Pesky Pole Being Replaced

The Red Sox are set to replace one of the most iconic pieces in Fenway Park history.

The Pesky Pole in right field will be swapped out for a newer, sturdier version, the Boston Landmark Commission announced Wednesday.

There were some other, minor changes pushed for by the Red Sox that were approved, but none will be as noticeable in the 2017 season as a new, clean Pesky Pole, void of decades worth of dings, dents, and fan signatures.

The Pole is famous for being the shortest distance needed in the majors to hit a home run, although few have the precision to take advantage very often, and Fenway's right field juts out something awful pretty quickly. The official measurement is 302 feet from home plate, though that's been disputed.

The Pole is named after Red Sox Hall of Famer Johnny Pesky, an infielder who, curiously enough, only hit six home runs at Fenway Park in his Red Sox career.

Photo courtesy of Kent Goldman via Flickr.