Joe Becker Stadium is an American baseball

ballpark 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 ...

, built in 1913, located in

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jas ...

. The stadium has burned down twice, the first time in 1936 and the second time in 1971. The stadium currently has seating capacity of 4,200 as the home of the Joplin Outlaws of the summer collegiate MINK League.

History

The original tenants were the

Joplin Miners The Joplin Miners was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Joplin, Missouri that played for 49 seasons between 1901 and 1954. Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Herzog played for Joplin. Professional baseba ...

, a longtime minor league affiliate of the

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

Whitey Herzog Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog (; born November 9, 1931) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and manager, most notable for his Major League Baseball (MLB) managerial career. He made his MLB debut as a player in 1956 wit ...

and fellow Hall of Fame inductee

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

played for the Miners. Other team monikers have included the Joplin Blasters minor league baseball team and the current Joplin Outlaws collegiate summer baseball team. The Missouri Southern State University baseball team played there through 2014 before relocating to an on-campus stadium in 2015. In April 1920, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the ...

and his Detroit Tigers played an exhibition game against the Miners at Joe Becker Stadium.

Renovations and tenants

In January 2014, the

El Paso Diablos "El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, wh ...

of the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

relocated to Joplin in exchange for improvements to the stadium's seating, restrooms, lighting, and other infrastructure. They began play in the 2015 season as the Joplin Blasters. A $4.7 million reconstruction of the stadium by Hanson Sports, Corner Greer Architects, and Crossland Construction began in September 2014 which saw the installation of new lighting and fixed seating for 2,400, renovation of restrooms, locker rooms, and team dugouts, plus the addition of concession stands, merchandise sales space, and modern ticket booths. In 2016, the Blasters closed offices and left Joplin and in 2017, the stadium became home to the Joplin Outlaws of the MINK League, as a collegiate wood-bat team.

References

External links

Official website
{{Missouri Southern State University Baseball venues in Missouri Buildings and structures in Joplin, Missouri Sports in Joplin, Missouri Missouri Southern Lions baseball 1913 establishments in Missouri Sports venues completed in 1913