Oriole Park

Last updated

Oriole Park
Terrapin Park
Baltimore Oriole Stadium 1938 1b.JPG
Terrapin Park at NW Greenmount Ave and 29th St (1938)
Former namesTerrapin Park (1914–1915)
LocationNW Greenmount Ave and 29th St
Capacity 16,000 (1914); 14,000 (1940)
Field sizeLeft – 290 ft.; Center – 412 ft.; Right – 313 ft. (1935)
Surfacegrass
Construction
Opened1914
ClosedJuly 3, 1944
ArchitectOtto G. Simonson
Tenants
Baltimore Orioles (AL) (1901–1902)
Baltimore Terrapins (FL) (1914–1915)
Baltimore Orioles (IL) (1916–1944)
Baltimore Elite Giants (NNL) (1938–1944)

Oriole Park was the name of multiple baseball parks in Baltimore, Maryland, all built within a few blocks of each other.

Contents

Oriole Park I, 1883–1889

The first field called Oriole Park I was built on the southwest corner of Sixth Street and Huntingdon Avenue (later renamed 25th Street), to the north; and York Road (later Greenmount Avenue) to the east. The park was also variously known as Huntingdon Avenue Park and American Association Park. It was the first home of the major league American Association professional baseball franchise, the first to bear the name of the Baltimore Orioles I, during 1882–1888.

Oriole Park II,1889–1891

Diagram of the 1889 ballpark Oriole Park 1889 Mar 21.jpg
Diagram of the 1889 ballpark

The Orioles moved four blocks north and opened new Oriole Park, retroactively called Oriole Park II. The ballpark sat on a roughly rectangular block bounded by 10th Street (later renamed 29th Street) on the north and York Road (later Greenmount Avenue) on the east, 9th Street (later renamed 28th Street) was to the south, and Barclay Street on the west. The field in the then-suburban village of Waverly, a community then just outside the northeast city limits of Baltimore at North Avenue (then Boundary Avenue), from 1816, served as the home of the American Association Orioles entry from 1889 through the first month of the spring season in 1891. [1]

A rough diagram of the ballpark which appeared in the Baltimore Sun on March 21, 1889, showed the diamond and the stands in the northern portion of the block, with the outfield in the southern portion.

The first game scheduled for the new park was an exhibition against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 28, 1889, that was cancelled due to the muddy field. [2] The ballpark's first game was March 29, 1889 in which the Phillies defeated the Orioles 4–2. [3]

The club's reason for abandoning the park after just two full seasons is implied in another Baltimore Sun article on April 27, 1891, which described the upcoming Union Park as "better and more convenient". Coincidentally, Oriole Park II was one city block south of two later Oriole Parks at 29th Street and Greenmount Avenue in the early 20th century, 1901–1915 and 1916–1944.

Union Park III, 1891–1899

Union Park entrance Baltimore Union Baseball Park, 1895 1a.jpg
Union Park entrance

The club opened Union Park, sometimes called Oriole Park, and retroactively designated Oriole Park III, on May 11, 1891, also south of Waverly at Greenmount Avenue and Sixth Street (also called Huntingdon Avenue, and today known as 25th Street). The team joined the National League in 1892 after the American Association folded. Union Park was the Orioles' home when the club won three straight National League pennants and the championship Temple Cup twice. Baltimore was dropped when the National League contracted from 12 to eight teams in 1900. [4]

American League Park / Oriole Park IV, 1901–1914

Oriole Park in its original configuration American League Park Baltimore 1902 Sanborn map.jpg
Oriole Park in its original configuration

The American League was formed in 1901 as a reorganization of the Western League, under its new president Ban Johnson, adding some of the dropped cities while directly challenging the National League in other cities. They opened a new Oriole Park (retroactively called Oriole Park IV, as well as being dubbed American League Park by the contemporary media). [5] It was on the same site but slightly farther north as the 1889–91 field site (located at 39°19′22″N76°36′37″W / 39.32278°N 76.61028°W / 39.32278; -76.61028 ) from the last years of the old American Association.

