On route and almost there !

a Currier & Ives print of an 1866 ball game at Elysian Fields

A Tour of Route One Baseball

Hoboken, NJ claims to be the cradle of baseball in America. There’s a sign at Washington Avenue and 11th Street describing the June 19, 1846 game between the Knickerbockers and the New Yorks as the first game. Well, the devil is in the details, and if baseball historians are anything, they are detail-oriented. The claim has been broadly and repeatedly debunked. However, the Elysian Fields in Hoboken was an extraordinarily important venue for cricket and other leisure activities along the Hudson River. So begins our trip, with baseball playing a minor league role in a major historical landmark.

Before you’re done, you’ll have jumbo shrimp, flying squirrels, and sea dogs to consider along with a few landmark stadiums. BATTER UP!!!

Itinerary

	Elysian Fields - where some claim the first game was played
	Hadlock Field Home of the Portland Sea Dogs
	Fenway Park - Boston, MA
	Yankee Stadium
	Trenton Thunder Ballpark
	Connie Mack Stadium (Shibe Park) in North Philadelphia
	Oriole Park at Camden Yards
	Nationals Park
	Richmond Flying Squirrels
	Columbia Fireflies
	Augusta GreenJackets
	Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Bragan Field
	Daytona Tortugas a single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds
	LoanDepot Park Home of the Miami Marlins

Elysian Fields - where some claim the first game was played

Colonel John Stevens purchased the land at auction after it had been confiscated from a British owner during the Revolution. Stevens slowly developed it in the 1820’s as a recreational destination for Manhattanites. In 1846, the Knickerbockers played their first game at Elysian Fields, and this is what Hoboken falsely claimed was the first baseball game played. The development of baseball was more of a process, so I guess it all depends on where you draw the line.

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Hadlock Field Home of the Portland Sea Dogs

Who’s got a lighthouse on their stadium that’s lit every time the home team hits a home run? The AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox – Portland Sea Dogs. These lucky dogs also got a replica Green Monster out in left field to imitate the one Fenway Park.

The Field opened in 1994 and seats 7.368.

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Fenway Park - Boston, MA

Fenway Park is a baseball stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the home field of the Boston Red Sox, one of the oldest teams in… See this View on the map

Yankee Stadium

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Trenton Thunder Ballpark

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Sports Page, opening Day

Connie Mack Stadium (Shibe Park) in North Philadelphia

At the corner of 21st Street and Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia once stood a stadium that attained a stature on par with Fenway Park… See this View on the map

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

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Nationals Park

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Richmond Flying Squirrels

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Columbia Fireflies

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Augusta GreenJackets

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Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Bragan Field

It’s a team name and a concession food! The Shrimp are the AA affiliate of the Miami Marlins.

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Daytona Tortugas a single-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds

The Tortugas play in Jackie Robinson Stadium, which was built in 1914. The Fenway Park of Florida! Robinson played there during Spring Training in 1946. The YouTube video is a home movie taken at Spring Training that year, showing Robinson wearing #9. He would later play in Montreal and then ascend to the major leagues to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

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