List of terraces at baseball venues
Encyclopedia
This is a list of baseball
parks containing slopes in a portion of their outfield areas, which were sometimes or often known to affect the course of the game when a fly ball was hit toward that area.
Terraces were common in baseball in the early days, and were typically used to make up the difference in grade level between the edge of the outfield and a nearby street, which might vary from a few feet to a very significant slope. Many of these features were eventually covered when interior bleachers were built, but in some cases that was not possible, and the terrace remained for the life of the ballpark.
This feature is to be distinguished from the normal gradual "turtleback" grading that is or was sometimes done in baseball and football fields in order to facilitate drainage.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
parks containing slopes in a portion of their outfield areas, which were sometimes or often known to affect the course of the game when a fly ball was hit toward that area.
Terraces were common in baseball in the early days, and were typically used to make up the difference in grade level between the edge of the outfield and a nearby street, which might vary from a few feet to a very significant slope. Many of these features were eventually covered when interior bleachers were built, but in some cases that was not possible, and the terrace remained for the life of the ballpark.
This feature is to be distinguished from the normal gradual "turtleback" grading that is or was sometimes done in baseball and football fields in order to facilitate drainage.
- Baker BowlBaker BowlBaker Bowl is the best-known popular name of a baseball park that formerly stood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its formal name, painted on its outer wall, was National League Park. It was also initially known as Philadelphia Park or Philadelphia Base Ball Grounds.It was on a small...
in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
- Had a gradual rise in center field necessitated by a railroad tunnel emanating from the station on the other side of Broad Street. For part of its early years, it also had an embankment in the right field corner, for a bicycle track that was installed for a while.
- The original Clark FieldClark Field (Austin, Texas)Clark Field was a baseball park in Austin, Texas, used primarily by the University of Texas Longhorns. The field was used from 1928 until 1974. It is considered one of the most novel ballparks ever conceived thanks to its location. There was a limestone cliff in the outfield that created havoc for...
in Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
- Home of the University of TexasUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
from the 1920s to the 1970s, also for minor league ball for a while. An actual cliff ran across a portion of the outfield, making defensive play interesting, to say the least.
- Crosley FieldCrosley FieldCrosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
.
- Mostly across left field, fading away across center field. The most famous major leagueMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
ballpark with a terrace. Like most terraces, its purpose was to make up the difference in grade level between the field and the streets. The outfield area was too small to cover with bleachers, and excavation to level the area was never undertaken. Unlike most other parks, no gravel warning track was installed, as the terrace was presumed to be sufficient warning.
- Ebbets FieldEbbets FieldEbbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
in Brooklyn, New York.
- Had a slight upslope in the left field corner when the park was first built, later covered by bleachers. That corner was the highest point on the block.
- Fenway ParkFenway ParkFenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
in Boston, Massachusetts.
- The area along the Green MonsterGreen MonsterThe Green Monster is a popular nickname for the thirty-seven foot , two-inch high left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team...
, Fenway's iconic left field wall, was originally a 45-degree slope, dubbed "Duffy's CliffHugh DuffyHugh Duffy was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1945.-Career:...
" for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
outfielder who negotiated it adroitly. The area was able to be leveled out when the wall was rebuilt. The left field corner is roughly 8 or 10 feet below the grade of Landsdowne Street.
- Huntington Avenue GroundsHuntington Avenue GroundsHuntington Avenue American League Base Ball Grounds is the full name of the baseball stadium that formerly stood in Boston, Massachusetts and was home to the Boston Red Sox from 1901-1911...
in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Left and center fields had an incline at the base of the fence.
- Minute Maid ParkMinute Maid ParkMinute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....
in Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
- "Tal's Hill" in deep center field was constructed for purely decorative reasons, for purposeful eccentricity.
- Municipal StadiumMunicipal Stadium (Kansas City)Kansas City Municipal Stadium was a baseball and football stadium that formerly stood in Kansas City, Missouri. It hosted the minor league Kansas City Blues of the American Association from 1923 to 1954 and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues during the same period...
in Kansas City, MissouriKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
had a distinctive, large upslope in right field, where the street level was well above the field. When the stadium was upgraded for major league use, in inner fence was installed, but unlike Suphur Dell, there was enough land area to keep the home run distance fair.
- Manhattan FieldPolo GroundsThe Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
- Had a significant earthworks along the entire north edge of its outfield area.
- Shibe Park in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
.
- Had a slight upslope in deep center field, before an inner fence was constructed.
- Sulphur DellSulphur DellSulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was used for baseball for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols minor league team...
in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Minor League BaseballMinor league baseballMinor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
- The "mother of all terraces", a very large sloping area that surrounded the outfield.
- Wrigley FieldWrigley FieldWrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
in Chicago, Illinois.
- The left field corner area originally had an upslope. The corner of Addison and Clark Streets is the highest point on the city block on which the ballpark sits. The winter 2005-2006 re-construction of the bleachers compelled further excavation in the left field corner area.
- Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York.
- The deepest portion of the outfield had an upslope when the park was first built, notably in left center. It was pretty well covered over and leveled out when the bleachers were rebuilt in the 1930s.
Sources
- Green Cathedrals, by Philip J. Lowry
- Ballparks of North America, by Michael Benson