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80-613: The final College World Series game at Rosenblatt Stadium was played on June 29, 2010. The final game for the Royals in the stadium, and under the Royals name, was played on September 2, with the Royals defeating the Round Rock Express . The Omaha Nighthawks played their 2010 season at Rosenblatt. Following those events, Rosenblatt was replaced by TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (now Charles Schwab Field Omaha ). Rosenblatt Stadium began renovation in late July after being reopened during

160-602: A Kentucky Bluegrass playing surface and have dimensions that were designed to mirror those of pitcher-friendly Royals Stadium . Buffalo Bisons management insisted the field have deep fences after War Memorial Stadium acquired a poor reputation for allowing easy home runs . Roger Bossard , head groundskeeper of Comiskey Park , served as consultant for the project. The venue broke ground in July 1986, with structural engineering handled by Geiger Associates, and Cowper Construction Management serving as general contractor . It

240-640: A $ 50 million domed stadium that was designed by the architects of the Astrodome and had a capacity of 45,000. Buffalo was one of five finalists for the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion , but franchises were awarded to the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres in May 1968. Erie County went on to modify the planned domed stadium to accommodate the Buffalo Bills , approving its construction as

320-617: A 60,000-seat football venue in Lancaster that could also host baseball. However, bids for the stadium in 1970 came in over budget , and the project stalled. Bills owner Ralph Wilson threatened to move the Bills if action was not taken to replace the aging War Memorial Stadium, forcing Erie County to abandon the domed stadium in favor of building open-air Rich Stadium in Orchard Park . Major League Baseball had planned on relocating

400-612: A competitive on-field product. 27,000 major league season ticket commitments were made by April 1991, consisting of 18,000 paid seat deposits and 9,000 complimentary deposits awarded to the existing Bisons season ticket holders. Buffalo was one of six finalists for the 1993 Major League Baseball expansion , but franchises were awarded to the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins in June 1991. National League president Bill White later confirmed that Rich Jr. publicly questioning

480-586: A cost of $ 15 million. Opening Day of the venue's inaugural season took place on April 14, 1988, and saw the Buffalo Bisons defeat the Denver Zephyrs 1–0. Bob Patterson of the Bisons threw the first pitch against Billy Bates , and the lone score came from a Tom Prince home run . Pam Postema , the first female umpire in the history of professional baseball, officiated the game. Prior to

560-419: A cost of $ 30 million, but unlike the earlier design would take longer than a single offseason to complete. Prior to the 1990 season, 1,400 bleacher seats and a standing-room only area within the third-base mezzanine were added at a cost of $ 1.34 million, increasing the stadium's capacity from 19,500 to 21,050. In September 1990, Bob Rich Jr. attempted to buy the Montreal Expos for $ 100 million and move

640-588: A large downtown stadium. The Royals had named multiple other cities with whom they had discussed relocation, but decided to stay in the greater Omaha area with the construction of Werner Park in Sarpy County, Nebraska , which opened in 2011. In May 2007 a grassroots organization called "Save Rosenblatt" tried to save the stadium for the use by College World Series . The group aired a TV commercial with actor Kevin Costner and proposed architectural plans for

720-642: A major league franchise, Robert E. Rich Jr. began establishing minor league farm teams for the Buffalo Bisons organization. Rich Jr. acquired the Double-A Wichita Pilots and founded the Class A Short Season Niagara Falls Rapids . He renamed Wichita's team to the Wranglers and planned to upgrade their franchise to Triple-A upon the Bisons joining Major League Baseball . The proposed seating expansion to accommodate Major League Baseball

800-542: A new 7,500 seat stadium for the Royals. Although initial plans called for TD Ameritrade Park to be reduced to 12,000 seats for Royals games, Stein said that would not be a viable alternative, presumably because the Royals would have still had to go on an extended road trip in June during the CWS. The Royals believed that a smaller, more intimate stadium would double annual attendance up to 500,000–600,000. According to Stein, that increase would have been unlikely at either Rosenblatt or

880-470: A reality television series starring young wealthy socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie , took place during an Express game. The show aired on July 21, 2004, as the 15th episode of the show's second season. The team made headlines in 2010 when it "signed" Billy Ray "Rojo" Johnson, described in a press release as an East Texan who grew up in Venezuela and had run-ins with the law. In reality, Johnson

