There are 12 stadiums in use by Eastern League (EL) baseball teams. The oldest is FirstEnergy Stadium (1951) in Reading, Pennsylvania, home of the Reading Fightin Phils. The newest is Dunkin' Donuts Park (2017) in Hartford, Connecticut, home of the Hartford Yard Goats. One stadium was built in the 1950s, two in the 1980s, seven in the 1990s, one in the 2000s, and one in the 2010s. The highest seating capacity is 10,000 at Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, Maryland, where the Bowie Baysox play. The lowest capacity is 6,000 at UPMC Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, where the Erie SeaWolves play. All stadiums use a grass surface.
Since its founding, there have been 69 stadiums located among 53 municipalities used by the league, including the period when the EL was known as the New York–Pennsylvania League from 1923 to 1937.[ citation needed ] Of the stadiums with known opening dates, the oldest to have hosted EL games was Pynchon Park (1853), home of the Springfield Nationals, Springfield Rifles, and Springfield Giants; Dunkin' Donuts Park is also the newest of all stadiums to host EL games. The highest known seating capacity was 45,000 at War Memorial Stadium, the Buffalo Bisons home, though it was actually designed for football. The highest capacity of a stadium designed for baseball was 24,167 at Roosevelt Stadium, where the Jersey City Indians and Jersey City A's played their home games. The stadium with the lowest known capacity was Bleecker Stadium, home of the Albany-Colonie A's, which seated only 2000.
Name | Team | City | State | Opened | Capacity | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canal Park | Akron RubberDucks | Akron | Ohio | 1997 | 7,630 | [1] |
The Diamond | Richmond Flying Squirrels | Richmond | Virginia | 1985 | 9,560 | [2] |
Dunkin' Donuts Park | Hartford Yard Goats | Hartford | Connecticut | 2017 | 6,121 | [3] |
FirstEnergy Stadium | Reading Fightin Phils | Reading | Pennsylvania | 1951 | 9,000 | [4] |
FNB Field | Harrisburg Senators | Harrisburg | Pennsylvania | 1987 | 6,187 | [5] |
Hadlock Field | Portland Sea Dogs | Portland | Maine | 1994 | 7,368 | [6] |
Mirabito Stadium | Binghamton Rumble Ponies | Binghamton | New York | 1992 | 6,012 | [7] |
Delta Dental Stadium | New Hampshire Fisher Cats | Manchester | New Hampshire | 2005 | 6,500 | [8] |
Peoples Natural Gas Field | Altoona Curve | Altoona | Pennsylvania | 1999 | 7,210 | [9] |
Prince George's Stadium | Bowie Baysox | Bowie | Maryland | 1994 | 10,000 | [10] |
TD Bank Ballpark | Somerset Patriots | Bridgewater | New Jersey | 1999 | 6,100 | [11] |
UPMC Park | Erie SeaWolves | Erie | Pennsylvania | 1995 | 6,000 | [12] |
Name | Stadium's name in its most recent season of hosting EL baseball |
---|---|
Opened | Opening of earliest stadium variant used for hosting EL baseball |
Capacity | Stadium's most recent capacity while hosting EL baseball |
The Eastern League (EL) is a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) sports league that has operated under that name since 1938, with the exception of the 2021 season, during which the league operated under the moniker Double-A Northeast. The league has played at the Double-A level since 1963, and consists primarily of teams located in the Northeastern United States.
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Dunkin' Donuts Park is a 6,121-seat baseball park in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the home field of the Hartford Yard Goats of the Eastern League. The stadium has a total capacity of 6,850 people, including standing room, which was reached numerous times during its inaugural season of 2017. It was planned to open for the 2016 season on April 7, but numerous constructions delays postponed this opening and forced the Yard Goats to play the entire season on the road. The stadium opened in time for the team's 2017 home opener on April 13.
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