This section is dedicated to some of the most memorable ballparks in baseball's past and present. Enos Slaughter had the priviledge of playing in some of these featured parks.

 

Yankee Stadium E. 161st Street at River Ave. Bronx, New York 10451 April 13, 1923 - Present

With stars such as Gehrig, Ruth, Mantle, Dimaggio, Maris, and Jackson, there is no wonder why Yankee Stadium is one of the most well-known stadium in Major League Baseball today. They call it “The house that (Babe) Ruth built.” Throughout the years, many others contributed to the house. It’s no coincidence that one of the finest teams today has one of the best stadiums in all of baseball.

Tenant: New York Yankees
Capacity: 57,546
Surface: Grass
Opened: April 18, 1923
Cost: $2.5 Million; $48 Million (renovations)
Dimensions: 318-L, 408-C, 314-R
Architect: Osborn Engineering

Memorable Moments at Yankee Stadium:

• All Star Game: 1939, '60, '77
• World Series: 1923, '26, '27, '28, '32, '36, '37, '38, '39, '41, '42, '43, '47, 49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '55, '56, '57, '58, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '76, '77, '78, '81, '96, '98, '99, 2000, & '01
• Mickey Mantle's 500th homerun on May 14, 1967.
• Babe Ruth's 60th homerun in 1927.
• Roger Maris' 61st homerun on October 1, 1961.
• Lou Gehrig day on July 4, 1939.
• Don Larson's perfect game in 1956 World Series.
• Home of Joe Dimaggio, Reggie Jackson, and Derek Jeter

When any baseball fan thinks of Ebbets field, they think of Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1947, Jackie Robinson was the first African-American baseball player to ever sign a contract and play the game. This was a huge step in baseball, and even professional sports for that matter. The Brooklyn Dodgers eventually moved on to Los Angeles and the stadium closed down after the 1957 season.

Tenant: Brooklyn Dodgers
Capacity: 23,000 (original); 32,000 (final)
Surface: Grass
Construction Began: March 14, 1912
Cost: $750,000
Opened: April 9, 1913
Closed: September 24, 1957
Dimensions: 419-L, 450-C, 301-R (original); 348-L, 393-C, 297-R (final)
Demolished: February 25, 1960
Architect: Clarence Randall Buskin

Memorable Moments at Ebbets Field:

• All Start Game: 1949
• World Series: 1916, ’20, ’41, ’47, ’49, ’52, ’53, ’55, ‘56
• Jackie Robinson breaks baseball’s color barrier in 1947
• No hitter by Reds pitcher, Johnny Vander Meer on June 15, 1938
• Four (4) homeruns by Gil Hodges on August 31, 1950

Tiger Stadium is a true American League ballpark and was a tough place to play with the dimensions of the field. Even though it had some tough dimensions, the homerun greats of Babe Ruth and Cecil Fielder seemed to overlook the dimensions. Both had astounding blasts at Tiger Stadium, some of the longest homeruns in all of baseball. Being around almost an entire century, Tiger Stadium brought generations of memories to baseball fans young and old.

Tenant: Detroit Tigers
Capacity: 23,000 (original); 52,400 (final)
Surface: Grass
Construction Began: 1908
Cost: $8 Million (renovations)
Opened: April 20, 1912
Closed: September 27, 1999
Dimensions: 345-L, 467-C, 370-R (original); 340-L, 440-C, 325-R (final)
Architect: Osborn Engineering

Memorable Moments at Tiger Stadium:

• All Start Game: 1941, ’51, ‘71
• World Series: 1934, ’35, ’40, ’45, ’68, ‘85
• 10-time Gold Glove winner, Al Kaline
• Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 consecutive games play streak ended
• Reggie Jackson’s gigantic homerun blast in the 1971 All-Star game
• 12-tim Batting Champion, Ty Cobb
• 58 homeruns by Hank Greenberg in 1938
• Cecil Fielder’s homerun over the left field roof on August 25, 1990
• Babe Ruth’s 626ft. homerun in 1926

One of the most well-know parks in all of baseball is Wrigley Field – home to the Chicago Cubs. Even though they have not won a World Series in decades, fans from all over the country flock to Chicago every summer just to get a glimpse of the ivy on the wall and rowdy fans out in the bleachers. It was tradition to always have day game at Wrigley Field until April of 1987 when they introduced the lights.

Tenant: Chicago Cubs
Capacity: 14,000 (original); 38,765 (current)
Surface: Grass
Opened: April 23, 1914
Cost: $250,000
Dimensions: 355-L, 368-LC, 400-C, 368-RC, 353-R
Architect: Osborn Engineering

Memorable Moments at Wrigley Field:

• All Start Game: 1947, ’62, ‘90
• World Series: 1918, ’29, ’32, ’35, ’38, ‘45
• 3,000th hit by Stan Musial on May 13, 1958
• 512 homeruns by Ernie Banks
• 1987 MVP – Andre Dawson
• 20 strikeouts by Kerry Wood on May 6, 1998
• Babe Ruth’s “called shot” in the 1932 World Series
• 1971 Cy Young winner – Fergie Jenkins

Sportsman’s Park was the home of two Major League teams, the St. Louis Browns and St. Louis Cardinals. Both the Browns and Cardinals played there until 1953, when the Browns moved to Baltimore. During that same year, Sportsman’s Park was purchased by August Busch and renamed the stadium to Busch Stadium. The Cardinals played at Sportsman’s Park until May of 1966.

Tenant: St. Louis Browns & St. Louis Cardinal
Capacity: 17,500 (original); 30,611 (final)
Surface: Grass
Opened: May, 21, 1881
Closed: May, 8, 1966
Dimensions: 360-L, 430-C, 335-R (original), 351-L, 425-C, 310-R (final)
Architect: Osborn Engineering

Memorable Moments at Wrigley Field:

• All Start Game: 1940, ’48, ‘57
• World Series: 1926, ’28, ’30, ’31, ’34, ’42, ’43, ’44, ’46, ‘64
• No hitter by BoBo Holloman on May 6, 1953
• Three-time MVP, Stan Musial
• 30 wins in a season by Dizzy Dean in 1934

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