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960-428: A remodeled Rosenblatt and modified area around the stadium. However, on February 27, 2008, after nearly five months of deliberation, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey and the stadium committee made a public recommendation for a new downtown stadium. This proposal included plans for the demolition of Rosenblatt Stadium. Many citizens of South Omaha responded with disappointment and frustration over the lack of public participation in

1040-562: A renovation of Rosenblatt. The group also created an informational website . The group was composed primarily of governmental spending critics and homeowners near Rosenblatt Stadium who stood to lose money from the loss of proximity of the College World Series. The members of "Save Rosenblatt" believed that Rosenblatt Stadium should be retained and enhanced, saying that the CWS and the City of Omaha would have been better served by

1120-1148: A split-season format in 2023 in which the teams with the best league-wide records at the end of each half qualified for the playoffs, Round Rock won the second-half title at 45–30. Overall, the team posted the league's second-best record, 89–60. In a single round of playoffs to determine the PCL championship versus the Oklahoma City Dodgers , winners of the first half, the Express were defeated, two games to none. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] 7-day injured list * On Texas Rangers 40-man roster ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated November 20, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB  •  Pacific Coast League → Texas Rangers minor league players The "Play Ball" episode of The Simple Life ,

1200-542: The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike . The Blue Jays instead chose to play at their spring training home of Dunedin Stadium , but the strike ended in April 1995 and the team returned to SkyDome. A new outfield fence was erected prior to the 1996 season at a cost of $ 50,000 so that the venue's playing surface mirrored the dimensions of Jacobs Field . Left-center field was reduced from 384 feet to 371 feet, center field

1280-488: The 2010 UFL season , selling out all four, the only UFL team to do so. The league was so impressed by the attendance that they awarded the 2010 UFL Championship Game to Rosenblatt, which was the last sporting event ever held there. Rosenblatt held tractor pulls and tributes to its legacy through 2011. In June 2012, the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo Foundation opened Rosenblatt to the public during

1360-456: The 2012 College World Series for fans to visit again. The pressbox girders were imploded on the morning of August 22, 2012. Re-construction of Rosenblatt in playground-esque form began in March 2013, and was officially opened by Mayor Jim Suttle on June 7, 2013. The site is currently owned by the adjacent Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium . Omaha Municipal Stadium was built during 1947–1948, and

1440-434: The 2012 College World Series . Plans called for the site of Rosenblatt Stadium to be sold to pay off the debt remaining from the stadium's multimillion-dollar updates. The adjacent Henry Doorly Zoo purchased control of the land and remodeled Rosenblatt once the new downtown stadium was completed. A tribute to Rosenblatt, sized to Little League standards, will be the product of the renovations to Rosenblatt. On March 8, 2011,

1520-716: The Buffalo Blues played for the Federal League in 1915. However, Bisons owner Robert E. Rich Jr. was unsuccessful in his efforts to bring an MLB franchise to the stadium between 1988 and 1995. The stadium was a temporary home to the Toronto Blue Jays of MLB in 2020 and 2021 when they were displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic . Sahlen Field was previously home to the Buffalo Nighthawks of

1600-595: The International League starting in 1912. This club played at Olympic Park until 1923, at which point that venue was demolished and replaced by Offermann Stadium . Buffalo was awarded an expansion franchise by the Continental League of Major League Baseball in January 1960, and made plans to play at War Memorial Stadium beginning with the 1961 season. However, the league folded before

1680-512: The International League , it opened on April 14, 1988, and can seat up to 16,600 people, making it the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States. It replaced the Bisons' former home, War Memorial Stadium , where the team played from 1979 to 1987. The stadium was the first retro-classic ballpark built in the world, and was designed with plans for Major League Baseball (MLB) expansion. Buffalo had not had an MLB team since

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1760-976: The Ladies Professional Baseball League in 1998, the Buffalo Bulls of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2000, and the Empire State Yankees of the International League in 2012. In addition to concerts and professional wrestling, the stadium has hosted major events including the National Old-Timers Baseball Classic (1988–1990), Triple-A All-Star Game (1988, 2012), StarGaze (1992–1993), World University Games ( 1993 ) and National Buffalo Wing Festival (2002–2019). Buffalo began hosting professional baseball in 1877, when

