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106-699: McCoy Stadium is a former baseball stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island . From 1970 through 2020, it served as home field of the Pawtucket Red Sox (PawSox), a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox . Completed in 1942, the stadium first hosted an affiliated minor league team in 1946, the Pawtucket Slaters , a Boston Braves farm team. In 1981, the stadium hosted the longest professional baseball game in history, as

212-560: A Democratic rally at the stadium, in support of re-electing President Franklin D. Roosevelt . Once a year, on the night before Thanksgiving , football is played inside McCoy Stadium. Tolman High School and Saint Raphael Academy play their regular season games at the adjacent Pariseau Field (also known as the McCoy Annex). But, for 73 years, the two schools played each other on Thanksgiving, with most of those games played inside McCoy Stadium. That holiday rivalry ended in 2001 but

318-469: A cantilevered upper deck seating area that hung out over the lower seating area. Although it did not use reinforced concrete in its construction, Baker Bowl is considered the first of the jewel box parks. The first to use reinforced concrete was Shibe Park , which opened in 1909, also in Philadelphia. The upper decks were typically held up by steel pillars that obstructed the view from some seats in

424-762: A doubleheader in August; the two events drew a total of over 10,000 fans. After the season, it was reported that the Pittsfield Red Sox would be relocated to McCoy Stadium. The team moved prior to the 1970 season, becoming the Pawtucket Red Sox , known colloquially as the "PawSox". The franchise spent three seasons playing in the Double-A Eastern League before being promoted to the Triple-A International League . In 1976, debt-ridden owner Phil Anez threatened to move

530-562: A professional baseball history dating back to 1884 with the Allentown Dukes of the original Eastern League . Though the city went through several stretches without a team, various other Minor League Baseball teams hailed from Allentown through 1960. The last of these were the Allentown Cardinals (1944–1956) and Allentown Red Sox (1958–1960). The Red Sox played at Breadon Field (later called Max Hess Stadium) at

636-413: A chain-link fence. Beyond the infield and between the foul lines is a large grass outfield, generally twice the depth of the infield. The playing field is bordered by fences of varying heights. The infield fences are in foul territory, and a ball hit over them is not a home run; consequently, they are often lower than the outfield fences to provide a better view for spectators. Sometimes, the outfield fence

742-546: A diamond. The infield is a rigidly structured diamond of dirt and grass containing the three bases, home plate, and the pitcher's mound. The space between the bases and home is normally a grass surface, save for the dirt mound in the center. Some ballparks have grass or artificial turf between the bases, and dirt only around the bases and pitcher's mound. Others, such as Koshien Stadium in Hyōgo Prefecture , Japan, have an infield of entirely dirt. Two white lines extend from

848-532: A few which are oriented just slightly west of straight north. (Left-handed pitchers are called "southpaws", and indeed the pitcher's left hand is toward the south in the usual park layout, and this has often been cited as the source of the appellation. But this is most likely a false etymology , or partly so, as "southpaw" for left-handers has been in use since at least the mid 19th century, and applied to boxers.) Today, in Major League Baseball ,

954-634: A league-leading 9,561 in 2005. When Ben Mondor bought control of the team in 1977, the PawSox drew only 70,354 fans (1,082 per game) to McCoy, which seated 5,800 people at the time. A few seats were added along the way, and during the mid-1990s, the park's capacity was listed as 7,002. In 1999, the first season after the McCoy expansion, the PawSox averaged a paid attendance of 8,403 per game, and in 2000 it increased to 8,733. That figure represented 87% of every seat for every game being sold, where no other team in

1060-503: A minimum distance of 325 feet (99 m) from home plate to the fences in left and right field, and 400 feet (120 m) to center. (Rule 1.04, Note(a)). This rule was passed to avoid situations like the Los Angeles Coliseum , which was 251 ft (77 m). down the left field line. However, with the opening of Baltimore's Camden Yards (1992), the "minimum distance" rule began to be ignored. One factor may be that

1166-429: A multi-tiered seating area, a grandstand , surrounds the infield. How far this seating extends down the baselines or around the foul poles varies from park to park. In minor league parks, the grandstands are notably smaller, proportional to expected sizes of crowds compared with the major leagues. The seating beyond the outfield fence generally differs from the grandstand, though some multi-purpose or jewel box parks have

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1272-568: A new ballpark near Easton called the Lehigh Valley Multi-Purpose Sport Complex , but the project never came to completion and ultimately was terminated. While the Black Diamonds waited for their new stadium, they played as a traveling team from 1999 to 2001. In 2003, Joseph Finley and Craig Stein began actively pursuing their interest in bringing affiliated baseball back to Allentown. Initially,

1378-467: A new high school at the McCoy stadium site. The proposed 482,000-square-foot high school campus would consolidate Shea and Tolman high schools into one building for 2,500 students. In July 2023, billionaire businessman Stefan Soloviev sought to purchase the stadium, fund the restorations needed, and try to bring in a minor league or independent league team. Pawtucket mayor Don Grebien thanked Soloviev for his interest and reiterated plans to demolish

