400 seats. It is meant to be temporary. A new stadium in Las Vegas is planned for 2028.
The newest
At the other end of the list is Globe Life Field in Texas, which opened in 2020. It is 108 years younger than Fenway Park.
To see which of these teams have won the most, read World Series titles by team. And for the ball they all use, here is why a baseball has exactly 108 stitches.