Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park

Last updated
Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park
Kelly Automotive Park 2014.jpg
Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park
Former namesPullman Park (1934-2008), Historic Pullman Park (2008-2014), Kelly Automotive Park (2014-2019)
Location Butler, Pennsylvania
OwnerCity of Butler Parks, Recreation Grounds and Facilities Authority
OperatorCity of Butler Parks, Recreation Grounds and Facilities Authority
Capacity 1,400
Field sizeLeft Field – 347 feet (106 m)
Left-Center – 385 feet (117 m)
Deep Left-Center Field – 425 feet (130 m)
Center Field – 424 feet (129 m)
Right-Center – 352 feet (107 m)
Right Field – 325 feet (99 m)
SurfaceNatural and artificial turf
Construction
Opened1934
Closed20052007 (rebuilding)
Reopened2008
Construction cost$5,000,000 (2008 rebuilding)
Architect Ligo Architects (2008 rebuilding)
Tenants
Butler BlueSox (Prospect League) (20092018) (Tri-State Collegiate League) (2020-Present)
Butler High School (WPIAL)
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School (WPIAL)
Karns City High School (KSAC)
Knoch High School (WPIAL)
Moniteau High School (KSAC)
Butler Indians (PSA) (1935)
Butler Yankees (MAL) (19361946)
Butler Tigers (MAL) (19491951)

Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park is a baseball stadium located in Butler, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1934, and rebuilt in 2008, the ballpark hosted minor league teams that were affiliated with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Contents

Today, there are over 400 games played at the park. High School teams such as Karns City High School, Knoch High School, Moniteau High School, North Catholic High School as well as Butler High School utilize the ballpark during their school seasons. Local colleges and universities also use Pullman Park for some of their home games. Some of these schools include Butler County Community College, Clarion University, and Penn State Greater Allegheny. Tournaments have also been hosted by Atlantic Coast Baseball and West Penn Elite.

The stadium's official home team tenant is the Butler BlueSox of the Tri-State Collegiate League.

History

Pullman Park in 2006 Pullman Park.JPG
Pullman Park in 2006

1934–2004

Pullman Park opened for the 1934 season. It hosted minor league baseball from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Notable players such as Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, and Whitey Ford played at the stadium while the Yankees farm team (Butler Yankees) was in Butler. Joe Namath, Terry Hanratty, and Rich Saul also played at Pullman during their high school years. The ballpark itself was named after the Pullman-Standard Company's railroad car manufacturing facility which sat adjacent to the ballpark from 1902-2005. [1]

2005–2008 Renovation

Pullman Park in March 2008 Pullman Park2.JPG
Pullman Park in March 2008

The ballpark closed after the 2004 baseball season, and sat vacant for two years while necessary funds were raised to rebuild it. Construction began in the fall of 2007, and work was completed in June 2008. [2]

The New Pullman Park

On July 2, 2008, Pullman Park hosted a boxing match, televised on ESPN2. Butler native, Brian Minto knocked out John Poore 2:23 in the first round of the main fight. The match was the first major event to be hosted at the ballpark after the restoration and the first nationally televised event in Butler.

The following summer saw Pullman Park get its first major full-time baseball tenant in almost 60 years, the Prospect League's Butler BlueSox. The BlueSox went 28(W)-26(L) during their inaugural season at the ballpark. To date, the BlueSox have played eight full seasons at the stadium. Pullman hosted the USCAA's Small College World Series on May 6–9, 2013, and the Prospect League All-Star Game on July 17, 2013.

Naming Rights

In 2014, it was decided to help off set costs, stadium naming rights would be sold. In January 2014 the naming rights of Historic Pullman Park were sold to Kelly Automotive, [3] a local car dealership owned by U.S. Rep Mike Kelly. Kelly Automotive Park was the first naming rights to be sold for a 5 year contract.

In January 2019, new naming rights were obtained by a local businessman Shaun Krill of Krill Recycling, naming the park Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park. Shaun named the field after his late wife, Michelle Krill.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern League (1938–present)</span> American sports league in minor league 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler, Pennsylvania</span> City in Pennsylvania, United States

Butler is a city and the county seat of Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 35 miles (56 km) north of Pittsburgh and is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 13,502.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Field</span> Baseball stadium in Cleveland, OH, US

Progressive Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium located in the downtown area of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the home field of the Cleveland Guardians and, together with Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. It was ranked as MLB's best ballpark in a 2008 Sports Illustrated fan opinion poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PNC Park</span> Baseball stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, USA

PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium. PNC Park stands just east of its predecessor along the Allegheny River with a view of the Downtown Pittsburgh skyline. Constructed of steel and limestone, PNC Park has a natural grass playing surface and can seat 38,747 people for baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusta GreenJackets</span> Minor League Baseball team

The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previously played at Lake Olmstead Stadium which had been the home of the GreenJackets from 1995 to 2017. The team is named after The Masters golf tournament held across the Savannah River in Augusta, Georgia, where the winner receives a green jacket. The team logo features a yellowjacket wasp colored green, wearing a tam o' shanter cap, associated with golf.