The American League's new Orioles and charter member team played for two seasons before they folded and were replaced for the 1903 season with the New York City team, the New York Highlanders (or the New York Americans), as part of a peace pact and recognition agreement between the two competing baseball leagues, and to give the American League a foothold in the nation's largest city. That Highlanders team soon became known as the New York Yankees. Baltimore revived professional baseball as a minor league club, an entry in the Eastern League (later renamed International League), which began play at this same ballpark, which they renamed Oriole Park. There they were very successful, producing some remarkable and marketable players, including the local star Babe Ruth, who was sold to the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher, and later gained even greater fame as a home run slugger with that same New York Yankees franchise which had begun in Baltimore.

The block was rectangular, with home plate in the northwest corner. A Baltimore Sun piece about the new Terrapin Park on May 29, 1914, gave the dimensions of Oriole Park (IV) as left field 322 feet (98 m), center field 475 feet (145 m), right field 318 feet (97 m).

Terrapin Park / Oriole Park V, 1914-1944

Terrapin Park diagram Terrapin Park Baltimore 1914 Jan 27.jpg
Terrapin Park diagram

The last and by far the best known Oriole Park prior to Camden Yards was the fifth one, which started life as Terrapin Park. It was the home field of the Baltimore Terrapins of the short-lived Federal League of 1914–1915. Some of the "Fed" facilities, such as the eventual Wrigley Field, in Chicago (which later became home of the Chicago Cubs) were made of steel and concrete. Terrapin Park was made of wood, which would prove to be its undoing, but its eventual demise would boost Baltimore's chances of returning to the major leagues.

Terrapin Park was built on a wedge-shaped block bounded by 10th Street (later renamed 29th Street), York Road (later Greenmount Avenue), 11th Street (later renamed 30th Street) and the angling small alley-like Vineyard Lane (originally Gilmore Lane).

The park known as both Terrapin Park and then Oriole Park was located at the coordinates 39°19′26″N76°36′40″W / 39.32389°N 76.61111°W / 39.32389; -76.61111 . Home plate was toward the southwest corner, in the "vee" of the wedge-shaped block. The playing field was smaller by contemporary standards.

The two ballparks in 1915 on Sunburn insurance map Terrapin Park and Oriole Park 1915 Sanborn map.jpg
The two ballparks in 1915 on Sunburn insurance map

The ballpark was across the street, to the north and west, from the existing Oriole Park, also known as American League Park. The competition proved too much for the Orioles, who left Baltimore in mid-season 1914. The Federal League closed after two seasons, and a revived Orioles club acquired the newer park to the north in 1916, renaming it Oriole Park, (Oriole Park V). The abandoned Oriole Park IV property became the site of a Billy Sunday tabernacle.

Terrapin Park (circled) and old Oriole Park vacant lot in 1916 Oriole Park remnants and Terrapin Park 1916 Jan 6.jpg
Terrapin Park (circled) and old Oriole Park vacant lot in 1916

Following the demise of the "Fed", the Baltimore professional baseball interests became a primary party in an antitrust legal suit filed against Major League Baseball and involving the Commissioner of Baseball. This resulted in the landmark 1922 U.S. Supreme Court decision, in Federal Baseball Club v. National League , that exempted baseball from antitrust laws.

On April 18, 1919, the Red Sox played an exhibition game at Oriole Park (V). Ruth put on a hitting exhibition, rocketing four home runs out of the ballpark, three of which were estimated to have traveled 500 feet (150 m) or more.

This fifth Oriole Park was the club's home for 28½ seasons. The Orioles enjoyed great success at this ballpark, especially from 1919 through 1925 when they won seven consecutive International League pennants.

Lights for night games were added to Oriole Park in 1930. The Orioles played the Philadelphia Phillies in the first night game at Oriole Park on September 4, 1930, in front of 12,000 fans including Maryland governor Albert Ritchie. [6] The Orioles played their first International League night game on September 11, 1930.

