Homestead Grays Historical Marker

The historical marker for the Homestead Grays, the famed Negro League team, occupies a relatively odd location in Homestead PA, near Pittsburgh. The informational sign stands on a grassy area adjacent to Amity Street near retail outlets and recounts some of the basic facts of the team, which was based in the community, but often played across the river in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Game – 30 July 2013 DH2 (Pittsburgh)

St. Louis Cardinals 0, Pittsburgh Pirates 6

Venue: PNC Park

League: National

Attendance: 33,861

Game – 30 July 2013 DH1 (Pittsburgh)

St. Louis Cardinals 1, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 (F/11)

Venue: PNC Park

League: National

Pre-game meal – Smoke Barbeque and Taqueria, 225 East 8th Avenue, Homestead 

We pulled into the West General Robinson Parking Garage and as I was paying for parking the attendant told another worker to only allow three more cars in after us. Being downtown (North Shore), the 4:05pm start on a Tuesday, with a sellout crowd made parking and traffic crazy.

In the top of the first inning, with men on first and second, Carlos Beltran hit a sharp liner to center. McCutchen came in on the ball, slid, made the catch; he bounced to his feet and threw the ball to first to double off Holliday. It was an incredible play to end the first inning and there was an electric feel that went through the crowd. K said it was the best defensive play he had ever seen in person. It is hard to disagree with the statement. After the fact, because the game went so long, and the play occurred in the first inning, the brilliance and the significance seemed to get lost a little. In the bottom of the inning, McCutchen would double and later score when Alvarez singled him in. It would be the last run scored by the Pirates for nearly four hours. 

Game – 29 July 2013 (Pittsburgh)

St. Louis Cardinals 2, Pittsburgh Pirates 9

Venue: PNC Park

League: National

Attendance: 32,084

Pedro Alvarez topped off a 4-run first inning by hitting his 27th homerun. The Pirates left the bases loaded, in what we considered an ominous sign at that point, in the second inning but by that point pitcher Jake Westbrook had already thrown 54 pitches by the end of the inning. Meanwhile Liriano was perfect through three innings, retiring the first ten batters, before giving up back-to-back hits, just under the gloves of Pirate fielders. A 5-run bottom of the seventh finished off the Cardinals, topped with a clutch RBI double by Clint Barmes. 

Game – 25 July 2013 (Hagerstown)

Delmarva Shorebirds 0, Hagerstown Suns 3

Venue: Municipal Stadium

League: South Atlantic

Attendance: 1446

Kylin Turnball (Hagerstown) struck out seven of the ten batters he faced in the first three innings, giving up only one hit (an infield hit that could have easily been scored an error). He went on to pick up the win after pitching seven innings and scattering four hits.

The theme of the game was Christmas in July and patrons were encouraged to bring toys for the Toys for Tots campaign. Christmas music was played between innings and players on the scoreboard were depicted in holiday attire. The promotion for the evening was Economic Recovery night, in which a local law office provided payments: $30 was given away each half inning and at the end of the evening a lucky fan was $300.

The right-fielder for Delmarva was Roderick Berandina, cousin of former Suns and Senator and current Washington Nationals player Roger Bernadina. Both players were born in the Caribbean island of Curacao. At the conclusion of the game Hagerstown was tied for the Northern Division lead with the West Virginia Power (19-12); however, is behind on percentage points with a record of 20-13. Having won the first half of the season, this is, by far, the best season Hagerstown has had since I have been here. 

Meanwhile, debates about funding for downtown redevelopment continues in Hagerstown as city officials hope to negotiate a long-term deal with the Suns. 

Municipal Stadium (Hagerstown, MD)

Opened in 1930

Dimensions: left field – 335; center field – 400; right field – 330.

Considered one of the three oldest minor league stadium, Municipal Stadium has been the host of several Hagerstown teams over the years at various levels. The stadium has a nostalgic and intimate feel. It continues to have a hand-operated scoreboard over the left field fence, which is good because the video board frequently has problems. Among the teams that played at Municipal Stadium were the Hagerstown Owls (1941-49) and the Hagerstown Braves (1950-53), both of the Class B Interstate League.

According to historical signs inside, Municipal Stadium hosted a number of Negro League teams, including the Indianapolis Clowns, Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords.

In 1990, the sitting President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, attended a Hagerstown Suns game at Municipal Stadium.

In September 2010 the new owners of the Suns announced that they would try to make the team successful and upgrade the stadium to maintain the Nationals affiliation. It was the first time that there was local ownership since 1993. In an effort to upgrade the stadium, a new field was to be installed and in doing so, “work will be done to get rid of the legendary hump in left field by removing a huge rock deposit to make the surface level.”

Prior to the construction of Municipal Stadium, Hagerstown was the home of the Hagerstown Hubs, a member of the Class D Blue Ridge League. The Hubs played games at Willow Lane Park, where Bester Elementary School is currently located.

