McCormick Field
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| Location |
30 Buchanan Place Asheville, NC 28801 |
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| Coordinates | 35°35′14″N 82°32′57″W / 35.58722°N 82.54917°WCoordinates: 35°35′14″N 82°32′57″W / 35.58722°N 82.54917°W |
| Owner | City of Asheville |
| Operator | DeWine Seeds Silver Dollar Baseball, LLC. |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Field size |
Left Field: 326 feet (99.4 m) Left-Center: 370 feet (112.8 m) Center Field: 373 feet (113.7 m) Right-Center: 320 feet (97.5 m) Right Field: 297 feet (90.5 m) |
| Surface | Natural Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1923 |
| Opened | April 3, 1924 |
| Renovated | 1959, 1992 |
| Construction cost |
$200,000 ($2.76 million in 2016 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Bowers, Ellis, and Watson[2] |
| General contractor | Leader Construction[2] |
| Tenants | |
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Asheville Tourists (SAL) (1924–present) UNC Asheville Bulldogs (Big South Conference) Big South Tournament (2009) Asheville Blues (NSL) (1940s) | |
McCormick Field is a baseball stadium in Asheville, North Carolina. It is the home field of the Asheville Tourists minor league baseball team. As befits the hilly city of Asheville, the ballpark sits on a section of level ground partway up one of the city's hills, providing a picturesque atmosphere. The park features an amusing scoreboard which reads "Visitors" in the guest slot and "Tourists" in the home slot.[3] It is the oldest minor-league park in regular use.
History
The ballpark was built in 1924 and was named after Asheville resident Dr. Lewis McCormick; it is one of the oldest minor-league stadiums still in regular use. Lights were installed for night time play prior to the 1930 season.[4] Since then it has been home to the various incarnations of the Asheville Tourists team, and also served as home field for the Asheville Blues of the Negro Southern League during the 1940s.[4] The facility was renovated in 1959, and then rebuilt in concrete between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, replacing the largely wood structure which had developed a leaky roof. The 1992 ballpark kept a similar layout to the original McCormick Field. The facility included new expanded restrooms and larger concession stands. New clubhouses were built and lights erected as player and field enhancements. The height of the fence behind the cozy right field area, which was in the vicinity of just 300 feet (91 m) away from home plate, was more than tripled, as it now stands 36 feet (11 m) tall (nearly the same height as Fenway Park's "Green Monster").[5]
Other uses
The ballpark served as one of the settings for the 1988 film Bull Durham.[6]
The venue hosted the 2009 Big South Conference Baseball Tournament, won by Coastal Carolina.[7]
Farther up the hill, behind the left field area, is Asheville Memorial Stadium, a football and soccer facility. Its bleacher seating structure is visible from McCormick Field.
References
- ↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- 1 2 "McCormick Field". University of North Carolina at Asheville. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- ↑ Jarrett, Keith (May 14, 2007). "On Base with the Asheville Tourists". Asheville Citizen Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- 1 2 "Ballparks of the Negro Leagues and Barnstorming Black Baseball Teams". Negro League Baseball Players Association. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
- ↑ Ballew, Bill (November 19, 2013). "History of McCormick Field". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ↑ Jarrett, Keith (June 16, 2013). "Local Men Recall 'Bull Durham' Roles". Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
- ↑ "Coastal Carolina Wins Big South Baseball Championship". Big South Conference. May 23, 2009. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
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