Ballpark carry guide

How far does a ball carry at Fenway Park?

Fenway Park is the Boston Red Sox home park in Boston: an open-air park at 21 ft, 390′ to center. Below is what moves fly balls here — elevation, temperature, humidity and wind — plus the current wind for the next game. Carry distances are model estimates and part of the Groundskeeper plan.

Next game conditions

No game at Fenway Park on the current slate. Today's wind for every park that is playing is on the wind carry today page.

Carry estimate

Wind carry range · CF
Get Groundskeeper for the full carry number

The carry range is The Cold Line's model estimate of how much today's wind and temperature add to or take away from a fly ball to center. Already a Groundskeeper member? Open the live weather board.

Fenway Park park facts

Elevation
21 ft above sea level (24th highest of 30 MLB parks)
Roof
Open-air
Center-field bearing
45° — home plate faces northeast
Fences (LF · LCF · CF · RCF · RF)
310′ · 335′ · 390′ · 380′ · 302′
Wall heights (LF · CF · RF)
37′ · 9′ · 3′
Surface
Natural grass

Park notes: Green Monster (37ft LF wall); Pesky Pole (302ft RF foul pole); Monster Seats atop LF wall; Smallest capacity in MLB.

What moves the ball at Fenway Park

Elevation

Fenway Park sits essentially at sea level (21 ft, 24th of 30 by elevation). Air density here is about as heavy as it gets in MLB, so elevation adds nothing — temperature and wind decide how the ball travels.

Temperature

Warm air is less dense than cold air, so a hot night at Fenway Park carries better than a cold one with the same wind. Early-season and late-season night games here play noticeably heavier than mid-summer afternoons.

Humidity

Humid air is slightly lighter than dry air, so higher humidity helps carry a little — the opposite of what most people expect. It is a minor factor next to temperature and wind.

Wind

Home plate faces northeast, so a wind out of the southwest blows straight out to center and helps carry, while a wind from the northeast blows in and knocks fly balls down. Cross-winds push the ball toward one line — at Fenway Park the shorter right-field corner (302′) is where a helping wind shows up first.

Fenway Park carry questions

How far does a ball carry at Fenway Park?

Fenway Park sits essentially at sea level (21 ft, 24th of 30 by elevation). Air density here is about as heavy as it gets in MLB, so elevation adds nothing — temperature and wind decide how the ball travels. The Cold Line's game-by-game carry estimate (a model estimate, in feet) is part of the Groundskeeper plan.

Does wind affect home runs at Fenway Park?

Home plate faces northeast, so a wind out of the southwest blows straight out to center and helps carry, while a wind from the northeast blows in and knocks fly balls down. Cross-winds push the ball toward one line — at Fenway Park the shorter right-field corner (302′) is where a helping wind shows up first.

Does Fenway Park have a roof?

No. Fenway Park is open-air, so wind, temperature and humidity are in play every game.

Where can I see today's wind at Fenway Park?

This page shows the current wind for the next game at Fenway Park. The Cold Line's live MLB weather board tracks wind, roof status and conditions for every park on the slate, and Groundskeeper members see the full carry card there.

More: Boston Red Sox weather · All MLB ballpark weather · MLB wind carry today