BASEBALL STADIUMS: PART TWO

The First of this three-part series of articles dealt with the earliest baseball stadiums. Now you will read about some famous ballparks, past and present.

Wrigley Field in Chicago, now the oldest ballpark in current use in the National League, opened in April 1914. It wasn’t until August 1986, however, that lights were installed to allow the first official night game.

Yankee Stadium in New York is an example of how a ballpark’s configurations could influence the outcome of a game. Its short right field fence allowed Babe Ruth to hit more home runs than he might otherwise have done, including his 60^th in 1927.

Fenway Park in Boston, the oldest ballpark in the major leagues, opened on the same day as Tiger Stadium in 1912. It has the smallest foul territory of any big-league ballpark, which encourages greater participation of spectators.

Tiger Stadium in Detroit opened on the same day as Fenway Park, that is, on April 20, 1912. It was the first major-league ballpark to have a background. This took the form of a blank green wall which helped make the ball more clearly visible to hitters. It was then the only ballpark to have double-deck bleachers in the outfield. The second deck in right field, which hung over the field in fair territory, may have turned many flyballs into home runs.

Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles is considered a pitcher’s dream. It has deep fences and a great deal of foul ground. It opened in 1962.

The Astrodome, by which name Harris County Stadium is better known, is regarded as the world’s eighth wonder. It opened in April 1965 and was the first indoor ballpark.

The interior was air-conditioned and maintained at a steady temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Now fans could enjoy baseball all year with a comfort not previously experienced.

As far as the players were concerned, however, the Astrodome’s clear plastic roof created a disturbing glare and the natural grass was dying. The first problem was remedied by painting the roof and the second by installing artificial turf.

Artificial turf

When the 1966 baseball season arrived, artificial turf was in place at the Astrodome, and in just a few years many other ballparks worldwide followed the trend.

As is to be expected, the replacement of natural grass with artificial turf affected the outcome of baseball games. A ball played on a natural grass field, hit in a certain direction with a certain force, will behave differently from ont hit in similar fashion on artificial turf.

In the final article of this series, you will read about the next developments in stadium design, including multipurpose facilities that could accommodate not only baseball games but also football games, rock concerts, rodeos and other events.

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