1484-475: A pair of furry anthropomorphic pigs , similar to Mangalicas , called FeRROUS and FeFe. Their names are derived from the Latin term for iron ( ferrum ) and the element's chemical symbol (Fe). FeRROUS, who has gray fur and a lighter gray face, wears an IronPigs jersey with the number 26 (the atomic number for iron), a team cap, and shoes. FeFe, who is also gray but with a tan face and brunette pigtails, wears

1590-890: A red jersey that extends into a skirt with the number 08, which commemorates the team's first season (2008), a team cap, and shoes. The name "PorkChop" was originally chosen for FeRROUS, but it was changed the day after its selection because of complaints from local Puerto Rican residents alleging that Pork Chop was a derogatory term. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On Philadelphia Phillies 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated November 19, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB  •  International League → Philadelphia Phillies minor league players The franchise has been awarded

1696-479: A rugby venue in New Zealand with an ETFE roof allowing grass to be grown indoors, or NFL stadiums like State Farm Stadium and Allegiant Stadium , which allow the grass field to be grown outside and then rolled indoors for games), the first generation of indoor parks predated such abilities. Since there was not enough light to grow grass, artificial turf is installed, and this affected the game. Artificial turf

1802-478: A similar boom. One of the first major league ballparks to be called a "stadium" was actually the Polo Grounds, which was temporarily renamed Brush Stadium from its reconstruction in 1911 until the death of owner John T. Brush in the 1920s. By then, the most famous baseball "stadium" of them all had been constructed: Yankee Stadium . From that point until the retro building boom of the 1990s, the suffix "Stadium"

1908-919: A total capacity of 10,000, was being constructed in Allentown. The Ottawa Lynx were relocated to Allentown in 2008 and continued as the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies in the International League (IL). Known as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, their moniker, selected in a name-the-team contest, refers to the region's steelmaking history, in particular the refining of pig iron into steel. The other finalists were "Gobblers", "Crushers", "Phillies", "Phantastics", "Vulcans", "Keystones", and "Woodchucks". The IronPigs played their first Opening Day game on

2014-412: A way to contact their PawSox, using a technique more common to fans in bleacher seats behind an outfield wall. Fans wishing to have a scorebook, baseball, baseball card , or other souvenir signed by a player will go autograph "fishing". Complete with hook and reel (or, often, a hollowed-out milk jug and a rope), autograph seekers lower their items over the front of the seats and dangle them down in front of

2120-480: Is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into two field sections called the infield and the outfield. The infield is an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined in part based on the placement of bases, and the outfield is where dimensions can vary widely from ballpark to ballpark. A larger ballpark may also be called a baseball stadium because it shares characteristics of other stadiums . A baseball field can be referred to as

2226-409: Is especially notable since the major league Red Sox' home park, Fenway Park , has the smallest foul territory in the majors. The two dugouts are actually embedded into the wall underneath the grandstands (as are the luxury boxes, just beyond them). The first row of seats is elevated eight feet above field level. Despite that unusual box seat elevation, those seeking autographs of the players have found

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2332-476: Is harder, and thus a ball hit on the ground moves faster and bounces higher. This, coupled with the usually dull white or gray roofs that could camouflage a fly ball, causing what Twins fans called a "dome-field advantage". A park of note is Olympic Stadium in Montreal. The park was designed with a large tower that loomed over top. Cables came down from the top of the tower to connect to the large oval center of

2438-417: Is little consistency in the choice between "Field" and "Park". For example, Houston's Minute Maid Park was originally named "Enron Field". Seating area design of stadiums is affected by many variables, including required capacity, audience access, and road traffic. Early ballparks like Elysian Fields were a far distance from the city center. Each game was an event, and fans traveled by public transit to watch

2544-423: Is little space between the field and the street beyond. Some in-play scoreboards and high fences reached 50 to 60 feet (18 m), whereas a few outfields were even lined with hedges rather than normal fences or walls. The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome , when set up for baseball, had a 23-foot (7.0 m) right field "fence" that was actually a relatively thin blue plastic sheet covering folded up football seats. It

2650-431: Is made higher in certain areas to compensate for close proximity to the batter. In many parks, the field is surrounded by an area roughly 10 feet (3.0 m) wide made of dirt or rubberized track surface called a " warning track ". In the 1937 refurbishment of the original Yankee Stadium , a running track that ran the perimeter of the field was incorporated into the field of play as the first warning track. MLB formalized

2756-437: Is the catcher's box, where the catcher and the home plate umpire stand. Next to the first and third base are two coaches' boxes, where the first and third base coaches guide the baserunners, generally with gestures or shouts. As the baserunner faces away from the outfield when running from second base to third, they cannot see where the ball is and must look to the third base coach on whether to run, stop, or slide. Farther from