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian amateur baseball league, comprising teams of college players and former professionals from North America and beyond. Players are not paid, so as to maintain the players' NCAA eligibility. The teams are located in Southern Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innovative Field</span> Baseball stadium in Rochester, New York

Innovative Field is a baseball stadium located at One Morrie Silver Way in downtown Rochester, New York. It has been the home of the Rochester Red Wings of the International League since 1997. The park opened in 1996, replacing Silver Stadium in northern Rochester, which had been home to professional baseball in Rochester since 1929. Although the stadium was built for baseball, Innovative Field has had several tenants in numerous sports, including the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the United Soccer Leagues from 1996 to 2005, and the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse from 2001 to 2002. The ballpark seats 10,840 spectators for baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PNC Field</span> Baseball stadium in northeastern Pennsylvania

PNC Field is a 10,000-seat minor league baseball stadium that is located in Moosic, Pennsylvania in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area that was built in 1989 and rebuilt in 2013. The stadium is home to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LECOM Park</span> Baseball field in Bradenton, Florida

LECOM Park is a baseball field located in Bradenton, Florida. It is the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and is named after a 15-year naming rights deal was signed with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has its main campus in Erie, Pennsylvania, and also a campus in Bradenton. It was formerly known as McKechnie Field, named for Bradenton resident and Baseball Hall of Fame great Bill McKechnie, who led the Pirates in 1925 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1940 to World Series titles. He was also a coach with the Cleveland Indians in 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Lopez Field</span> Former baseball stadium in Tampa, Florida

Al López Field was a spring training and Minor League baseball ballpark in West Tampa, Tampa, Florida, United States. It was named for Al López, the first Tampa native to play Major League Baseball (MLB), manage an MLB team, and be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Al López Field was built in 1954 and hosted its first spring training in 1955, when the Chicago White Sox moved their training site to Tampa from California. Al López became the White Sox's manager in 1957, and for the next three springs, he was the home manager in a ballpark named after himself. The Cincinnati Reds replaced the White Sox as Al López Field's primary tenant in 1960 and would return every spring for almost 30 years. The Tampa Tarpons, the Reds' Class-A minor league affiliate in the Florida State League, played at the ballpark every summer from 1961–1987, and many members of the Reds' Big Red Machine teams of the 1970s played there early in their professional baseball careers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Russell Memorial Stadium</span>

Jack Russell Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Clearwater, Florida. It opened as Jack Russell Stadium in 1955. It had a capacity of 4,744 when it opened; in 2003 seating capacity was 6,942 people. It was the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team from 1955 through 2003. Since 2017, it has been home to the Clearwater High School and St. Petersburg College baseball teams.

Jack Critchfield Park is a stadium in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. It is primarily used for baseball and hosts the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania college baseball team. The ballpark has a capacity of 1,500 people and opened in 2002.

The 2007 Major League Baseball season began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1. The regular season concluded with seven teams entering the postseason who had failed to reach the 2006 playoffs including all National League teams, with only the New York Yankees returning; a dramatic one-game playoff between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres; and the largest September collapse for a leading team in baseball history, with the Mets squandering a 7-game lead with 17 to play, losing on the final day of the regular season, and the Philadelphia Phillies capturing the National League East for the first time since 1993. The season ended on October 28, with the Boston Red Sox sweeping the World Series over the Rockies, four games to none.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Things Park</span> Baseball stadium in Pennsylvania

Wild Things Park is a 3,200-seat multi-purpose baseball stadium in North Franklin Township, a suburb of Washington, Pennsylvania. It hosted its first regular season baseball game on May 29, 2002, as the primary tenants of the facility, the Washington Wild Things, lost to the Canton Coyotes, 3-0. The ballpark also hosts the California Vulcans baseball team, representing Pennsylvania Western University California. It was the home of the Pennsylvania Rebellion of the National Pro Fastpitch, a women's professional softball league, until 2017 when the team folded. It also hosts Trinity High School's baseball team and the WPIAL Baseball Championships. It was briefly the home of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer club during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Wild Things Park is located near Interstate 70 and is notable for including a hot tub in the viewing stands. ProGrass Synthetic Turf was installed in the fall of 2010.

The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central. The Civil Rights Game, an exhibition, in Memphis, Tennessee, took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania</span>

The history of professional baseball in Allentown, Pennsylvania dates back 138 years, starting with the formation of the Allentown Dukes in 1884 and continuing through the present with its hosting of the Allentown-based Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball, who play at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.

The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on April 5, 2009; the regular season was extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins for the American League Central title. The postseason began the next day with the Division Series. The World Series began on October 28, and ended on November 4, with the New York Yankees defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. This was the second time the season was completed in November. The only other occasion was the 2001 World Series, because of the delaying of the end of that season due to the September 11 attacks as November baseball would be guaranteed when Game 4 was played on Sunday, November 1. Had the 2009 World Series gone the full seven games, Game 7 would've been played on November 5, the latest date ever scheduled for a World Series game. American League champion had home field advantage for the World Series by virtue of winning the All-Star Game on July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, 4–3. In addition, the annual Civil Rights Game became a regular season game, and was played June 20 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio, when the host Cincinnati Reds lost to the Chicago White Sox in an interleague game, 10–8. Both teams wore replicas of their 1965 uniforms in the contest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler BlueSox</span>

The Butler BlueSox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Butler, Pennsylvania, in the United States. They are a member of the Tri-State Collegiate League and were formerly a member of the East Division of the summer collegiate Prospect League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JetBlue Park</span> Baseball park located in Fort Myers, Florida

JetBlue Park is a baseball park in Fort Myers, Florida, part of the Fenway South training and development facility.

References

Notes

  1. An Historical Gazetteer of Butler County, Pennsylvania, pp. 263.
  2. , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2006-08-21. Accessed 2008-03-03.
  3. , Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , 2013-12-21. Accessed 2014-01-14.

Coordinates: 40°51′35″N79°54′21″W / 40.859598°N 79.905967°W / 40.859598; -79.905967