Canal Park is a
baseball stadium
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 ...
located in
Akron, Ohio
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...
, United States, that is the home of the
Akron RubberDucks
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...
of the
Eastern League. The team is a double-A
minor-league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...
affiliate of the
Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central division. Since , they have ...
. Opened in 1997, the stadium was designed by
Populous, then known as HOK Sport, the same architectural firm that designed the Guardians'
Progressive Field
{{Infobox stadium
, name = Progressive Field
, nickname = ''"The Jake"''
, logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, image =
, caption = Progressive Fiel ...
, which opened three years earlier. The stadium takes its name from its location adjacent to the
Ohio and Erie Canal
The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It also ...
, which runs behind the left-field wall.
Features
The stadium is designed as a single deck with the concourse at the top. Seats extend all the way from one foul pole to the other (farther than most other parks at this level), and most sections contain 20-25 rows, although they taper to as little as five in the corners.
A series of 25 luxury boxes, and the press box, covers the concourse and the top few rows of seats from
first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
around to
third base
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
. The walkway down the right-field line is also covered, and contains a restaurant and the RubberDucks' team shop. A picnic berm in left field is available for rental by groups of 24 or more.
During the
2006 Akron Aeros season, the team celebrated its 10th season in Canal Park with several events.
Aside from Akron RubberDucks baseball, Canal Park occasionally hosts special events such as local high school and college baseball and the
Akron Marathon. On May 19, 2015, the RubberDucks officially announced that Canal Park will host the 2016
Eastern League All-Star Game and its associated events.
Scoreboard
In August 2006, the park completed the installation of a new 18'x25' digital
scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...
to replace the original board with
light bulbs
An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the soc ...
. The new board has full color animation capacity and features a four color matrix display. The $386,000 project was originally expected to be completed in early July. The entire scoreboard measures 56¼'x68' and is the largest free-standing scoreboard in
minor league baseball.
In January 2013, The Aeros' new management announced plans to install a new scoreboard which will be 26 ft high and 68 ft wide and would cost $1.65 million. The scoreboard was completed in time for the start of the 2013 season, as well as a new smaller outfield display board near the picnic tables.
RubberDucks baseball
Attendance
On July 24, 2015, the RubberDucks reported their largest attendance ever of 8,301.
References
External links
Akron RubberDucks
{{Eastern League ballparks
Akron RubberDucks
Akron Aeros
Sports venues in Akron, Ohio
1997 establishments in Ohio
Sports venues completed in 1997
Minor league baseball venues
Baseball venues in Ohio
Tourist attractions in Akron, Ohio
Eastern League (1938–present) ballparks