2862-661: The COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30. Through 13 seasons in the International League, the IronPigs had a 855–861 record. They experienced more success at the turnstiles as their season attendance topped 500,000 people each season. From 2008 to 2016, the team led Minor League Baseball with a per-game average attendance of 8,978. In 2019, franchise was recognized with the Larry MacPhail Award for outstanding minor league promotions. Following

2968-722: The Gwinnett Stripers at Coca-Cola Park quickly sold out to the stadium's 10,100 capacity. In his August 23 appearance with the IronPigs, Harper homered twice against the Stripers. The IronPigs franchise broadcasts all of its home games on television, a rarity for a minor league team. Local cable network SEN (The Service Electric Network) carries the IronPigs' games, covering most of the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania plus parts of Warren and Hunterdon Counties in northwestern New Jersey. In addition, SEN feeds

3074-629: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis , which instead of a rigid masonry roof was covered by inflatable fiberglass sheeting, held up by air pressure. A drawback to this design, at least in Minnesota's severe winter climate, was revealed when the dome collapsed three times in its first three years of operation due to accumulated snow. The Tokyo Dome has a similar roof; due to Tokyo's considerably milder winter climate, that stadium has not had

3180-571: The Kingdome , whose formal name was "King County Domed Stadium", and the Metrodome, for which the Minneapolis highway signs directed the driver to "Metrodome Stadium". The retro era of the 1990s and early 2000s saw some venues return to using "park" in a stadium's name, even in domed structures such as T-Mobile Park and American Family Field (which opened with the name Miller Park). There

3286-543: The Lowell Spinners and, currently, Portland Sea Dogs . After the cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the PawSox developed a "Dining on the Diamond" program which served dinner to nearly 6,000 people on the baseball field from June through August, with a waiting list of more than 3,600 entering September. Baseball stadium A ballpark , or baseball park ,

McCoy Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

3392-618: The Oakland Coliseum being the last one in use. The Athletics moved out of Oakland Coliseum in 2024 and have temporairy moves into West Sacramento 's Sutter Health Park for three seasons as a new dedicated facility of their own is built in Las Vegas. Their former co-tenants, the NFL Oakland Raiders , moved to Las Vegas in 2020 & into Allegiant Stadium . Note: To reduce redundancy, this table does not list

3498-831: The Pawtucket Indians , who competed at the Double-A level in the Eastern League as an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians . After two seasons, the Indians moved to Waterbury, Connecticut , and McCoy was again without a team. In 1969, the Boston Red Sox had their Eastern League affiliate, the Pittsfield Red Sox of Pittsfield, Massachusetts , play at McCoy Stadium twice—one game in July and

3604-838: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre region. For the 2007 season, the Phillies shifted their Triple-A affiliate to Ottawa, leaving the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons after 18 seasons, while the Orioles affiliated with the Norfolk Tides . The Phillies signed a one-year Player Development Contract with the Lynx while the US$ 50.25-million Coca-Cola Park capable of seating up to 8,100 people with

3710-589: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders . Jake Thompson was the circuit's Most Valuable Pitcher. The 2017 team won another wild card berth but was eliminated again by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 3–1. Phillies prospect Rhys Hoskins was selected as the IL's 2017 Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Rookie of the Year . In 2018, the IronPigs won their first Northern Division title with an 84–56 record,

3816-458: The second Yankee Stadium , built 2009, used the same dimensions as the original Yankee Stadium . The heights of the fences can also vary greatly, the most famous example being the 37-foot (11 m)-high Green Monster in Fenway Park 's left field. Such tall fences are often used to stop easy home runs in a section of the ballpark where the distances from home are shorter, or where there

3922-473: The 2020 season, Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. The Philadelphia Phillies retained Lehigh Valley as their Triple-A affiliate, but the International League disbanded, and the IronPigs followed the other IL teams into the Triple-A East . Lehigh Valley ended the season in fourth place in

4028-702: The IronPigs in 2011. On April 7, they won their season opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Coca-Cola Park, registering the first win–loss percentage above .500 in the team's history. Sandberg led the club to an 80–64 record which, though not good enough to win the Northern Division title, gave them a wild card berth into the Governors' Cup playoffs for the International League championship . They won

4134-586: The Lehigh Valley IronPigs have made four appearances in the International League Governors' Cup playoffs (2011, 2016, 2017, and 2018). In 2018, the IronPigs won their first Northern Division title with an 84–56 record, the highest winning percentage (.600) in franchise history, but the team has not yet won an International League championship . Allentown, Pennsylvania , in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania , has

4240-533: The Metrodome's snow-related issues. Lehigh Valley IronPigs Following the 2007 season, the Ottawa Lynx relocated to Allentown as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. In conjunction with Major League Baseball 's reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the IronPigs were shifted to the Triple-A East, whose name was restored to the International League in 2022. Since their 2008 inaugural season,

