Hammond Stadium
| Hammond Stadium | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 14100 Six Mile Cypress Parkway Fort Myers, FL 33912 |
| Broke ground | 1989 |
| Opened | March 7, 1991 |
| Owner | City of Fort Myers |
| Operator | Lee County |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $14 million ($22.6 million in 2012 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Lescher & Mahoney |
| General Contractor | Case Contracting Company |
| Capacity | 7,500 |
| Field dimensions | 330' to Left Field 405' to Centerfield 330' to Right Field |
| Tenants | |
| Minnesota Twins (MLB) (1991-Present) Fort Myers Miracle (Florida State League) (1991-Present) GCL Twins (GCL) |
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Hammond Stadium is a baseball field located in the Lee County Sports Complex in South Fort Myers, Florida, United States. The stadium was built in 1991 and holds 7,500 people. It is the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins, and houses their Class A Advanced affiliate, the Fort Myers Miracle, in the Florida State League. The Twins' Rookie League affiliate, the Gulf Coast League Twins also play in the Lee County Sports Complex, however, not at Hammond Stadium.
The stadium is named in honor of current Lee County Deputy Administrator, William H. Hammond, Jr., who was instrumental in getting the Lee County Sports complex built to draw the Twins from their previous Spring home, Orlando, Florida. Hammond Stadium's outer facade was designed with Churchill Downs in mind. The parking rows all feature streets signs named to honor former Twins greats-- including Bert Blyleven, Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek. There is also a waterfall fountain near the stadium's entrance.
The Twins won the World Series following their first Spring Training in Hammond Stadium. Their agreement with Lee County for use of the complex runs through 2011. The Florida State League held the 48th annual Florida State League All-Star Game at Hammond Stadium in June 2009. The previous time the league held the mid-season classic in Fort Myers was 2003.
Hammond Stadium is one of three Spring training facilities in Fort Myers. The Boston Red Sox train in City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers. Terry Park Ballfield (also known as the Park T. Pigott Memorial Stadium) in East Fort Myers is currently not in use, however, it is the former home of the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.
[edit] Field Dimensions
Hammond Stadium's dimensions[2] compared to Target Field are:
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Left Field 9 feet shorter 330' vrs. 339' Left-Center _ feet shorter ___' vrs. 377' Deep Left-Center _ feet shorter ___' vrs. 411' Center Field 2 feet longer 405' vrs. 403' Right-Center _ feet shorter ___' vrs. 365' Right Field 2 feet longer 330' vrs. 328'
[edit] References
- ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ^ Information derived from each location's article's InfoBox.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 26°32′18″N 81°50′31″W / 26.53833°N 81.84194°W
