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Comiskey Park
When Comiskey Park opened in 1910, it was known as the Baseball Palace of the World. It was constructed of steel and concrete with brick facade. It was the place where the tradition of playing the Star Spangled Banner began (in 1918) and the home of the first exploding scoreboard (1960). The most famous names in baseball history played on its field - Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig. It was the home of the infamous 1919 "Black Sox" and the 1959 American League Champion "Go - Go Sox." |
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Baltimore Memorial Stadium
Construction of Memorial Stadium began in 1950. It became home to the Orioles in 1954. It was the first park made entirely of reinforced concrete. The Orioles played their last game there October 6, 1991, but demolition of the park was not completed until February 2002. The Stadium was also the home to the Baltimore Colts and Ravens of the NFL. |
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Milwaukee County Stadium
County Stadium was home to the Milwaukee Braves from 1953-1965, and was later home to the Milwaukee Brewers - the Green Bay Packers even played a few games there every year. County Stadium was the site of Hammerin' Hank Aaron's final home run, number 755. And slugger Willie Mays once hit 4 homers in a single game there, April 1961. |
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Crosley Field
Crosley Field was built as a home for the Cincinnati Reds in 1912. For the first 21 years it was known as Redland Field. Crosley Field was the site of the 1919 "Black Sox" World Series, as well as the first Major League night game May 24, 1935. It was also the site of the 1938 and 1953 All Star games. |
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Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field was originally designed and built as the home of the Federal League Whales. Built in 1914, it was known as Weeghman Park. In 1916 when the Federal League folded, the Chicago Cubs took up residence. In response to the building codes passed after the Chicago Fire, it was built of concrete, steel and brick. The wood for these pens comes from stadium seats removed in 1988. WRIGLEY FIELD HAS NOT BEEN DEMOLISHED - IT IS STILL THE PROUD HOME OF THE CUBS! The Chicago Bears began playing their games full-time at Wrigley Field in 1921, and continued to play there for 49 years. Click here to see RARE photos taken inside Wrigley Fields' scoreboard. |
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Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium may be the most famous ballpark in the world. Although it was constructed in 1923 by the White Construction company, it is better known as "The House that Ruth Built". Babe Ruth called Yankee Stadium home from 1920 to 1934. Yankee Stadium has been home to more World Series games than any other ballpark (has been home to more World Champions than any other). The stadium was closed after the 1973 season. It was renovated from 1973 to 1975 and reopened in 1976. YANKEE STADIUM HAS NOT BEEN DEMOLISHED - IT IS STILL THE PROUD HOME OF THE YANKEES. |
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Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds were home to the NY Giants, NY Yankees and NY Mets. It opened in 1911 and was demolished after the 1963 Mets' season. It was the site of the 1934 and 1942 All Star games, but the most important game played there is considered to be October 3, 1951, when Bobby Thomson hit his "Shot heard 'round the world," a last chance homer that clinched the pennant from the hated cross-town Dodgers. |
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Sportsman's Park
Sportsman's Park opened to the public in April 1902 as home to the AL St. Louis Browns. The NL Cardinals joined the Browns in Sportsman's Park in 1920. Sportsman's Park was the site of the entire 1944 World Series when the Cardinals played the Browns. It was the site of three All Star Games and countless World Series contests. The last game was played there May of 1966. |
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Tiger Stadium
Built in 1912, Tiger Stadium was originally called Navin Field. In 1935 the name was changed to Briggs Stadium and finally became known as Tiger Stadium in 1961. The great Ty Cobb called the place home for 14 years, and was the site of his 3000th hit. Kirk Gibson hit two memorable home runs there in the 1984 World Series and pitcher Denny McLain became the last man to win 30 games in a season there in 1968. New York Times calls Tiger Stadium a "Baseball Cathedral".
The NFL’s Detroit Lions moved in for a few decades, playing two NFL championship games at Tiger Stadium before leaving in 1975 for the nearby Pontiac Silverdome. |
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Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was built in 1913 on the site of the Pigtown garbage dump at a cost of $750,000 as the home to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The outfield wall is said to have had more than 200 different angles which could cause the ball to bounce erratically in play. Ebbets Field was the site of the first televised professional game in August 1939 as well as the site of Jackie Robinson's first major league game, April 1947. The wrecking ball used to demolish the ballpark in 1960 was used again 4 years later to demolish the Polo Grounds. |
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Shibe Park
Shibe Park was home to the Philadelphia Athletics from 1909 - 1954 and the Phillies from 1938 – 1970. The park was praised by players and fans alike for its elegant intimacy and sported the best playing surface in the major leagues. It was renamed "Connie Mack Stadium from 1953 – 1970. On June 3, 1932, Lou Gehrig hit four consecutive home runs in Shibe Park. |
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Forbes Field
Forbes Field was opened in June 1909 as home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and was named for British General John Forbes. It was the site of Babe Ruth's final home run, a blow which was reportedly the first homer to clear the right field wall. It was the site of the All Star Games in 1944 and 1959. It was demolished in 1971 and the land annexed by University of Pittsburgh . Forbes Field's home plate rests in its original location, although now encased in class in Posvar Hall. The Pittsburgh Steelers played home games at Forbes Field from 1933-57 and at both Forbes Field and Pitt Stadium from 1958-63. |
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Fenway Park