1840-838: The Missouri River . Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers . They are located in Round Rock, Texas , and play their home games at the Dell Diamond . The team is named for Baseball Hall of Famer and Texas native Nolan Ryan , who was nicknamed "The Ryan Express." Ryan, along with son Reid Ryan and Don Sanders make up

1920-401: The National Collegiate Athletic Association in 2000. The Bulls finished the season with a 12–35 record and moved to Amherst Audubon Field the following year. Major League Lacrosse staged an exhibition at the venue on August 11, 2000, as part of their Summer Showcase Tour. Robert E. Rich Jr. planned to purchase a Major League Lacrosse franchise at a cost of $ 1 million to begin play at

2000-948: The New Orleans Zephyrs to obtain the Astros' Triple-A affiliation for the newly-arriving PCL club. In 2006, the Round Rock Express clinched the Southern Division of the league's American Conference with a win–loss record of 85–59. After defeating the Nashville Sounds in five games to take the American Conference championship, they advanced to the PCL championship series, but lost to the Tucson Sidewinders in three straight games. In 2011, after 6 seasons of serving as

2080-409: The mezzanine level, rusticated joints, and inset marble panels. Located close to Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and along the newly built Buffalo Metro Rail , the venue would be an attractive and accessible destination for suburban residents. The same design firm would later bring this concept to Major League Baseball with Oriole Park at Camden Yards . The baseball field itself would feature

2160-505: The 2011 season, the park's original scoreboard in center field was removed and replaced by an 80-foot wide by 33-foot tall Daktronics high-definition LED video screen at a cost $ 2.5 million. That same year, a new $ 970,000 field drainage system and a new $ 750,000 field lighting system were added to the venue. The venue was one of six that played home to the Empire State Yankees of the International League in 2012. The team

2240-707: The AA folded. Team was named "Omaha Golden Spikes" during 1998–2001. From 1950 to 2010 Rosenblatt Stadium was home to the College World Series . After the initial contract between the NCAA and the City of Omaha expired, the parties quickly agreed to renew. Currently, the NCAA and the city of Omaha have agreed to continue hosting the Men's College World Series in Omaha through the 2035 season. The South Carolina Gamecocks won

2320-545: The Buffalo Bisons and City of Buffalo for use of the venue expired following the 2008 season, and the city began offering year-to-year leases to the team thereafter. The venue's luxury suites were consolidated and renovated beginning in 2010, reducing the total number from 38 to 26. A conference suite was constructed on the first-base side of the stadium at a cost of $ 250,000, and the year-round suite can accommodate business gatherings of up to 40 people. Prior to

2400-496: The Buffalo Bisons of the League Alliance began play at Riverside Park . Over the next century, the city hosted major and minor league teams including the Buffalo Bisons ( IA , 1878, 1887–1888), Buffalo Bisons ( NL , 1879–1885), Buffalo Bisons ( PL , 1890), and the Buffalo Blues ( FL , 1914–1915). The longest-tenured franchise was the minor league Buffalo Bisons , which was founded in 1886 and played exclusively in

2480-533: The City Campus of Erie Community College was part of the proposed complex, and was eventually built several years later as the Burt Flickinger Center . St. John's Episcopal Church originally occupied what would become the venue's land at the corner of Washington Street and Swan Street, and Randall's Boarding House originally occupied the adjacent lot on Swan Street. Mark Twain famously

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2560-416: The College World Series surpassed the 5 million spectator mark in all-time attendance. In 1999 , the local event organizers, College World Series of Omaha, Inc., placed the sculpture "Road to Omaha" in front of the main entrance. Created by local artist John Lajba , the sculpture shows three players celebrating by lifting one of their teammates in the air. One of the players whose likeness was used to create

2640-527: The Express as the sixth-most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value of $ 40 million. On September 20, 2018, the Express announced a 4-year Player Development Contract with the Houston Astros. In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season, the Astros opted to discontinue their affiliation with Round Rock, leaving them in need of a new major league affiliate. The Express later re-affiliated with

2720-730: The Express were shifted to the Triple-A West , which was renamed the PCL in 2022. The ownership group led by Nolan Ryan and Don Sanders began its operations in Round Rock in 2000 as the Dell Diamond opened, moving the Double-A Texas League 's Jackson Generals to the new park, affiliating with the Houston Astros and setting attendance records for the Double-A level. By 2003, Corpus Christi had offered

