Lewis McCormick Field 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 ...

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 ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. It is the home field of the

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differen ...

team of Minor League Baseball. As befits the hilly city of Asheville, the ballpark sits on a section of level ground partway up one of the city's hills, providing a picturesque atmosphere. It is the third-oldest ballpark in Minor League Baseball.

History

The ballpark was built in 1924 and was named after Asheville resident Lewis McCormick. Lights were installed for nighttime play prior to the 1930 season. Since then, it has been home to the various incarnations of the Asheville Tourists team, and also served as home field for the

Asheville Blues Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous city ...

of the Negro Southern League during the 1940s. The facility was renovated in 1959, and then rebuilt in concrete between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, replacing the largely wood structure which had developed a leaky roof. The 1992 ballpark kept a similar layout to the original McCormick Field. The facility included new expanded restrooms and larger concession stands. New clubhouses were built and lights erected as player and field enhancements. The height of the fence behind the cozy right field area, which was in the vicinity of just away from home plate, was more than tripled, as it now stands tall (nearly the same height as

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

's "

Green Monster The Green Monster is a popular nickname for the left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. The wall is from home plate and is a popular target for right-handed hitters. Overview The wall was part ...

"). It is one of the oldest Minor League Baseball stadiums still in regular use; as of the 2021 season, only

Jackie Robinson Ballpark The Jackie Robinson Ballpark (also known as Jackie Robinson Stadium or City Island Ball Park) is a historic baseball field in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is located at 105 East Orange Avenue on City Island, in the Halifax River. ...

and

LECOM Park LECOM Park is a baseball field located in Bradenton, Florida. It is the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and is named after a 15-year naming rights deal was signed with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has its m ...

, both in Florida, are older, dating to 1914 and 1923, respectively.

Other uses

The ballpark served as one of the settings for the 1988 film ''

Bull Durham ''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in ...

''. The venue hosted the 2009

Big South Conference baseball tournament The Big South Conference baseball tournament, sometimes referred to simply as the Big South tournament, is the conference baseball championship of the NCAA Division I Big South Conference. The top eight finishers in the regular season of the c ...

, won by

Coastal Carolina Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

. Farther up the hill, behind the left field area, is Asheville Memorial Stadium, a football and soccer facility. Its bleacher seating structure is visible from McCormick Field.

References

External links

Photos of the ballpark
* ttps://www.loc.gov/resource/g3904am.g3904am_g063721917/?sp=25 Sanborn map showing Oates Park, immediate predecessor to McCormick Field, in 1917br>Map showing artist's conception of Riverside Park, predecessor to Oates Park, near lower left corner, in 1912More about Riverside Park
{{WNC sports venues Minor league baseball venues Sports venues in North Carolina UNC Asheville Bulldogs baseball Baseball venues in North Carolina Negro league baseball venues Negro league baseball venues still standing Buildings and structures in Asheville, North Carolina Tourist attractions in Asheville, North Carolina 1924 establishments in North Carolina Sports venues completed in 1924 College baseball venues in the United States South Atlantic League ballparks

History

Other uses

See also

References

External links