Fans Field was a minor league baseball

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

Decatur, IL Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Ce ...

. It was the home of the

Decatur Commodores The Decatur Commodores were a professional minor league baseball team based in Decatur, Illinois that played for 64 seasons. The Commodores are the primary ancestor of today's Kane County Cougars. They played, with sporadic interruptions, from ...

, of the Three-I League, Mississippi-Ohio Valley League and

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

, from 1927 through 1974. It was at the southeast corner of East Garfield Avenue (left field) and North Woodford Street (third base). During late 1974 and early 1975, the city debated what to do with the abandoned ballpark. The decision to redevelop it came in August of 1975, and by month's end its mostly-wooden stands had been demolished. ecatur ''Daily Review'', August 22, 1975, p.22 The site was remade into a softball venue, retaining the name Fans Field. The new softball facility opened in June of 1977. ecatur ''Herald and Review'', May 30, 1977, p.3 Decatur Fans Field 1975

History

The first game played at Fans Field was on Thursday May 5, 1927 at 3pm, and was attended by

Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (; November 20, 1866 – November 25, 1944) was an American jurist who served as a United States federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death. He is remembered for his h ...

along with a crowd of nearly 7,000. The Commodores lost to the Evansville Hubs, 5–3. The finale came on August 19, 1974, with the Commodores losing to Wisconsin Rapids 3-1. Final attendance was about 300. ecatur ''Herald and Review'', August 20, 1974, p.6

Dimensions

The left and right field foul poles were from home plate, and the center field fence was from home plate. hilip J. Lowry, ''Green Cathedrals'', 1986, p.125

References

External links

A summary of Decatur baseballSanborn map showing part of Fan's Field, 1950
Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct minor league baseball venues Baseball venues in Illinois Mississippi-Ohio Valley League Softball venues in Illinois Buildings and structures in Decatur, Illinois Sports in Decatur, Illinois Defunct Midwest League ballparks {{Illinois-baseball-venue-stub