Fenway Park is the oldest Major League park in use. Built in 1912, it opened the same day as Detroit 's Navin Field (Tiger Stadium). The outfield wall is famous for its unique angles and varying heights giving it an appearance unlike any other field. Left field is home of the Green Monster, a 37' tall wall which seems an invitation to batters. The Monster wasn't always green - prior to 1947 it was covered with advertisements. Right field's Pesky's Pole sits just 302' from home plate. Fenway was the site of the 1914 World Series, but the Red Sox weren't in it - the cross town Braves played there because their stadium had not been completed. |
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Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Memorial Stadium
RFK Stadium was built in 1961 as home to the Washington Redskins football team. The Washington Senators moved there the following year, where they fumbled around in the American League until they moved to Texas following the 1971 season. RFK Stadium was home of the All Star Game in 1962 and 1969. The Senators had to forfeit the final game at RFK Stadium when souvenir-seeking fans swarmed the field with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. RFK Stadium is currently the home of the Nationals. |
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Griffith Stadium
Griffith Stadium was built in 1911 as the home of the Washington Senators. President Taft threw out the first pitch their, initiating a tradition that was carried out through President Kennedy. In April 1953, Mickey Mantle hit one of the longest home runs in baseball history, a 565 foot blast that landed in a yard across the street from the park. Griffith Stadium was the part-time home of several Negro League teams, including the Homestead Grays from 1938-1948. The last game was played there in 1961 after which the Senators moved to RFK Stadium. |
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Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
The Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966, calling Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium home. After the initial excitement of baseball in the south wore off, crowds diminished. In 1976, an all-time low of 970 fans paid to see an Astros/Braves double-header. Construction was completed in 1965 and the "cookie-cutter" stadium was home to the AAA Crackers of the International League. (NOTE: Some fans have doubted that there ever were wooden seats in the park - the records of American Seating show that they installed 51,581 wooden seats in 1964, and that they were replaced in 1976 with plastic seats.) |
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Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium opened in 1966 as home to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was home to the All Star Game in its first year. It was constructed with plastic seating with the exception of the bleacher benches which were made of Douglas Fir. In 1987, all of the original seats were replaced, again with the exception of the wooden bleachers which were left intact. During the first game of the 1968 World Series, Bob Gibson struck out a record 17 Detroit Tigers. |
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Notre Dame Stadium
Notre Dame Football Stadium was designed by The Osborn Engineering Company, which had also designed Comiskey Park in Chicago, Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds in New York City . It was built in four months and opened October 4, 1930. Since that 1930 opening, the Fighting Irish have compiled an impressive 243-70-5 (.772) mark in Notre Dame Stadium, while an average of 52,219 spectators have watched. |
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Cleveland Municipal Stadium
The Cleveland Indians played in Municipal Stadium in 1932 and 1933. From 1933 to 1947 they only played weekend games in the park as cross-town League Park was smaller. In 1954 Municipal Stadium held 85,000 fans for a game against the Yankees. In 1960, Ted Williams hit home run number 500 in Municipal Stadium. |
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Seals Stadium
Seals Stadium was the first home to the San Francisco Giants. Seals Stadium was opened in 1931 as home to the Pacific Coast League Seals and Missions. The Missions moved from the park in 1938, but the Seals played there until the Giants arrived in 1958. The Giants called Seals Stadium home for two years until Candlestick Park was built. Joe DiMaggio once hit safely in 61 straight games for the Seals. |
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Dodger Stadium
When Dodger Stadium opened in April 1962, it was known as the "Taj Mahal of Baseball." With a capacity of 56,000, it is one of the largest in Major League Baseball. Sandy Koufax pitched a perfect game again Chicago Cubs ace Bob Hendley who gave up just one hit - September 9, 1965. Dodger stadium was the site of St. Louis Cardinals Fernando Tatis' 2 grand slams in one inning against Chan Ho Park on April 23, 1999. From April 1988 - April 1999, not a single game was rained out at Dodger Stadium. |
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Ohio Stadium
The Horseshoe, as Ohio Stadium is known, was built in 1922 – home to the Ohio State Buckeyes. With its double-decked horseshoe look, Ohio Stadium is listed in the National Registry of Historic Buildings. More than 34 million fans have filled the stadium over the past 80 years. The Horseshoe was extensively remodeled in the 1990’s and now seats more than 100,000 fans. |
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Green Bay Stadium
City Stadium was home to the Green Bay Packers from 1925 - 1956. When it first opened it held just 5700 spectators. Eventually it was expanded to seat 25,000. The stadium still stands today, one mile from downtown Green Bay. In 1956 the Packers moved to Lambeau Field, although they played 2-3 games per year at County Stadium in Milwaukee until 1994. |
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Metropolitan Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was built in 1956 for the American Association Minneapolis Millers. In 1961, the Senators departed Washington to become the Minnesota Twins and they shared Metropolitan Stadium with the NFL Vikings. In 1965 both the All Star Game and the World Series were played at Metropolitan Stadium. In 1981, the Vikings and Twins moved to the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis and the stadium was demolished three years later to make room for the Mall of America. |
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Boston Garden
Boston Garden was built in 1928 as home to the NHL Boston Bruins and for boxing matches. The close confines ensured that every fan was as close to the action as possible, even if some of the seats were obstructed by concrete pillars. The NBA Celtics moved into the Garden in 1946. Although the capacity was a mere 14,500, the fan noise generated during a game was said to be deafening. The Garden was demolished in 1998. |
