Nat Bailey Stadium, also known as The Nat, is a baseball stadium in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. It is home to the
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...
of the
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
High-A
High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...
.
Stadium history
The stadium is located in
Hillcrest Park
Hillcrest Park is located in the Riley Park-Little Mountain neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is located immediately north of Queen Elizabeth Park and west of Riley Park.
Next to Hillcrest Park is the site containing Nat Bailey ...
immediately north-east of
Queen Elizabeth Park in the
Riley Park-Little Mountain Riley may refer to:
Names
* Riley (given name)
* Riley (surname)
Places
* Riley Park–Little Mountain, a neighborhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
* Riley Creek (Ontario), a tributary of the Black River in Central Ontario, Canada
* Ril ...
neighbourhood of Vancouver. It replaced
Athletic Park, which had opened in 1913. Originally built in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, it was renamed Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978 for
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
restaurateur (and founder of the
White Spot
White Spot is a Canadian restaurant chain based in Vancouver, British Columbia, best known for its hamburgers, Pirate Pak children's meal, triple-o sauce, and milkshakes. Along with its related Triple-O's quick service brand, the chain operates ...
restaurant chain)
Nat Bailey
Nathaniel Ryal Bailey (January 31, 1902 – March 27, 1978), better known as Nat Bailey, was an American-born Canadian restaurateur, and the founder of White Spot restaurants. He is known for building the first drive-in restaurant in Canada, in 19 ...
after his death to honour his tireless effort to promote baseball in Vancouver. On June 16, 2010,
Scotiabank
The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...
and the Vancouver Canadians announced a naming rights agreement that led to the name Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium until that agreement ended in 2019 and the stadium reverted to its prior name.
The stadium was first home to the
Vancouver Capilanos
The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first ...
in the early 1950s and later attracted the
Oakland Oaks, who became the
Vancouver Mounties
The Vancouver Mounties were a high-level minor league baseball club based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) from 1956– 62 and – 69. Its home field was Capilano Stadium. During the Mounties' first tw ...
of the Class AAA
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
, from 1956 to 1962, and 1965 through 1969. The PCL returned to Vancouver in 1978 with the
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...
, owned by
Harry Ornest
Harry Ornest (June 30, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was a sports entrepreneur who once owned the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also played minor league baseba ...
. He purchased most of the primary assets of
Sick's Stadium
Sick's Stadium, also known as Sick's Seattle Stadium and later as Sicks' Stadium, was a baseball park in the northwest United States in Seattle, Washington. It was located in Rainier Valley, on the NE corner of S. McClellan Street and Rainier Av ...
in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
and shipped them north for use at Nat Bailey. The Canadians stayed in Vancouver through the 1999 season, then relocated south to
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
. The following season, a
second incarnation of the Canadians began playing in the short-season Class A
Northwest League
The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...
and now play in Class
High-A
High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...
.
The stadium's
capacity is 6,500 and as of 2019 they led the short-season A clubs in attendance and outdrew Vancouver's AAA team. Their major league affiliation remains with the Blue Jays.
The Canadians ownership signed a long term lease at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium in February 2007. They have significantly improved and modernized the stadium while also restoring parts of the park to their original 1951 condition.
Bud Kerr Baseball Museum
The Bud Kerr Baseball Museum is located inside Nat Bailey Stadium. The museum, which opened on June 18, 2008, is dedicated to the more than sixty years of baseball that have been played in that stadium.
The museum is named for Bud Kerr, the team's official historian until his death in 2009, and celebrates the players who have spent some of their careers there including:
Rich Harden
James Richard Harden (born November 30, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.
Early years
Harden attended Claremont Secondary S ...
,
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Cubs. After playing for the Texas Rangers and C ...
, and
Tim Raines
Timothy Raines Sr. (born September 16, 1959), nicknamed "Rock",Raines received this nickname at an Expo rookie camp when he was seventeen, based on his physique. is an American professional baseball coach and former player. He played as a left ...
, who helped open the museum.
In fiction
The stadium was used as the home of the fictional
Santa Barbara Seabirds
Class A Minor League Baseball team in the "
Dead Man's Curveball" episode of the television series ''
Psych
''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observ ...
''. It was also used as the home of the fictional
Seacouver
''Highlander: The Series'' is an American science fantasy action-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the eponymous "Highlander". It was co-produced by Rysher Distribution in the U ...
Chiefs in the "
Manhunt
Manhunt may refer to:
Search processes
* Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive
* Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies
Social organisations
* Manhun ...
" episode of ''
Highlander: The Series''. It's also the setting for a scene between MacGyver and
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cali ...
in the ''
MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both po ...
'' episode "Squeeze Play".
References
External links
Vancouver CanadiansUBC Thunderbirds baseballNat Bailey Stadium
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Baseball venues in British Columbia
Minor league baseball venues
Sports venues in Vancouver
Sports venues completed in 1951
1951 establishments in British Columbia
University sports venues in Canada
Northwest League ballparks