4346-599: The Northeastern Division with a 52–66 record. No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner. However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage. The IronPigs finished

McCoy Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue

4452-570: The PawSox at McCoy Stadium was the team's last game of the 2019 International League season, a 5–4 home victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 10 innings, played on September 2, 2019. During the 2020 Major League Baseball season , McCoy Stadium served as the alternate training site for the Boston Red Sox. Without the PawSox as a tenant, the future of McCoy Stadium is unclear. McCoy Stadium has been vacant since 2021;

4558-516: The PawSox defeated the Rochester Red Wings in 33 innings by a score of 3–2. The project to build the stadium began in 1938 and was championed by then-Pawtucket Mayor Thomas P. McCoy. It was to be built on a swampy piece of land known as Hammond's Pond and, to this day, the stadium sits at the end of Pond Street. On the afternoon of November 3, 1940, Mayor McCoy laid the foundation cornerstone . Initially known as Pawtucket Stadium, it

4664-783: The Pawtucket Red Sox. In August 2018, ownership announced that it would relocate the team to a new stadium in Worcester, Massachusetts , in April 2021, becoming the Worcester Red Sox . While 2020 was planned to be the PawSox' final season of play at McCoy Stadium, the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States . Thus, the final game contested by

4770-429: The bases: an urban location, with plenty of parking and public transportation available. The first professional baseball venues were large wooden ballparks with seats mounted on wood platforms. Although known for being constructed out of wood, they featured iron columns for better support. Some included one tier of inclined seating, topped with either a flat roof or, in some instances, a small upper tier. The outfield

4876-458: The condition of the ballpark has deteriorated due to the lack of active development on the property. In December 2019, Pawtucket mayor Donald Grebien indicated alternatives to either bring another minor league team to Pawtucket or demolish the ballpark for a new use. In May 2021, Grebien noted future opportunity with independent baseball leagues , or governmental use such as a public safety complex or high school. In December 2021, Grebien endorsed

4982-826: The constraints of actual city blocks, often resulting in significantly asymmetrical outfield dimensions and large outfield walls to prevent easy home runs. Notable examples included League Park in Cleveland, which had a 40-foot (12 m)-tall wall in right field, and the Green Monster , the 37-foot (11 m)-tall left field wall at Fenway Park in Boston. Notable exceptions include Shibe Park and Comiskey Park , which were built on rectangular city blocks that were large enough to accommodate symmetrical left and right fields. Other sports, such as soccer and football , were often played at these sites (Yankee Stadium, for example,

5088-452: The dugouts below. The ballplayers can sign the item, tug on the line, and the fan pulls up their newly autographed memorabilia. A series of murals depicting notable former PawSox players was displayed in the stadium prior to the 1998 renovation, but was taken down since the new stadium configuration resulted in fans not passing them anymore. In 2004, after many fans asked what happened to them, funds were made available to restore and re-hang

5194-640: The duo pursued a Class A franchise when the Ottawa Lynx , the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles at the time, were rumored to be moving to Harrisburg . When the city of Harrisburg was unwilling to upgrade Commerce Bank Park to Triple-A standards, the Orioles shifted their interest to Allentown because of its proximity to the Mid-Atlantic . The Philadelphia Phillies also looked into moving their Triple-A operations to Allentown from

5300-509: The earliest baseball stadiums that incorporated this type of design was Cleveland Stadium (built 1932), which featured an oval grandstand that was more friendly to goal-centered sports like football. A park built to suit all sports well, which was co-owned by the teams or the city, seemed advantageous to all, especially because it was less expensive to maintain one stadium rather than two. Some parks that were originally built for one sport were renovated to accommodate multiple sports. The shape of

5406-518: The early ballparks. With the beginnings of professional baseball, the ballfield became part of a complex including fixed spectator seating areas, and an enclosure to restrict access to paying customers, as with a fairgrounds. The name "Grounds" began to be attached to ballparks, starting with the Union Grounds in 1862. The suffixes "Field" and "Park" were still used, but many professional ballparks were "Grounds". The last major league "Grounds"

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5512-410: The elements. Besides the drawbacks of the cantilever design, there were other issues with these parks. With few exceptions, seating was angled to face the center of the field of play, rather than home plate. The furthest seats in these parks were 500 feet (150 m) or more from the plate. The capacities of these stadiums were larger than previous baseball stadiums. Typical game attendance did not fill

5618-415: The explorations of a city panel which proposed total demolition of the city-owned site for the construction of a high school complex that would consolidate and replace the district's two existing schools. Initial renderings by SLAM architecture group show a 4-story academic complex with athletic facilities and an emphasis on CTE space. In November 2022, Pawtucket voters approved a $ 330 million bond to construct

