Oriole Park
Terrapin Park | |
Former names | Terrapin Park (1914–1915) |
---|---|
Location | NW Greenmount Ave and 29th St |
Capacity | 16,000 (1914); 14,000 (1940) |
Field size | Left – 290 ft.; Center – 412 ft.; Right – 313 ft. (1935) |
Surface | grass |
Construction | |
Opened | 1914 |
Closed | July 3, 1944 |
Architect | Otto 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.
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
Oriole Park II,1889–1891
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
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
The club opened
American League Park / Oriole Park IV, 1901–1914
The
The
The block was rectangular, with home plate in the northwest corner. A
Terrapin Park / Oriole Park V, 1914-1944
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
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″N 76°36′40″W / 39.32389°N 76.61111°W. Home plate was toward the southwest corner, in the "vee" of the wedge-shaped block. The playing field was smaller by contemporary standards.
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.
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
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
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
- House of Magic, by the Baltimore Orioles.
- Green Cathedrals, by Phil Lowry.
- The Home Team, by James H. Bready.
References
- ^ "1891 Log For Oriole Park II in Baltimore, MD". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
- ^ "The Phillies Do Not Play". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March 29, 1889. p. 6.
- ^ "The First Game Won: Baltimore Easily Beaten By Philadelphia Gleason's Fine Work". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March 30, 1889. p. 6.
- ^ "Union Park in Baltimore, MD". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
- ^ "Ball Ground Leased". The Baltimore Sun. January 17, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Ball Clubs Change Only Three Camps". The Palm Beach Post. AP. January 23, 1944. p. 19. Retrieved November 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ "Red Sox Arrive Today For Oriole Park Drill". The Baltimore Sun. AP. March 26, 1944. p. 20. Retrieved November 9, 2018 – via newspapers.com.