Retired numbers: 42 (Jackie Robinson), 24 (Willie Mays), 50 (John Henry Moss, South Atlantic League President), Adenhart (a major league rookie from Hagerstown who was killed in an automobile accident early in his rookie year in 2009).

Mascot: Woolie

Baseball Stories on the BBC

The program (and podcast) Witness features eyewitness accounts of historical events from around the world. This month the program has featured two baseball stories on consecutive programs. The first, which originally aired on 12 July, features a conversation with Steve Dahl, the man behind Disco Demotion Night at old Comiskey Park in 1979. The next story, first broadcast on 15 July, features an interview with 94-year-old Mary Pratt, who was a pitcher for the Rockford Peaches and Kenosha Comets (and pitched a no-hitter in 1944), about the All-American Girls Profession Baseball League. Each program is only about ten minutes long and definitely worth a listen. 

Game – 13 July 2013 (Hagerstown)

Rome Braves 4, Hagerstown Suns 7

Venue: Municipal Stadium

League: South Atlantic

Attendance: 1180

Despite a 5-run first inning by Hagerstown, Rome chipped away at the lead throughout the game. Rome tallied 14 hits and three costly errors in the loss. Meanwhile Hagerstown had 10 hits and two errors.

Scoring: There was a few interesting scoring plays during the game. Pitcher Wes Parsons (Rome) committed a balk during the first inning that allowed two runners to advance. Also in the first inning, third baseman Eric Garcia (Rome) committed two errors on the same play (fielding and throwing).  Triple: Jose Peraza (Rome). Homerun: Kyle Wren (Rome), whose batting average stood at .370 after the game.

During the t-shirt toss promotion, a shirt landed to my immediate left at my feet. A man behind me was very adamant about getting a shirt, so I picked it up and instinctively and handed it to him. He took it from me and started celebrating that he got a shirt. His daughter, with some teenage disdain, said, “Dad you already got a shirt the other night!” He replied, “Yes, but this is for your Mom.” After a few minutes he, somewhat belatedly, quietly said, “Thank you sir.”

I placed the winning bid on an item during the silent auction this evening. I won a gift package from the Dayton Dragons items, including a shirt, hat, poster, a package of baseball cards and a 2013 pocket schedule. My $20 winning bid benefited the John Hopkins Children Cancer Center. (I calculated that very few other people in the park would have any connection to Dayton and no one else had placed a bid)

The electronic scoreboard was partially out of order during the game. A wide band was missing on the left half of the scoreboard and a small band across the bottom. This made it difficult to read or of being much use.

This my first game in Hagerstown this season was marks my eighth consecutive season seeing games at Municipal Stadium. There appears to be no over-the-air radio broadcasts this year. As discussion about a new stadium drags on in Hagerstown, I worry that there are not many more games left to see in the city. 

Metro Bank Park (Harrisburg, PA)

Opened in 1987 

Located on City Island in the Susquehanna River, Metro Bank Park is the home of the Harrisburg Senators, its only occupant to date. The stadium underwent a substantial renovation and remodeling between 2008 and 2010.  Currently, it has a seating capacity of 6187 fans.

The Harrisburg Senators have been a successful team over the years, winning the Eastern League Championship in 1987, 1993 1996-1999.

Mascot: Rascal

The stadium appeared in the film Major League II (1994) as the spring training home of the Cleveland Indians.

Former names: Riverside Stadium (1987-2004); Commerce Bank Park (2005-2009); Metro Bank Park (2010-present)

Dimensions: left field – 325; left center – 350; deep left center – 405; center field – 400; deep right center – 400; right center – 380, right field – 325.

One of the prominent vendors at Metro Bank is “The Spot.” The Spot was a diner in downtown Harrisburg, which opened in 1939. The diner was famous for its hot dogs (specifically, the Spot Dog) and burgers. Although the diner closed in September 2007, it lives on at Metro Bank serving up diner food, including its famous “Rendell Burger,” named for the former governor.

City Island has a long history as a venue for baseball; however, many games have met their demise because of frequent flooding of the Susquehanna. Most notably, in 1936 a devastating flood severely damaged the grandstands of a previous stadium. Among the teams to play on City Island was the Harrisburg Giants, of the Eastern Colored League, that played on the island until 1957.

Game – 6 July 2013 (Harrisburg)

Bowie Baysox 3, Harrisburg Senators 2

Venue: Metro Bank Park

League: Eastern

Attendance: 4863

The game ended when Hague flied out to center with the bases loaded.

SGA – Bryce Harper Pillow Case

Honus Wagner Baseball Card (NYPL)

This past weekend (30 June), we had an opportunity to view an actual original Honus Wagner baseball card as a part of the New York Public Library’s collection. My baseball card collecting days are long gone, but very cool to see nonetheless.