5724-592: The facility, and that renovations would be done to maintain the historical integrity of the ballpark. The renovations began in 1998 and included a new terraced berm in left field, a grassy knoll where fans can sit next to the PawSox bullpen and watch the game up close. The seating capacity was increased to 10,031 by adding three full sections of seats. In addition to the original quarter-circle seating bowl, McCoy now features an extended left-field line seating area and souvenir stand, as well as outfield bleacher seating and new parking areas. Luxury boxes were constructed below

5830-497: The fans had difficulty seeing over the football benches. This was evident in the movable seating sections in RFK Stadium. The first ten rows of the football configuration were practically at field level, and fans in those sections often stood up on their seats to get a better view. Other stadiums overcame this simply by covering those seats, not bothering to sell them. Despite being cost-effective, these problems eventually caused

5936-453: The field. Like its English relative, cricket , there is significant flexibility in the shape and size of the rest of the playing area. Baseball leagues may specify a minimum distance from home plate to the outfield fences. Generally, the higher the skill level, the deeper the minimum dimensions must be, to prevent an excess of home runs. In the major leagues, a rule was passed in 1958 that compelled any new fields built after that point to have

6042-601: The first indoor sports stadium ever built, was built to escape the hot and very humid climate of Houston and the Kingdome was built to escape Seattle's constant fall and winter rains. In Japan, domed stadiums were built to escape frequently rainy climates, as well as extreme snowfall in Sapporo. There is little to no natural light in these parks, necessitating the use of one of the most distinguishing aspects of an indoor park: artificial turf. While technology now allows for grass to be used in indoor venues (see Forsyth Barr Stadium ,

6148-399: The foul poles and did not completely enclose the field. Plans were made to enclose the grandstand and build a dome, but engineers discovered that the structure could not handle the load of the proposed dome. Thus, the area behind the outfield fence remained open. One major innovation of the multi-purpose parks was the cantilevered upper deck. In earlier ballparks, the columns used to support

6254-492: The game. For many years, McCoy Stadium was not up to International League standards. The park had only 6,000 seats and was barely handicapped accessible. There were also a number of broken seats, and the facility was starting to show structural issues in the mid-1990s. For several years, the team's ownership was unsure of what to do, and it was even announced that the PawSox might be moved to Worcester, Massachusetts . Eventually, owner Ben Mondor announced that they would renovate

6360-426: The game. With the growth of professional leagues, and consequent growth in the quantity of games, each game became less of an event, and fan convenience became more important. Many professional ballparks were built either near the city center, or in working-class neighborhoods, based on the expected economic level of the average fan. Consequently, the classic ballparks typically had little space for automobiles, as it

6466-400: The games still continue. The schools alternate the use of the stadium. Tolman hosts their new rival, the crosstown Shea High School , on the odd-number years. Saint Raphael will host Moses Brown School on the even-number years. In the mid-1990s the original Saints-Tolman game moved from Thanksgiving morning to the night before. For three years, McCoy Stadium hosted an annual concert during

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6572-415: The grandstand surround the entire field. This area could contain inexpensive bleacher seats, smaller grandstands, or simply inclined seating. In local ballparks, there are often simply a set or two of aluminum bleachers on the first-base and third-base sides. Distinctive from "goal games" such as football and basketball , which have fixed-size playing areas, the infield is the only rigidly laid-out part of

6678-520: The highest winning percentage (.600) in franchise history, but were knocked out of the semifinals for the third year in a row by the RailRiders, 3–1. Nevertheless, the IronPigs swept the International League awards with Joey Meneses as MVP and Rookie of the Year, Cole Irvin as the top pitcher, and Gary Jones as the Manager of the Year winner. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to

6784-429: The home plate area, aligned with the first and third bases. These are the foul lines or base lines , usually differentiated by referring to them as the first base line, or the third base line. If a ball hit by the batter lands outside of the space between these two lines or rolls out of this space before reaching first or third base, the ball is "foul" (meaning it is dead and the play is over). If it lands between or on

6890-440: The indoor stadiums of the multi-purpose era in this section. *A baseball-only ballpark converted to a multi-purpose stadium. **A football-only stadium converted to a multi-purpose stadium. ‡ denotes stadium is also a retractable-roof ballpark An important type of ballpark is the indoor park . These parks are covered with a fixed roof, usually a hard concrete dome. The reasons to build indoor parks are varied. The Astrodome ,

6996-401: The infield on either side are the dugouts, where the teams and coaches sit when they're not on the field. They are named such because, at the professional levels, this seating is below the level of the playing field to not block the view from prime spectator seating locations. In amateur parks, the dugouts may be above-ground wooden or CMU structures with seating inside, or simply benches behind

7102-414: The last one, Oriole Park V, burning down in 1944. The earliest ballparks built or rebuilt of reinforced concrete , brick, and steel are now known as the jewel box ballparks or classic parks . Two-tiered grandstands became much more prevalent in this era, as well. The Baker Bowl in Philadelphia, which opened in 1895, was the first to use steel and brick as the primary construction materials and included