2800-521: The Omaha City Council formally approved the sale of Rosenblatt to the Zoo for $ 12 million. Renovation of Rosenblatt began in July 2012; the city of Omaha will use the money gained from Rosenblatt's sale to pay off debts which had been incurred in the stadium's updates over the years. On June 7, 2013, the Zoo unveiled the tribute to the stadium, Rosenblatt Park. Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium was one of

2880-532: The Ryan-Sanders group $ 20 million to build a stadium and move a professional franchise there, and the ownership group was convinced Round Rock could support Triple-A baseball. Meanwhile, the Pacific Coast League 's Edmonton Trappers franchise, left isolated by the departure of the Calgary Cannons after the 2002 season for Albuquerque, was under pressure from the rest of the league to relocate to

2960-530: The Texas Rangers for 2021 and were organized into the Triple-A West . Round Rock ended the season tied for second place in the Eastern Division with a 61–58 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

3040-502: The Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, and 11 seasons of being affiliated with the Astros overall, the Express became the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers . Through the end of the 2018 season, attendance figures have dropped 8% since changing affiliations from Houston to Texas (see table below). Each of the top 9 season attendances all occurred in the 11 seasons the team was affiliated with Houston. In 2016, Forbes listed

3120-660: The United States. After the 2003 season, the Ryan group purchased the Trappers franchise with plans to relocate that franchise to Round Rock for 2005, once the Corpus Christi stadium would be ready for the Double-A franchise. The Triple-A club would carry on the Round Rock Express identity; the Double-A club would become the Corpus Christi Hooks , and the Ryan group was able to negotiate an affiliation swap with

3200-716: The World Series in Omaha for another 25 years through 2035. The agreement stipulated that the series be moved to the new downtown stadium by 2011. On April 15, 2010, it was announced that Rosenblatt Stadium would be home to the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League for its inaugural 2010 season. For 2011 and beyond, the Nighthawks would move into the new TD Ameritrade Park. The Nighthawks played four games at Rosenblatt Stadium during

3280-407: The aging War Memorial Stadium with what was originally known as Downtown Buffalo Sports Complex . The City of Buffalo originally hired HOK Sport to design a $ 90 million domed stadium with a capacity of 40,000 on 13 acres of land, but the project was scaled back after New York State only approved $ 22.5 million in funding instead of the $ 40 million requested. A separate athletic facility to service

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3360-500: The ballpark hosted clubs in several different leagues. In 1969 , the Kansas City Royals moved their triple-A franchise here, which played at Rosenblatt through the 2010 season. In 1964 , the stadium was renamed to honor former mayor Johnny Rosenblatt (1907–1979), who was instrumental in bringing professional baseball and the College World Series to Omaha. Team moved into Pacific Coast League (PCL) in 1998, after

3440-457: The construction of parking garages to service the venue and other downtown businesses. A planned second phase of construction was a seating expansion contingent on Buffalo acquiring a Major League Baseball franchise. The original design by HOK Sport called for a third deck to be added in place of the roof, expanding the venue's capacity from 19,500 to 40,000. In May 1987, it was estimated this expansion could be completed within one offseason at

3520-574: The event, The Oak Ridge Boys performed " The Star-Spangled Banner " and both Mayor James D. Griffin and Governor Mario Cuomo threw ceremonial first pitches . The formal dedication of the venue took place on May 21, 1988, prior to the Buffalo Bisons defeating the Syracuse Chiefs in an interleague Triple-A Alliance game by a score of 6–5. Larry King threw the ceremonial first pitch and sat in on commentary with WBEN broadcasters Pete Weber and John Murphy . In their first year at

3600-473: The few stadiums to still use live music instead of prerecorded music. Lambert Bartak , an organist for the Royals, is one of only three organists ever to be ejected during a game, the others being Wilbur Snapp and Derek Dye. The playing field in Rosenblatt Stadium had the ability to stay playable with even an 8.5 inch (220 mm) per hour rainfall. Before reconfiguration for the 2002 season,

3680-639: The following month after the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike commenced. Buffalo was withdrawn as a candidate for the 1998 Major League Baseball expansion , and franchises were awarded to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in March 1995. Rich Jr. was offered an expansion franchise by the United Baseball League of Major League Baseball in November 1994 at a cost of $ 5 million, which would have played at

