Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field, is a
minor league baseball stadium in
Dayton, Ohio, which is the home of the
Dayton Dragons, the
Midwest League affiliate of the nearby
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
. In 2011, the Dragons broke the all-time professional sports record for most consecutive sellouts by selling out the stadium for the 815th consecutive game, breaking the record formerly held by the
Portland Trail Blazers.
The park has a total capacity of 8,200 people and opened in 2000. With two-deck seating and large
skyboxes, some compare it to
Triple-A fields.
History
The
Dayton Dragons played their first baseball game at Fifth Third Field on April 27, 2000. In attendance was
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
Hall of Famer
Johnny Bench
John Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from through , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of t ...
, who caught the ceremonial first pitch.
In their inaugural season, the Dragons managed to sell-out every home game of the 2000 season before the season even started.
Day Air Ballpark has hosted the
Midwest League All Star Game twice: in 2001 and 2013.
In 2005, 2007, and 2009, the venue hosted the
Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament. In 2005,
Rhode Island won the tournament, in 2007,
Charlotte won, and in 2009
Xavier won.
2011 field renovation
In the 2011–2012 offseason, a new Kentucky Blue Grass playing surface was installed at Fifth Third Field as well as new drainage and irrigation systems.
2014–2015 video enhancements
In 2014, over $1.2 million was spent upgrading Fifth Third Field's entertainment control room and adding HD cameras throughout. In 2015, the existing video board was replaced in the off-season with a new 2,054 foot 13HD video board that was three times brighter than the previous board, twice the height and 2½ times the width. Described as featuring the clearest picture ever used on any board in a Minor League Baseball stadium, the board, at the time of installation, was the tallest and widest in a single A facility and in the top five in terms of size for any Minor League Baseball stadium. As of 2015, only three out of 30 Major League Baseball stadiums sported a board of this type.
Renaming and renewal
In January 2020, the naming rights to the field were purchased by Day Air Credit Union and the stadium was renamed Day Air Ballpark.
In January 2021, it was reported that the Dayton City Commission had renewed the park's lease agreement, which had previously been scheduled to expire in September 2030, until 2060. Under the terms of the new agreement, the city will also secure financing for up to $4.5 million in improvements to the park, including improvements relating to energy efficiency.
Facts and figures
* Voted as one of the top ten hottest
tickets to get in all of professional sports by ''
Sports Illustrated''.
* The Dayton Dragons' series of 815 consecutive sellouts surpassed the
Portland Trail Blazers for the longest sellout streak across all professional sports in the U.S.
* Highest single-season attendance: 593,633 (2004, a
Midwest League Record)
* The facility has 7,320 stadium-style seats.
* The ballpark contains 1,400 club seats, 29 suites, and 3 party decks
* The stadium stands on the site of a former
Delco Electronics plant.
Amenities
Day Air Ballpark has contracted with
Donatos Pizza to offer individual cheese and pepperoni pizzas at the ballpark. It has also contracted with
Cold Stone Creamery to offer hand dipped ice cream available at a free standing cart on the third base side of the stadium as well as individual ice cream cups available at most concession stands. Along with the contracted food, many
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organizations including
churches,
fraternal organizations and
schools operate the concessions stands. In 2009, The
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; , stylized as PeTA) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. PETA reports that PETA entities have ...
(PETA) rated Day Air Ballpark one of the most
vegetarian-friendly minor league ballparks in the United States.
References
External links
www.daytondragons.com
{{Midwest League ballparks
Minor league baseball venues
Baseball venues in Ohio
Sports venues in Dayton, Ohio
Tourist attractions in Dayton, Ohio
Baseball in Dayton, Ohio
Sports venues completed in 2000
2000 establishments in Ohio
Midwest League ballparks