7208-552: The league was above 70%. The club's top two attendance figures have come in 2004 and 2005, and with a paid attendance of 688,421, the '05 PawSox ranked fourth among all minor-league teams in any sport in North America. In New England , they ranked as the biggest draw of any sporting event except their parent club, the Red Sox at Fenway Park . Going into the 2006 season, the top 88 single-game attendance figures have come in

7314-436: The lines, it is "fair". At the end of the lines are two foul poles, which help the umpires judge whether a ball is fair or foul. These "foul poles" are actually in fair territory, so a ball that hits them on the fly is a home run (if hit on the bounce, it is instead an automatic double). On either side of home plate are the two batter's boxes (left-handed and right-handed.) This is where the batter stands when at bat. Behind home

7420-518: The lower level. However, because of the supports used, the upper decks could come very close to the field. The two-tiered design was the standard for decades, until the New York Yankees built Yankee Stadium . To accommodate the large crowds Babe Ruth drew, Yankee Stadium was built with three tiers. This became the new standard until some recently built parks reverted to two, including PNC Park in 2001. Most jewel box parks were built to fit

7526-664: The most famous examples is the original Yankee Stadium, whose odd-shaped plot of land caused right field to be over 100 feet (30 m) shorter than left, although this difference lessened over time. The rectangular Polo Grounds had extremely short distance down the lines, 258 ft (79 m). to right and 280 ft (85 m). to left. In contrast, the deepest part of center field was nearly 500 ft (150 m). from home plate. Older ballparks, such as Fenway Park , were grandfathered in and allowed to keep their original dimensions. Also, new parks have sometimes received special dispensation to deviate from these rules. For instance,

7632-435: The new seating area at field level. All seats are now accessed through an entry tower near third base, instead of the circular ramps which still remain behind home plate. The seats are elevated above the field, and patrons must climb two sets of stairs (or take an elevator) to reach the main concourse and outfield berm areas. With the renovations to the stadium, the Pawtucket Red Sox raised their average game day attendance to

7738-487: The old Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C., part of center field had to be built around a cluster of apartment houses and the result was a rather large angular indentation in the left-center field fence. Now, these variations are mostly influenced by the specifications and whims of the designers. New "retro" parks, which try to recapture the feel of the jewel box parks, are often designed to have these quirks. Baseball

7844-441: The old murals, as well as commission a few new ones of more recent players. Some six dozen paintings now adorn the entrance ramps throughout the stadium. The left-field berm provides great views of the action, and affords families on a budget an inexpensive way to enjoy the ballpark. Above the berms are walkways, affording patrons 360° views of the ballpark. They are made especially for the handicapped from which to utilize and enjoy

7950-552: The parks generally depended on the original use. Ballparks that were renovated to accommodate football, like Candlestick Park and Anaheim Stadium , were usually asymmetrically shaped. Football stadiums that were renovated to accommodate baseball, like Sun Life Stadium and Mile High Stadium , were usually of a rectangular shape, though Mile High actually started its life in 1948 as a Minor League Baseball park known as Bears Stadium. Parks that were built to serve both were usually circular and completely enclosed on all sides. These were

8056-495: The parks that gained multi-purpose parks the reputation as bland cookie-cutter structures. The first of these parks was DC Stadium (renamed RFK Stadium in 1969) in the District of Columbia . RFK is unique in that it hosted two different baseball teams , and that it was the first to originally be intended for multiple sports. A notable variant among the cookie-cutter stadia was Shea Stadium . Its grandstand extended just beyond

8162-451: The parks to become unfashionable. The multi-purpose architecture reached a climax when Toronto's SkyDome (now Rogers Centre ) opened in 1989. It had state-of-the-art amenities including a retractable roof, hotel, and a restaurant behind the outfield from where patrons could view the games. Rogers Centre was renovated into a baseball only stadium from 2022 to 2024. There are no more purely open-air multi-purpose parks still in use today, with

8268-513: The past seven years since the expansion. The current record crowd of 11,802 was set on September 5, 2004, for a late-season game against Scranton with the PawSox in playoff contention. (The season finale the next day, at 11,067, ranks 13th.) Prior to the expansion, the notable single-game record occurred on July 1, 1982, when 9,389 showed up for the pitching match-up of Mark Fidrych versus Dave Righetti . On October 30, 1944, then Senator and Vice-Presidential candidate Harry S. Truman addressed

8374-435: The playing field running toward the north or east or some direction between. Major League Baseball Rule 1.04 states that it is "desirable" (but not required) that the central axis run east-northeast (about 22 degrees north of east). This is to prevent the setting sun from being in the batter's eyes. In practice, major league parks vary up to about 90 degrees from east-northeast in either direction, but none face west, except for

8480-412: The quaint, "retro" look of Camden Yards, with its irregular measurements, proved to be very popular, along with a traditionalist backlash against the symmetrical, multi-purpose, "cookie-cutter" stadiums. Since the opening of Camden Yards, many other "retro" stadiums have been built, each with asymmetrical fences. These distances vary from park to park, and can even change drastically in the same park. One of

