McCurdy Field, located in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

, is the former home of the Frederick Hustlers, Warriors, and

Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team masco ...

, a class A minor league affiliate of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

. The current stadium structure is largely an aluminum superstructure with dual brick buildings on the sides. The field first opened in 1924. McCurdy Field was the home of the Frederick teams of the minor league baseball

Blue Ridge League The Blue Ridge League was the name of two minor league baseball organizations that operated in the first half of the twentieth century in the United States. History The first league operated for the better part of sixteen years, from 1915 throu ...

from 1924 to 1930. On Monday, September 6, 1937, the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

played their first Washington-area game following their move from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Washington beat an American Legion All-Star team by a score of 50-0 before a crowd of 1,000 at McCurdy. During World War II, professional baseball teams conducted spring training in the north. 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 ...

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

held spring training at McCurdy in 1943 and the Philadelphia Athletics also held spring training in Frederick in 1944 and 1945 and played their exhibition games at McCurdy Field. Lights were installed in 1947. In 1968, the old wooden grandstand was condemned. It was torn down in 1971, leaving just the field. Bob Marendt led an effort to renovate the park, raising $50,000 in donations, and federal and state government paid for the balance. A renovated concrete and steel park opened in 1974, with metal bleachers that sat 1,500 and clubhouse facilities to host the Babe Ruth League 13-year-old national tournament.

References

External links

Ballpark Reviews: McCurdy Field
{{Authority control Defunct minor league baseball venues Baseball venues in Maryland Spring training ballparks Philadelphia Athletics spring training venues Syracuse Mets 1924 establishments in Maryland Sports venues completed in 1924 Buildings and structures in Frederick, Maryland Sports in Frederick, Maryland