The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was a 5,500-seat minor-league

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

in downtown

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

that opened on May 21, 1998. The stadium was located next to the Webster Bank Arena, now known as the

Total Mortgage Arena Total Mortgage Arena (formerly The Arena at Harbor Yard and Webster Bank Arena) is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It is the home venue of the New York Islanders' AHL farm team, the Bridge ...

. It was named "Harbor Yard" as an allusion to

Oriole Park at Camden Yards The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the Baseball park#Retro-classic ballparks, "retro" major league ballparks ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Located on Bridgeport's

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

waterfront, Harbor Yard was encircled by

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and the

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rail line. The site had navigable ingress and egress routes to northern

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

and the

Naugatuck River Valley The Naugatuck River Valley is the watershed area of the Naugatuck River in the western part of Connecticut. The Naugatuck Valley straddles parts of Litchfield County, New Haven, and Fairfield counties. The Route 8 corridor and Waterbury Branch ...

via the 8/ 25 connector. The city chose not to renew its lease to the Bluefish and closed the stadium after the 2017 baseball season. The venue has been converted to an outdoor concert amphitheater known as Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater.

History

The Ballpark at Harbor Yard opened on May 21, 1998, on the site of the former Jenkins Valve factory. The demolition of the Pequonnock apartment buildings in 2002 improved the parking situation for fans attending games at the Ballpark. The Ballpark and Total Mortgage Arena are credited for revitalizing the city into a prosperous waterfront attraction and destination. The Ballpark at Harbor Yard was constructed in between 1997 and 1998, and its $19 million price tag was funded through public and team contributions. It had a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 5,500. Believing that Harbor Yard would be one of the important pieces of Bridgeport's renewal, team co-founder, Jack McGregor, chose its name as an allusion to Baltimore's renewal of the Camden Yards neighborhood. Harbor Yard was the home field of the Bridgeport Barrage of

Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...

from 2001 to 2003. The Barrage relocated to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

after the 2003 season. On October 1, 2009, the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

granted the ballpark the 2009 Atlantic League Park of the Year award. On August 8, 2017, Mayor

Joe Ganim Joseph Peter Ganim (born October 21, 1959) is an American Democratic politician, former attorney, and convicted felon who is currently serving as the mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut. He was elected mayor of the city six times serving from 19 ...

announced that city would not renew the Bluefish's lease, ending their 20-year stint at the ballpark at the end of the 2017 season. The Bluefish played their final home game at the park on September 17, 2017, losing by a score of 9–2 to the

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, and ...

. The former minor-league ballpark was converted to a concert

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

known as Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater. A groundbreaking ceremony for the replacement amphitheater was held in July 2018. The amphitheater opened July 28, 2021.

All-Star Games

The Ballpark at Harbor Yard hosted four All-Star games in its history: the first MLL All-Star Game in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, and the 1999, 2006 and 2015 Atlantic League All Star games.

Attractions

The park had concessions with traditional ballpark fare served at two restaurants: the People's Bank Marina, an

all-you-can-eat An all-you-can-eat restaurant (AYCE) is a type of restaurant in which a fixed price is charged for entry, after which diners may consume as much food as they wish. All-you-can-eat establishments are frequently buffets. Buffets The all-you-can- ...

buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...

; and the Harbor Club, a restaurant that served an upscale ballpark menu. Children at the ballpark could play on the playground equipment at the United Way Kids' Cove. There was also a party suite was for birthday parties and other special occasions. The Bluefish added the Two Roads Beer Garden for the 2015 season, sponsored by the Two Roads Brewery from Stratford.

References

External links

The Ballpark at Harbor Yard

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballpark At Harbor Yard Bridgeport Bluefish Baseball venues in Connecticut Sports venues in Bridgeport, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Fairfield County, Connecticut Former Major League Lacrosse venues Defunct college baseball venues in the United States Defunct minor league baseball venues Sacred Heart Pioneers baseball 1998 establishments in Connecticut 2017 disestablishments in Connecticut Lacrosse venues in Connecticut Sports venues completed in 1998

History

All-Star Games

Attractions

See also

References

External links