Peoples Natural Gas Field is a 7,210-seat baseball-only stadium in

Altoona, Pennsylvania Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. T ...

, that opened in 1999. It is the home

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 ...

of the Eastern League's

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of th ...

Minor League Baseball team.

History

The groundbreaking ceremony for the stadium, then known as Blair County Ballpark, was held on March 7, 1998. The addition of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

teams in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

, and

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, in 1998 also created room for Minor League Baseball to expand. Two additional teams were added to the Eastern League for the 1999 season: the

and the Erie SeaWolves. The city of Altoona won the favor of the Eastern League over a bid from Springfield, Massachusetts. The stadium hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 15, 1999, as the Curve defeated the Bowie Baysox, 6–1. From 1999 to 2002, total seating capacity was listed at 6,176. Prior to the 2003 season, an additional 1,034 seats were created with the construction of the new left-field reserved bleacher section, the third-base picnic pavilion, and the left-field party deck. Blair County Ballpark hosted the Eastern League All-Star Game on July 12, 2006, before a record crowd of 9,308 fans. The largest regular-season crowd was 9,255, recorded on August 10, 2003, for a doubleheader against the

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

. On January 31, 2012, it was announced that Peoples Natural Gas had signed a naming-rights deal, making the new Peoples Natural Gas Field name official. In addition, Peoples Natural Gas is conducting a study for on-site green energy.

Features

Peoples Natural Gas Field has a façade that resembles an old-fashioned railroad roundhouse that are prevalent throughout the city of Altoona. The stadium is double-decked, with the Diamond Club seating section making up the lower level. The main concourse with concessions and restrooms sits behind this section, and is covered by the upper levels of seating. Peoples Natural Gas Field is unique because of its roller coaster located beyond the right-field wall. This ride, called

Skyliner The is an airport limited express train service between Tokyo and Narita Airport in Japan. It is operated by Keisei Electric Railway and runs on the Narita Sky Access route. This article also covers the and services. Service The ''Skyl ...

, is actually part of the

Lakemont Park Lakemont Park is an amusement park located in Altoona, Pennsylvania. It houses the world's oldest-surviving roller coaster, the Leap-The-Dips. On June 19, 1996, the roller coaster was added to the list of National Historic Landmarks by the Nati ...

amusement park located next door. The ridges of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

can also be viewed from inside the stadium. The ballpark's picturesque view earned it a runner-up position in the "Best View in the Minors" competition in 2018. It finished behind only

Southwest University Park Southwest University Park is a baseball stadium in El Paso, Texas. Primarily used for Minor League Baseball, it is the home of the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Pacific Coast League. Opened in 2014, the facility has an official capacity of 9,500, ...

, home of the

El Paso Chihuahuas The El Paso Chihuahuas are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in El Paso, Texas, and play their home games at Southwest University Park, which opened ...

. Oddly enough, in MLB 2K13 the minor league field labeled, "AA East Field" is extremely similar to Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Seating

*Diamond club: 1,634 seats *Terrace level: 1,204 seats *Grandstand level: 2,646 seats *Outfield reserved: 744 seats *Third-base picnic pavilion: 250 seats *"Rail Kings" (on party deck): 40 seats *Skyboxes: 292 seats *Bleachers: 400 seats

Gallery

Image:1847-1851 - Altoona - Blair County Ballpark.jpg, Infield of Peoples Natural Gas Field File:BPBallparkINSIDE.jpg, seating section Image:Field_at_BCB.JPG, Field at Peoples Natural Gas Field from third base side with the

roller coaster from

in the background.

References

External links

Altoona Curve
* ttp://www.frontiernet.net/~rochballparks2/altoona/altoona.htm Photographs of Blair County Ballpark - ''Rochester Area Ballparks'' {{Altoona, Pennsylvania Baseball venues in Pennsylvania Minor league baseball venues Buildings and structures in Altoona, Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Blair County, Pennsylvania Altoona, Pennsylvania 1999 establishments in Pennsylvania Sports venues completed in 1999 Eastern League (1938–present) ballparks