The exact dimensions are not known with precision, but the Baltimore Sun reported the dimensions as left field 290 feet (88 m), center field 412 feet (126 m) (it was about 450 before the scoreboard was added), and right field 313 feet (95 m) on May 2, 1935.

Due to World War II travel restrictions, the 1944 Boston Red Sox held spring training at the park, rather than traveling to Florida. [7] [8]

Great care was always taken to protect the aging wooden structure, such as hosing it down after games.

1944 fire and Memorial Stadium

On the night of July 3, 1944, a fire of uncertain origin (speculated to have been a discarded cigarette) consumed the ballpark and every object the team had on-site, including uniforms and trophies.

The club quickly arranged their temporary home in Municipal Stadium, the city's football field which had opened in 1922. The Orioles went on to win the 1944 International League championship, and the Junior World Series over the Louisville Colonels. The large post-season crowds in 1944 at Municipal Stadium, which would not have been possible at the old wooden Oriole Park, caught the attention of the major leagues, and Baltimore soon became a viable option for struggling teams who were considering moving to other cities.

Motivated by the Orioles' success, the city chose to rebuild the old Municipal Stadium as a multi-purpose facility of major league caliber, which they renamed Memorial Stadium. Two new tenants were the National Football League's newly relocated Baltimore Colts in 1953, and then the American League Orioles, when the St. Louis Browns transferred to the city in 1954.

Oriole Park VI at Camden Yards, 1992–present

After operating for nearly four decades at Memorial Stadium, in 1992 the club moved downtown to a new baseball-only facility which revived the traditional local ballpark name as Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriole Park at Camden Yards</span> Baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium. The stadium is in downtown Baltimore, a few blocks west of the Inner Harbor in the Camden Yards Sports Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Orioles (1882–1899)</span> 1882–1899 baseball team in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century professional baseball team that competed from 1882 to 1899, first in the American Association and later in the National League. This early Orioles franchise, which featured six players and a manager who were later inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, finished in first place for three consecutive seasons (1894–1896) and won the Temple Cup national championship series in 1896 and 1897.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportsman's Park</span> Former baseball park in St. Louis, Missouri, US

Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the north side of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baker Bowl</span> Former baseball field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (1887-1938)

National League Park, commonly referred to as the Baker Bowl after 1923, was a baseball stadium and home to the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887 until 1938, and first home field of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1933 to 1935. It opened in 1887 with a capacity of 12,500, burned down in 1894, and was rebuilt in 1895 as the first ballpark constructed primarily of steel and brick, and first with a cantilevered upper deck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braves Field</span> American baseball park

Braves Field was a baseball park located in Boston, Massachusetts. Today the site is home to Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University. The stadium was home of the Boston Braves of the National League from 1915 to 1952, prior to the Braves' move to Milwaukee in 1953. The stadium hosted the 1936 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and Braves home games during the 1948 World Series. The Boston Red Sox used Braves Field for their home games in the 1915 and 1916 World Series since the stadium had a larger seating capacity than Fenway Park. Braves Field was the site of Babe Ruth's final season, playing for the Braves in 1935. From 1929 to 1932, the Boston Red Sox played select regular season games periodically at Braves Field. On May 1, 1920, Braves Field hosted the longest major league baseball game in history: 26 innings, which eventually ended in a 1–1 tie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Memorial Stadium</span> Former sports stadium in Baltimore

Baltimore Memorial Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an oversized block officially called Venable Park, a former city park from the 1920s. The site was bound by Ellerslie Avenue to the west, 36th Street to the north, and Ednor Road to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilltop Park</span> Former baseball venue in New York City

Hilltop Park was the nickname of a baseball park that stood in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. It was the home of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1912 when they were known as the "Highlanders". It was also the temporary home of the New York Giants during a two-month period in 1911 while the Polo Grounds was being rebuilt after a fire.