8586-606: The road, losing to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees , 4–0, on April 3, 2008. The team went on to lose their next 10 games. On April 14, Lehigh Valley broke the 11-game losing streak, defeating the Richmond Braves , 3–1, at their new home stadium, Coca-Cola Park. They ended their inaugural season last of 14 teams in the IL at 55–89. The next season, Justin Lehr became the first member of

8692-401: The roof. This oval center was supposed to be lifted by the cables, opening the park up if the weather was pleasant. However, the mechanism never worked correctly, and what was supposed to be a retractable roof was initially not used, then used for only a short period of time, and later replaced with a permanently fixed roof, making the stadium a strictly indoor facility. Another notable park was

8798-541: The semifinals over the Pawtucket Red Sox , 3–0, but lost the championship finals to the Columbus Clippers , 3–1. Tyler Cloyd was selected as the Most Valuable Pitcher in 2012. From 2016 to 2018, Lehigh Valley made three consecutive appearances in the Governors' Cup playoffs. The 2016 wild-card winners set a season record for wins, with 85 against 58 losses, but were swept in three games by

8904-833: The site where the Lehigh Valley Mall was later built. These affiliated clubs were followed by two independent baseball teams: the Allentown Ambassadors of the Northeast League and the Lehigh Valley Black Diamonds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball . The Ambassadors played at Bicentennial Park in Allentown until the team was disbanded after the 2003 season. The Black Diamonds moved from Newburgh, New York , in 1999 and were expected to move into

9010-458: The stadium for the city's new high school. It was announced in January 2024 that McCoy Stadium would be demolished within the year. One of the unique features of the ballpark is the expansive foul territory. The foul area forms a complete semicircle between first and third, and in order to fit the baselines in between the ends of the seating areas, the area behind home plate is quite vast. This

9116-401: The stadiums. Due to the rectangular shape needed for football or soccer, outfield dimensions were generally symmetrical, and even seats at field level down the lines could be far from the action. Multi-purpose stadiums also posed issues for their non-baseball tenants. The "cookie-cutters" with swiveling, field-level sections proved problematic. Because the front rows were too close to the field,

9222-468: The stands. In Citi Field and Oracle Park , part of the right field fence juts unevenly into the outfield as if the builders were trying to create an unpredictable ricochet effect for balls hit against it. Some "retro" parks, such as Globe Life Park in Arlington , throw in a sudden and small inward turn (often referred to as a jog) just to give a little quirkiness to the design. Milwaukee's Miller Park

9328-417: The suburbs and bought cars, the lack of parking became an important issue. Some ballparks remedied this problem through the construction of parking garages in the vicinity, or building new ballparks with ample parking. Others built ballparks in the suburbs, typically with large parking areas. The ballpark/stadium thus became an "island" in an "ocean" of parking space. The modern "retro" trend seeks to cover all

9434-575: The summer. Bob Dylan was the first to perform at the stadium in 2006. Collective Soul , Live and Counting Crows performed in 2007. In 2008, Boston-based bands The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Dropkick Murphys performed at McCoy as part of a three-stadium tour. The tour also included LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts , and Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine . These stadiums have also been home to Boston Red Sox minor league teams, respectively

9540-572: The team to New Jersey , but sold the franchise to Marvin Adelson, who lost the ballclub after threatening to move to Massachusetts . During that year, the team was briefly known as the Rhode Island Red Sox , but that name lasted just one season. Just before the 1977 season, Canadian expatriate businessman Ben Mondor arrived and successfully resurrected the fallen franchise. Mondor owned the team until his death on October 3, 2010, and

9646-564: The team to win a league year-end award when he was selected as the International League's 2009 Most Valuable Pitcher . On July 14, 2010, Coca-Cola Park hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game . In the event, which was broadcast nationally on MLB Network , a team of the IL's All-Stars defeated a team of the Pacific Coast League 's All-Stars, 3–1. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ryne Sandberg became manager of

9752-423: The telecasts to Blue Ridge Cable TV-13 for broadcast to other areas in the eastern part of the state. In addition, select Saturday night home games are telecast on WFMZ-TV 69, which serves the Lehigh Valley as well as the northern Philadelphia market and western New Jersey . All IronPigs games, home and away, are also broadcast on WEEX , an Easton -based FOX Sports Radio affiliate. The IronPigs' mascots are

9858-419: The tournament in 30th place with a 1–9 record. In 2022, the Triple-A East became known as the International League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. In August 2022, as Phillies' star right fielder Bryce Harper was designated to the IronPigs in a final step in his rehabilitation stint as part of his comeback from a fractured thumb, the IronPigs' games against

9964-427: The upper decks obstructed the view from some seats in the lower deck. In the new design, the upper decks were extended upwards and the columns were removed. However, even though the extension counterbalanced some of the weight, the upper decks could no longer extend as close to the field and had to be moved back. Also, the roofs could no longer be as large, and often only covered the top 15 or so rows. This exposed fans to

