War Memorial Stadium is a stadium in Hampton, Virginia. It is primarily used for

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 t ...

and has been the home of the various incarnations of the

Peninsula Pilots The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. The Pilots first started participating in the Co ...

, including the current

Coastal Plain League The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal League which operated in the area from 19 ...

incarnation. It is also the home for

the Apprentice School The Apprentice School is a four to eight-year apprenticeship vocational school founded in 1919 and operated by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Newport News in the U.S. state of Virginia. The school trains students for careers in ...

Builders Builder may refer to: * Construction worker, who specializes in building work * Carpenter, a skilled craftsman who works with wood * General contractor, that specializes in building work ** Subcontractor * Builder (detergent), a component of mode ...

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

team. The ballpark has a capacity of 3,750 people and opened in June, 1948. Peninsula War Memorial Stadium was designed by the legendary Branch Rickey as an affiliate for his Brooklyn Dodgers. The

Newport News Dodgers The Newport News Dodgers were a minor league baseball affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers between 1944 and 1955. They played in the Piedmont League and were based in Newport News, Virginia. The teams played at Peninsula War Memorial Stadium on Pem ...

won 3

Piedmont League The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States. Teams The following teams were members of the Piedmont ...

Championships before Brooklyn moved to Los Angeles and the Dodgers were no more in 1958. In 1963 the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

's Peninsula franchise (1963-1992) began play in the Stadium as the Top Class "A" club of the Washington Senators. The Peninsula Grays were born. The Cincinnati Reds followed with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench playing in the Stadium in 1965. The 1965 team also won the pennant for best record but lost in the playoffs. The Kansas City/Oakland "A"s followed until 1968 when the Astros came in. The following started a great era: the era of the Phillies. The name Astros was kept for 1969 when the Phillies came knocking. That's when the club adopted the nickname

, which was used 1971, 1976–1986, 1989–1992. The Phillies were Peninsula's affiliate for much of that time winning 7 Carolina League Division Championships, including 6 trips to the Carolina League Championship Series. In 1980 the club had a record of 100-40 and swept the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

in the League Championship Series. That team had a .714 winning percentage, which was the best in Carolina League history. It still stands as one of the top 20 all-time records in professional baseball history. The

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

were the affiliate in Peninsula's last season and won the CL Championship. Then the era of professional baseball on the peninsula that dated back to 1893 was over. The team is honored by the Peninsula Pro Baseball Alumni Association and the Peninsula Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. Inductee and chairman is longtime Peninsula executive John Graham. War Memorial Stadium celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008. Satchel Paige played his last professional game on June 21, 1966, for the Peninsula Grays of the Carolina League at War Memorial Stadium.

External links

Digital Ballparks--War Memorial Stadium
* ttp://peninsulabaseballhalloffame.com/ Peninsula Professional Baseball Hall of Fame {{CPL Ballparks Sports venues in Hampton Roads Minor league baseball venues Buildings and structures in Hampton, Virginia College baseball venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1948 Baseball venues in Virginia The Apprentice Builders 1948 establishments in Virginia