3760-401: The foul lines were 343 feet (105 m) (later 335 ft (102 m)), the power alleys were 370 feet (113 m) (later 375 ft (114 m)), and center field was 420 feet (128 m) (later 408 ft (124 m)). The field was aligned northeast (home plate to center field) at an approximate elevation of 1,150 feet (350 m) above sea level , nearly 200 feet (60 m) above

3840-578: The investment group was prepared to fund $ 134 million in private capital required for expansion, which included the $ 95 million franchise fee and initial operating costs. The largest share of the financial burden would fall on Rich Jr., who pledged a minimum of $ 10 million cash and the equity in his three minor league teams. Rich Jr. publicly voiced concerns in December 1990 that without a salary cap and revenue sharing , he would have to raise ticket prices to unaffordable levels while being unable to produce

3920-416: The last college World Series in the stadium. Due to growth in the event, the City of Omaha devoted resources to the stadium to accommodate teams and fans. In 2001 , for example, more than $ 7 million was spent on the stadium. One of the major additions was 10,000 new seats, bringing the total capacity to 23,145. The record for most consecutive sell-outs at Rosenblatt stands at 82 consecutive games. In 2002,

4000-413: The league shut down mid-season in July 1998. The Nighthawks were in first place with an 11–5 record when the league folded, and were declared Eastern Division champions. The park's original four-color dot matrix scoreboard in center field was retrofitted with a 38-foot wide by 19-foot tall Daktronics LED video screen in 1999 at a cost of $ 1.2 million. The venue was home to the Buffalo Bulls of

4080-486: The league's financial structure sunk his bid. In their fourth year at the stadium, the Buffalo Bisons once again broke the all-time record for Minor League Baseball attendance by drawing 1,240,951 fans during the 1991 season. Rich Jr. offered to let the Montreal Expos finish their home schedule at the venue in September 1991 after Olympic Stadium was damaged, but the team instead played their final 13 home games on

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4160-581: The outfield wall. Rich Jr. moved his Class A Short Season Niagara Falls Rapids after he was unable to secure repairs for the aging Sal Maglie Stadium . The team resumed play as the Jamestown Jammers in June 1994. In July 1994, Rich Jr. notified the Major League Baseball Expansion Committee that he was interested in pursuing a Buffalo expansion franchise. However, he would retract this notification

4240-403: The project planning and a lack of a public vote on a multimillion-dollar project. Other concerns focused on the financing and certainty of the construction costs of the new stadium. In response, fans have begun a movement to build an online museum of Rosenblatt Stadium. On April 30, 2009, the city and the NCAA agreed on a memorandum of understanding , outlining a preliminary agreement to keep

4320-400: The renamed Storm Chasers moved to Werner Park in Sarpy County . Although the stadium's size was not an issue for the College World Series, expansions over the years made it far too large for a Triple-A team. In its final configuration, it had over 5,000 more seats than the next-largest stadium, Buffalo's Sahlen Field . The Royals struggled for years to fill it for regular season games. In

4400-746: The road. In June 1992, Rich Jr. attempted to buy the San Francisco Giants and move the team to Buffalo, but owner Bob Lurie declined his offer. The proposed name for the team would have been the New York Giants of Buffalo, as the franchise had previously played as the New York Giants from 1885 to 1957 in New York City. That same month, the City of Buffalo chose to exercise an escape clause and buy back $ 24.2 million in federal bonds they had earmarked for expanding

4480-399: 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. Round Rock finished the tournament tied for seventh place with a 6–4 record. In 2022, the Triple-A West became known as the Pacific Coast League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. Playing under

4560-412: The season began. The Buffalo Bisons remained in the International League and began play at War Memorial Stadium in 1961, as Offermann Stadium had already been slated for demolition. In April 1968, Robert O. Swados and his investment group, which included George Steinbrenner , presented their bid for a Buffalo expansion franchise to the National League Expansion Committee. This bid included plans for

4640-449: The stadium's final years, capacity was reduced to 8,500 for Royals games. During the CWS, the Royals were forced to go on an extended road trip for much of June. There had been discussion since 2003 of building a separate venue for the Royals, which also could have been shared by Creighton University and/or the University of Nebraska at Omaha . Royals president and part owner Alan Stein stated he would be willing to invest $ 10 million into

