Diamond Park was 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 ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada. It was the home of the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

professional baseball club from 1901 until 1907. It was located at the south-east corner of Liberty Street and Fraser Avenue. The stadium was also used for

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league. Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...

and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

. The Maple Leafs, who had been playing at

Hanlan's Point Stadium Hanlan's Point Stadium was a baseball stadium and lacrosse grounds in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was erected in 1897 at Hanlan's Point on the Toronto Islands for the minor league Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club. It was destroyed by fire twi ...

on the

Toronto Islands The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the ...

were sold in 1900 to a group of 52 Toronto businessmen, spearheaded by Ed Mack, a tailor and former baseball player. The organization decided to construct a new stadium for the team on the mainland, which they named Diamond Park. The stadium was not ready in time for the 1901 season, forcing the team to play its first 13 games on the road. The team played its first game in the new stadium on May 10, 1901, to 5,200 fans, losing 6–5 to Worcester. The game was preceded by a parade from downtown to the stadium. The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by School Inspector James L. Hughes. Tickets for the games cost 25 cents for general admission, 40 cents for the grandstand and 50 cents for reserved seating. Led by manager

Ed Barrow Edward Grant Barrow (May 10, 1868 – December 15, 1953) was an American manager and front office executive in Major League Baseball. He served as the field manager of the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. He served as business manager (de facto ...

, who was also co-owner, the Leafs won 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 ...

pennant in 1902 with a record of 85–42. The team faltered after its championship season, falling to eighth place by 1905. Debt holders called in their loans and the team was purchased by James J. McCaffery, who served as team president from 1908 until his death in 1922, and Lawrence "Lol" Solman, president from 1922 to 1931. Former major league star

Joe Kelley Joseph James Kelley (December 9, 1871 – August 14, 1943) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who starred in the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1890s. Making up the nucleus of the Orioles along with Joh ...

took the reins as manager in 1907 and the team's fortunes immediately turned around. Kelley was drafted by the

Boston Doves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

the next season, when the Leafs returned to Hanlan's Point Stadium. The site was sold in 1907 by the ball club to H. C. Harris under the condition that "no games or amusement enterprises" were to take place without the ball club's consent. In 1908, a strip of land in left field was subdivided, making it smaller for baseball, although it would continue in use for amateur baseball and other sports. However, the Maple Leafs were to return to the park in August 1909 to finish the 1909 season after Hanlan's Point Stadium burned down. Owner Harris offered the field at no charge to the Maple Leafs, who had to quickly build a new left field bleacher after the old bleacher had been torn down. In 1911, construction began on a new E. W. Gillett Company factory complex on the site, which opened in 1912. The factory is now the headquarters of Kobo Inc. Across the street to the north is

Lamport Stadium Allan A. Lamport Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium on King Street West in the Liberty Village neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the practice facility for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. It is also partial ...

, used for rugby, field hockey and soccer, built on the site of the

Mercer Reformatory Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader ...

References

{{coord, 43.6373, N, 79.4235, W, display=title Defunct baseball venues in Canada Defunct sports venues in Toronto Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) Demolished buildings and structures in Toronto Sports venues completed in 1901 1901 establishments in Ontario Lacrosse venues Defunct rugby union venues Rugby union stadiums in Ontario 1908 disestablishments in Ontario Sports venues demolished in 1910