Damaschke Field, officially Dutch Damaschke Stadium, is a sports playing field and

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Oneonta, New York Oneonta ( ) is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of the Appalachian Region. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Oneonta had a population of 13,079. Its nickname is "City of the Hil ...

. Primarily used for

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

, the field has been a municipal landmark for over a hundred years.

History

The original

baseball field A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

was officially opened on Memorial Day in 1905 under the name Elm Park. Numerous stars from the early years of US baseball, including

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

and Rogers Hornsby, drew large crowds at the field for semi-pro and exposition games. A permanent steel grandstand was erected for spectators in 1938. In August 1968, the city renamed the site as Dutch Damaschke Stadium to honor local sports coach, referee, and counselor Ernest C. "Dutch" Damaschke, who had served as Oneonta's Recreation Commissioner for more than thirty years. The field and stadium are administered as public facilities within Oneonta's large Neahwa Park. The site was the longtime home of the area's

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 Nor ...

baseball team, the Oneonta Red Sox (1966),

Oneonta Yankees Oneonta may refer to several places: Communities *Oneonta, New York, A small city and inspiration for some of the other "Oneontas" *Oneonta (town), New York, a town that surrounds the City of Oneonta *Oneonta, Alabama, Blount County * Oneonta, Ke ...

(1967–1998),

Oneonta Tigers The Oneonta Tigers were a minor league baseball team located in Oneonta, New York. They were members of the New York–Penn League. The Tigers were the Short-Season A classification affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, and played their home games at ...

(1999–2009). The field has also regularly hosted the

Oneonta Indians Oneonta may refer to several places: Communities *Oneonta, New York, A small city and inspiration for some of the other "Oneontas" *Oneonta (town), New York, a town that surrounds the City of Oneonta *Oneonta, Alabama, Blount County * Oneonta, Ke ...

football team, the Oneonta United soccer team, and the Hartwick College baseball team. It is currently the home field of the Oneonta Outlaws, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. A few games were staged here in late May of 1969 by the Syracuse Chiefs of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

while their home field

MacArthur Stadium MacArthur Stadium was a stadium in Syracuse, New York. Opened in 1934 as Municipal Stadium, it was used primarily for baseball and was the home of Syracuse Chiefs before they moved to P&C Stadium, (now NBT Bank Stadium) in 1997. The ballpark had a ...

was being repaired after a fire.

References

{{Reflist

External links

City of Oneonta Department of Recreation
Sports venues in Otsego County, New York Minor league baseball venues Baseball venues in New York (state) 1905 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1905 Soccer venues in New York (state) College baseball venues in the United States