4720-439: The statue (far right) is the current University of Virginia head coach Brian O'Connor . O'Connor is a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa and was a CWS participant at Rosenblatt as a pitcher for Creighton in '91, as an assistant with Notre Dame in '02, and with Virginia as their head coach in 2009 and 2011. With the anticipated opening of TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in 2011, the College World Series moved to this new stadium, and

4800-412: The struggling Washington Senators franchise to Buffalo, but when the domed stadium wasn't built it instead became the Texas Rangers . The Buffalo Bisons moved mid-season in 1970 and became the Winnipeg Whips , leaving Buffalo without professional baseball. Mayor James D. Griffin and an investment group purchased the Jersey City A's of the Double-A class Eastern League for $ 55,000 in 1978, and

4880-584: The team began play as the Buffalo Bisons at War Memorial Stadium in 1979. This new franchise assumed the history of prior Buffalo Bisons teams that had played in the city from 1877 to 1970. Rich Products heir Robert E. Rich Jr. purchased the Bisons for $ 100,000 in 1983, and upgraded the team to the Triple-A class American Association in 1985 after buying out the Wichita Aeros for $ 1 million. The Bisons began drawing record crowds with promotional tie-ins, most notably annual post-game concerts by The Beach Boys . Strong political support grew to replace

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4960-404: The team to Buffalo, but owner Charles Bronfman declined his offer. That same month, Rich Jr. and his investment group presented their bid for a Buffalo expansion franchise to the National League Expansion Committee. Members of this investment group included Jeremy Jacobs , Larry King , Northrup R. Knox , Robert G. Wilmers , Robert O. Swados and Seymour H. Knox III . It was reported that

5040-426: The team's ownership group, Ryan Sanders Baseball. The Express were established as a Double-A team of the Texas League (TL) in 2000. They won the Texas League championship in 2000. Round Rock was replaced by a Triple-A Pacific Coast League team in 2005. The Triple-A Express carried on the history of the Double-A team that preceded them. With Major League Baseball 's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021,

5120-459: The venue after moving from War Memorial Stadium, the Buffalo Bisons broke the all-time record for Minor League Baseball attendance by drawing 1,186,651 fans during the 1988 season. The team had capped season ticket sales at 9,000 seats to ensure that individual game tickets would be available. The inaugural Build New York Award was given to Cowper Construction Management by the General Building Contractors of New York State for their work on

5200-455: The venue beginning with the 1996 season. However, franchises were awarded in February 1995 to Long Island , Los Angeles, New Orleans , San Juan , Vancouver and Washington before the league folded without ever playing a game. The Buffalo Bisons considered sharing the venue with the Toronto Blue Jays for their 1995 season , as the Ontario Labour Relations Board prohibited non-union replacement players from competing at SkyDome during

5280-438: The venue in June 2001. However, he withdrew support after determining that removing and replacing the pitcher's mound for lacrosse games would damage the field and put the Buffalo Bisons at a disadvantage. The 20-year lease between the Buffalo Bisons and City of Buffalo for use of the venue was renegotiated in January 2003, with the addition of funding from Erie County. Prior to the 2004 season, $ 5 million in renovations to

5360-485: The venue in his June 1989 article for the Vancouver Sun , contrasting it with the recently opened SkyDome in Toronto: It was a matter of philosophy. Toronto built an edifice: Buffalo embraced an idea. Toronto elevated technology over the game: Buffalo honored the past. Buffalo ended up with the better ballpark. It may be the best ballpark built since the construction of the game's holy triumvirate – Wrigley , Fenway and Briggs . In anticipation of Buffalo being awarded

5440-402: The venue to accommodate Major League Baseball. The 1988 to 1993 Buffalo Bisons seasons were the six highest-attended campaigns in Minor League Baseball history, with each season drawing over 1,000,000 fans. Prior to the 1994 season, a restaurant called Power Alley Pub was constructed under the bleachers in right-center field. The restaurant provided seating with views of the field through

5520-416: The venue were completed, including removal of the stadium's right field bleachers and construction of a four-tier Party Deck in its place. The removal of the bleachers decreased the stadium capacity from 21,050 to 18,025. A 4-foot wide by 8-foot tall digital billboard was installed on the corner of Washington Street and Swan Street before the 2007 season at a cost of $ 70,000. The 20-year lease between