The Baltimore Terrapins were one of the most successful teams in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915, but their brief existence led to litigation that led to an important legal precedent in baseball. The team played its home games at Terrapin Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recreation Park (Philadelphia)</span>

Recreation Park was a baseball park in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Orioles (minor league)</span> Minor league baseball team

The city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been home to two Minor League Baseball teams called the Baltimore Orioles, in addition to the three Major League Baseball teams that have used the name

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abell, Baltimore</span> United States historic place

Abell is a neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is considered to be part of Charles Village, Baltimore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Miami, Florida

Miami Stadium, later officially known as Bobby Maduro Miami Stadium, was a baseball stadium in Miami, Florida. It was primarily used as the home field of the Miami Marlins minor league baseball team, as well as other minor league teams. It opened in 1949 and held 13,500 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waverly, Baltimore</span> Neighborhood statistical area in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Waverly is a neighborhood in the north central area of Baltimore, Maryland, located to the north of the adjacent same neighborhood called Better Waverly and west of Ednor Gardens-Lakeside, north and east of Charles Village west of the area of Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello neighborhoods, along with the campus of the former red brick H-shaped building for Eastern High School (1938–1984), facing north towards 33rd Street, now renovated since the 1990s into offices for The Johns Hopkins University, a mile to the west. Adjacent to the east of the Eastern High/Johns Hopkins campus is the landmark tree-shaded campus of The Baltimore City College, at 33rd Street and The Alameda. The College is a massive stone structure with a 150-foot bell tower visible for miles, nicknamed "The Castle on the Hill", constructed 1926–1928 of Collegiate Gothic architecture on one of the highest hills in the city, "Collegian Hill", with the downtown skyline visible to the south. City College is the third oldest public high school in America, founded 1839 in downtown has been through eight different sites in its 179 years of history and five major buildings, each were architectural landmarks in their times. From its beginnings, until 1979, it was a single sex secondary school for boys in the Baltimore City Public Schools, when it co-educated admitting young women. These three major institutions and their sports events dominated the east side of Waverly/Better Waverly for nine decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clearwater Athletic Field</span> Stadium in Clearwater, Florida

Clearwater Athletic Field was a stadium in Clearwater, Florida. It was first used by professional baseball teams for spring training in 1923 and was the Phillies' first spring training ballpark in Clearwater. The grandstand sat approximately 2,000 and bleachers increased capacity to close to 3,000. Home plate was located on Pennsylvania Avenue, which ran south to north along the third base line, near Seminole Street. Left field ran parallel to Palmetto Street, and right field ran parallel to Greenwood Ave. The grandstand was destroyed by fire in April 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwood, Baltimore</span> Neighborhood of Baltimore in Maryland, United States

Harwood is a small neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It sits east of Charles Village, south of Abell, west of Waverly and north of Barclay. Its boundaries are Guilford and Greenmount Avenues to the east and west, and 25th and 29th streets to the north and south. These streets together encompass about 14 city blocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriole Park (V)</span>

Oriole Park (V) is the name used by baseball historians to designate the longest-lasting of several former major league and minor league baseball parks in Baltimore, Maryland, each one named Oriole Park.

References

  1. "1891 Log For Oriole Park II in Baltimore, MD". Retrosheet . Retrieved August 8, 2008.
  2. "The Phillies Do Not Play". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March 29, 1889. p. 6.
  3. "The First Game Won: Baltimore Easily Beaten By Philadelphia Gleason's Fine Work". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March 30, 1889. p. 6.
  4. "Union Park in Baltimore, MD". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
  5. "Ball Ground Leased". The Baltimore Sun . January 17, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved September 2, 2020 via newspapers.com.
  6. "Phillies Conquer Orioles in Tenth: Quakers Prove Better Night Hawks When Thevenow Pushes Home Winner". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. September 6, 1930. p. 20.
  7. "Ball Clubs Change Only Three Camps". The Palm Beach Post . AP. January 23, 1944. p. 19. Retrieved November 9, 2018 via newspapers.com.
  8. "Red Sox Arrive Today For Oriole Park Drill". The Baltimore Sun . AP. March 26, 1944. p. 20. Retrieved November 9, 2018 via newspapers.com.