Fifth Third Field is a
Minor League Baseball 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 ...
in
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
. The facility is home to the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
, an
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 ...
team and the
Triple-A affiliate of the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
.
The stadium seats 10,300 and opened in 2002. It hosted the 2006
Triple-A All-Star Game
The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League ( ...
and
home run derby. The stadium was named one of the best minor league ballparks in America by ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
''. In the summer of 2007, ESPN.com rated The Roost section of Fifth Third Field as the best seats to watch a game in minor league baseball.
The Ohio-based
Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bank (5/3 Bank), the principal subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp is an American bank holding company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifth Third is one of the largest consumer banks in the Midwestern United States, Fifth Third B ...
purchased the
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
to the
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 ...
.
Location
It is located in downtown Toledo, two blocks from the
Maumee River
The Maumee River (pronounced ) ( sjw, Hotaawathiipi; mia, Taawaawa siipiiwi) is a river running in the United States Midwest from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph and ...
. The new stadium replaced
Ned Skeldon Stadium
Ned Skeldon Stadium, originally opened as Lucas County Stadium, is a stadium in Maumee, Ohio. It was primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the Toledo Mud Hens minor league baseball team. It opened for minor league ball in 1965, a ...
, located in suburban
Maumee, as the Mud Hens' home. Ned Skeldon Stadium was described as "quaint" or "rustic" and the new park was intended to boost development downtown. A small commercial area has sprung up around the park, centered on St. Clair Street, on the park's southeast side.
The street address is 406 Washington Street. The park is bounded by Washington Street (southwest, first base), North Huron Street (northwest, third base), Monroe Street/Henry Morse Way (northeast, left field) and Msgr. Jerome Schmidt Way/North St. Clair Street (southeast, right field).
The Fifth Third Field is part of a complex that includes the
SeaGate Convention Centre
The Glass City Center is a performing arts and convention center located in downtown Toledo, Ohio. Opened on March 27, 1987, as the SeaGate Convention Centre, the center's exhibit hall measures 74,520 square feet (207 feet by 360 feet) of space ...
and the
Huntington Center (formerly known as the Lucas County Arena). The Lucas County Commissioners teamed with
HNTB Architecture Inc., a national sports architecture firm located in Kansas City and local architects and landscape architects The Collaborative Inc, of Toledo to design the Mud Hens Stadium.
Following nearly two years of planning, the Stadium, with assistance from the City of Toledo and Lucas County, embarked upon an entertainment district expansion creating the district known as Hensville. The $21 million expansion is expected to draw 150,000–200,000 more people to Toledo's downtown. The entertainment district stretches along North St. Clair Street from Washington to Monroe streets, adjacent to the ballpark.
The area includes the expanded Swamp Shop, new retail shop Holy Toledo, several rooftop bars, Nine restaurant, Fleetwood's Tap Room, and Hensville Park.
In addition to increased traffic for ballgames, the district will also hold events such as outdoor concerts, Monday movie nights, fireworks and other unique weekly events.
Features
* Fixed seats: 8,943
* Picnic seats: 776
* Handicap seats: 86
* Seats in the "Roost": 282
* Club Level seats: 1,200
* Suites: 32
The ballpark's largest crowd occurred on July 29, 2017, when 13,406 fans saw the Hens play the
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...
.
Scoreboards
In 2009, the Mud Hens installed new ribbon scoreboards along the first base and third base sides of the ballpark. They are in color and can display a variety of graphics, stats, and the game score. Also, the Mud Hens replaced their
Fair Play Scoreboards
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
scoreboard and Barco video board with a
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...
video board display in left field which is in color and is a complete matrix board that shows the line score of the game. It is also zoned on the top 70% where it shows the current batter, animations, games, and replays. The new Daktronics video board also replaced the Fair Play message board below the old Fair Play scoreboard.
In 2019, the Mud Hens, along with Daktronics installed a brand new 2,500-square-foot LED video display and two new ribbon scoreboards. The main video display is measured at high by wide. The main display, like the previous one, can show game score, live video, replays, current batter, graphics, and sponsored messages. The ribbon scoreboards are measured at around high by long. Similar to the main display, these scoreboards are capable of showing supplemental information such as the current batter, statistics, game score, graphics, and sponsored messages. Both video displays feature a 15HD pixel layout for high image clarity and contrast.
References
External links
Fifth Third Field Info ESPN.com's Ten Best Seats in the Minor Leagues
{{International League baseball venue navbox
Sports venues in Toledo, Ohio
Baseball venues in Ohio
Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio
Buildings and structures in Toledo, Ohio
Ice hockey venues in Ohio
Outdoor ice hockey venues in the United States
2002 establishments in Ohio
Sports venues completed in 2002
International League ballparks