Pullman Park
| Pullman Park | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Butler, Pennsylvania |
| Opened | 1934 reopened 2008 |
| Closed | 2005-2007 (rebuilding) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Construction cost | $5,000,000 (2008 rebuilding) |
| Architect | Ligo Architects (2008 rebuilding) |
| Capacity | 1,400 |
| Tenants | |
| Butler High School Golden Tornado Butler Indians (Cleveland Indians) (1935) Butler Yankees (New York Yankees) (1936-1946) Butler Tigers (Detroit Tigers) (1949-1950) Butler Pirates (Pittsburgh Pirates) (1950) Butler BlueSox (PL) (2009-present) |
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Pullman Park is a baseball stadium located in Butler, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1934, and rebuilt in 2008, the ballpark hosted minor league teams that were affiliated with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Today, the ballpark hosts the Butler High School Golden Tornado, and the Butler BlueSox of the summer collegiate Prospect League.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] 1934–2004
Pullman Park hosted minor league baseball from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Notable players such as Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, and Whitey Ford played at the stadium while the Yankees farm team (Butler Yankees) was in Butler. Joe Namath, Terry Hanratty, and Rich Saul also played at Pullman during their high school football years. The ballpark itself was named after the Pullman-Standard Company's railroad car manufacturing facility which sat adjacent to the ballpark from 1902-2005.[1]
A state record was broken at Pullman Park in May 2003 when High School Senior, Jerry Obiecunas, of Bethel Park High School went 5 for 5 with 5 rbi's at the plate against WPIAL champion North Allgheny in the first round of the 2003 P.I.A.A State Playoffs. Obiecunas finished the day with 2 doubles, 3 singles, 3 runs scored in a 15-6 win for Bethel Park. The Bethel Park Blackhawks eventually lost to West Chester East in the P.I.A.A. Class AAA State Finals.[2]
[edit] 2005–2008 Renovation
The ballpark closed after the 2004 baseball season, and sat vacant for two years while necessary funds were raised to rebuild it. Construction began in the fall of 2007, and work was completed in June 2008.[3]
[edit] The New Pullman Park
On July 2, 2008, Pullman Park hosted a boxing match, televised on ESPN2. Butler native, Brian Minto knocked out John Poore 2:23 in the first round of the main fight. The match was the first major event to be hosted at the ballpark after the restoration and the first nationally televised event in Butler.
The following summer saw Pullman Park get its first major full-time baseball tenant in almost 60 years, the Prospect League's Butler BlueSox. The BlueSox went 28(W)-26(L) during their inaugural season at the ballpark.
[edit] References
- An Historical Gazetteer of Butler County, Pennsylvania, Mechling Bookbindery., 2006, ISBN 978-0-9760563-9-3.
[edit] Notes
- ^ An Historical Gazetteer of Butler County, Pennsylvania, pp. 263.
- ^ [1] "North Allegheny Athletics page", 2003-06-01. Accessed 2011-03-24.
- ^ [2], Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2006-08-21. Accessed 2008-03-03.
[edit] External links
- Pullman Park Website
- Pullman Park at Baseball Reference.com, the online baseball encyclopedia
- Digital Ballparks page on Pullman Park
- Butler BlueSox
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Coordinates: 40°51′35″N 79°54′21″W / 40.859598°N 79.905967°W
