Goodall Park is a

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 ...

venue in

Sanford, Maine Sanford is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 21,982 in the 2020 census, making it the seventh largest municipality in the state. Situated on the Mousam River, Sanford includes the village of Springvale. The city ...

, United States, which is home to the

Sanford Mainers The Sanford Mainers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Sanford, Maine. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball woo ...

of the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

. The park opened in 1915. It has a seating capacity of 950 spectators.

History

The park opened on May 29, 1915. Its first game was between the Sanford Professionals and the Lewiston Pilgrims (of

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

). The game was played in front of 1,300 fans. In 1919, the park hosted an exhibition game between the Sanford Professionals and the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. The game was

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 ...

's last game in a Red Sox uniform. Ruth hit a three-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

to lead the Red Sox to a come-from-behind 4-3 victory. Ruth did not play in another game for the Red Sox before being traded to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

by Red Sox owner

Harry Frazee Harry Herbert Frazee (June 29, 1880 – June 4, 1929) was an American theatrical agent, producer, and director, and owner of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox from 1916 to 1923. He is well known for selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yanke ...

1997 fire and rebuilding

In 1997, an

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wate ...

set fire to the park's grandstand and destroyed it. After debate in Sanford as to whether or not to rebuild the park, the grandstand was rebuilt in 1998 and rededicated on July 16, 1999. The grandstand was rebuilt at a cost of over $1 million.

Seating areas

Most of the park's 950-spectator capacity comes from the grandstand located directly behind home plate. The grandstand consists entirely of chairbacked seats. The park also has a section of metal bleacher seating located down the first base line.

Photo gallery

File:Goodall Park Scoreboard.JPG, The park's electronic scoreboard, located over the left center field fence. File:Goodall Park Bullpen.JPG, The visitors

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

, located down the right field line. File:Goodall Park Press Box.JPG, The

press box The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box and can be either enclosed or open to the e ...

, located above grandstand seating directly behind home plate. File:Goodall Park Plaque.JPG, A plaque, located within the grandstand, that commemorates the park's rebuilding after it was destroyed by an arsonist. File:Goodall Park Concessions.JPG, The park's main concession stand.

References

External links

NECBL website

Sanford Mainers website

The Hero of Goodall Park: Inside a true-crime drama 50 years in the making
{{NECBL Ballparks Baseball venues in Maine Minor league baseball venues New England Collegiate Baseball League ballparks Tourist attractions in York County, Maine Buildings and structures in Sanford, Maine 1915 establishments in Maine Sports venues completed in 1915