5600-526: The venue's restaurant and concessions . The $ 42.4 million venue was mainly paid for with public funding. $ 22.5 million came from New York State, $ 12.9 million came from the City of Buffalo , $ 4.2 million came from Erie County, and $ 2.8 million came from the Buffalo Bisons. The New York State funding was contingent on the Bisons signing a 20-year lease with the City of Buffalo for use of the venue, which they did just prior to groundbreaking . The City of Buffalo and Erie County paid an additional $ 14 million for

5680-405: The venue. The venue was lauded by mainstream media outlets, including feature stories by Newsday , New York Daily News , San Francisco Examiner , Sports Illustrated , The New York Times Magazine and Vancouver Sun . Eric Brazil wrote in his San Francisco Examiner column that the venue, "just may be baseball's prototype for the 1990s and beyond". Pete McMartin wrote fondly of

5760-481: Was a resident of the boarding house while editor of the Buffalo Express . Constructed between 1846 and 1848, the church remained in use until 1893 and was demolished in 1906. The land then became the site of Ellsworth Statler 's first hotel, Hotel Statler , in 1907. It was later renamed Hotel Buffalo after Statler built a new hotel on Niagara Square in 1923 and sold his former location. Hotel Buffalo

5840-456: Was actor Will Ferrell , who briefly took the mound at Dell Diamond to promote his nearby charity golf tournament. Sahlen Field Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York , United States. Originally known as Pilot Field , the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark , North AmeriCare Park , Dunn Tire Park , and Coca-Cola Field . Home to the Buffalo Bisons of

5920-622: Was demolished in 1968, and the land became a parking lot . The City of Buffalo would later acquire the land through eminent domain . HOK Sport (now known as Populous ) designed the downtown venue as the first retro-classic ballpark in the world. The open-air venue was designed to incorporate architecture from the neighboring Joseph Ellicott Historic District , most notably the Ellicott Square Building and Old Post Office . The venue's exterior would be constructed from precast concrete , featuring arched window openings at

6000-488: Was forced to play at alternate sites that season as PNC Field was undergoing renovations. The Yankees finished the season with a 84–60 record and advanced to the International League playoffs. $ 500,000 was spent in improvements to the venue before the 2014 season, including a new sound system and the installation of new LED message boards down both baselines. A campaign to replace the park's original red seating with wider green seating began in 2014. The stadium's capacity

6080-556: Was originally built with a seating capacity of 19,500, which at the time made it the third-largest stadium in Minor League Baseball . This included a club level with seating for 3,500 and 38 luxury suites , general admission bleacher seating for 1,130 in right field , and a 250-seat restaurant with city and field views on the mezzanine level. Rich Products already owned and operated local restaurants under their B.R. Guest brand, and they assumed operation of

6160-611: Was ready to host the single-A Omaha Cardinals for the 1949 season. The Omaha Cardinals had spent the 1947 and 1948 seasons playing their home games across the Missouri River, at the American Legion Park in Council Bluffs, Iowa . The Cards opened the new Omaha ballpark on April 25, 1949, defeating Des Moines 9-8 in 12 innings.[Lincoln Nebraska State Journal , April 26, 1949, p.9] Over the next few years

6240-408: Was reduced from 18,025 to 17,600 when 3,700 seats were replaced prior to the 2015 season at a cost of $ 758,000. 2,900 seats were replaced prior to the 2017 season, reducing capacity of the venue from 17,600 to 16,907. 2,000 seats were replaced prior to the 2019 season, reducing capacity of the venue from 16,907 to 16,600. Following the 2019 season, protective crowd netting was installed throughout

6320-508: Was reduced from 410 feet to 404 feet, right-center field was reduced from 384 feet to 367 feet, and the height of the center field fence was reduced from 15 feet to 8 feet. This change allowed the Cleveland Indians , Buffalo's major league affiliate, to better evaluate their prospects , while also making the park more hitter-friendly . The venue was home to the Buffalo Nighthawks of the Ladies Professional Baseball League before

6400-555: Was revised by HOK Sport to preserve the aesthetic of the roof, which would now be kept and raised to cover a third deck. In this new design, less seating would be built on the third deck, and instead a new right field seating structure would be built in front of the Exchange Street parking ramp . In addition, expanded bleachers would be added in right field that could later be converted to permanent seating. Capacity after this expansion would increase from 19,500 to 41,530 at

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