10070-434: The warning track as a requirement in 1949. Beyond the outfield fence in professional parks is an area called the batter's eye . To ensure the batter can see the white ball, the batter's eye contains no seating and is darker in color. The batter's eye area can be anything from a dark wall to a grassy slope. Most major league ballparks are oriented with the central axis (home plate through second base through center field) of

10176-917: The wooden stands aged and dried. Many parks caught fire, and some were leveled completely. This problem, along with the popularization of baseball and expectations for long-term use of the parks were major factors that drove the transition to the new standard materials for ballparks: steel and concrete. Some famous wooden parks, such as the Polo Grounds III in New York and National League Park in Philadelphia, burned and were rebuilt with fire-resistant materials (Polo Grounds IV and Baker Bowl). Others were simply abandoned in favor of new structures built elsewhere. These new fire-resistant parks often lasted for many decades, and (retrospectively) came to be known as "jewel boxes". There are no more professional ballparks in existence left with this architectural trend, with

10282-493: Was a well-beloved member of the community, as he turned the ballpark and franchise into one of the most fan-friendly in all of professional baseball. The PawSox brought four championship titles to McCoy Stadium and Pawtucket, winning the Governors' Cup (the International League championship since 1933) in 1973, 1984, 2012, and 2014. In February 2015, a group of New England business leaders, led by Larry Lucchino , purchased

10388-399: Was bordered by tall walls or fences covered in advertisements, much like today's minor league parks. These advertisements were sometimes fronted with bleacher seats, or "bleaching boards". Wood, while prone to decomposition, was a relatively inexpensive material. However, the use of wood as the primary material presented a major problem, especially as baseball continued to thrive. Over time,

10494-652: Was completed in 1942, and in 1946 was officially named in honor of Mayor McCoy, who had died in August 1945. McCoy Stadium first began hosting affiliated Minor League Baseball in 1946. The Pawtucket Slaters , a Class B affiliate of the Boston Braves , was the first team to call McCoy Stadium home. The Pawtucket Slaters would play for four seasons in the New England League , as Braves affiliates. Professional baseball disappeared from Pawtucket for 16 years. It finally returned in 1966, as McCoy became home of

10600-782: Was designed to accommodate football). In contrast to the later multi-purpose parks, the seats were generally angled in a configuration suitable for baseball. The "retro" ballparks built in the 1990s and beyond are an attempt to capture the feel of the jewel box parks. The only jewel box parks still used by Major League Baseball are Fenway Park and Wrigley Field . From the 1960s until the arrival of retro parks in 1992, baseball built many multi-purpose ballparks . Also derisively known as "concrete donuts", "cookie-cutters", or "giant ashtrays", they were usually tall and circular or square structures made entirely of, usually bare, reinforced concrete. The parks were built to hold baseball, but also were able to host other sports, such as football and soccer. One of

10706-454: Was designed, with the help of former player Robin Yount , to promote extra base hits . Originally (mostly in the old jewel box parks) these variations resulted from the shape of the property where the park was constructed. If there was a street beyond left field, the distance to the left field fence would be shorter, and if the distance was too short, the fence would be higher. For example, in

10812-441: Was expected that most fans would take mass transit to the games, a situation that still prevails at Boston's Fenway Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field , for example. Some early ballparks, such as Brooklyn's Eastern Park , were abandoned because the trolley lines did not go out far enough and the team was not performing well enough for people to tolerate the inconvenience. As fans became more affluent, and especially as they moved to

10918-408: Was often called a "baggie" or "Hefty bag". Some ballparks have irregularly shaped fences. Ballparks may have round swooping fences or rigidly angled fences, or possibly a significant change in direction or irregular angle. For example, the center field stands and the left field stands at Fenway Park meet at an uneven angle, creating an indentation (called "the triangle") that angles sharply back into

11024-455: Was originally played in open fields or public parks. The genesis of modern baseball is conventionally connected with Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey , a large public park where the businessmen of New York City gathered from time to time to play organized baseball games and cricket matches, starting around the mid-1840s. The name "Field" or "Park" was typically attached to the names of

11130-558: Was the Polo Grounds in New York City, which was razed in 1964. The term " stadium " has been used since ancient times, typically for a running track and its seating area. As college football gained in popularity, the smaller college playing fields and running tracks (which also frequently had the suffix "Field") gave way to large stadiums, many of them built during the sport's "boom" of the 1920s. Major league baseball enjoyed

11236-491: Was used for almost every new major league venue, and was sometimes applied to the old ones, such as Shibe Park , which was renamed Connie Mack Stadium in 1954. The suffix "Dome" was also used for the indoor stadiums constructed from the 1960s onward. The official names of those arenas also often included the word "Stadium", such as the Houston Astrodome , whose formal name was "Harris County Domed Stadium" in 1965;

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