Crosley Field was a baseball stadium that stood in Cincinnati,
Ohio from 1912-1970. Various baseball stadiums had actually stood on the
site since 1884, though the exact positions of the grandstands had been
repeatedly shifted.
Cincinnati
Reds (MLB, 1912-1970)
Cuban Stars (Negro National League,
1921)
Cincinnati Tigers (Negro American
League , 1937)
Cincinnati Clowns (Negro American
League 1942-1945)
Names
Redland
Field (1912-1933)
Crosley Field (1934-1970)
Backstop:
38 ft (1912), 58 ft (1927),
66 ft (1943), 78 ft (1953)
Crosley was the home of the National
League's Cincinnati
Reds. In 1912,
the stadium was rebuilt in steel and concrete at a cost of $400,000 (New
York Times, May 19, 1912). Christy Mathewson of the New York Giants
lost the first game 4-3 to the Reds.
The stadium was known as Redland Field from 1912-1933, when team
owner Powel Crosley chose to rename the stadium in his own honor -
advertising his Crosley automobiles to boot. Crosley was the site of the
first major league night baseball game on May 24, 1935.
Fly
to the site of Crosley Field!
If you have Google
Earth installed, click here
to be "flown" to the site of the Crosley Field. Of course
the stadium is no longer there, but you can see the old
neighborhood. (If you do not have it installed, get
it from Google. It allows you to view virtually anywhere on
Earth in 3D using satellite imagery.)
The field of play was known for the sloping hill or "terrace"
that led up to the fence (and to street level) across left field, which
remained throughout the entire time the stadium stood, and the short fence
in center field. The team claimed that the fence was 390 feet away, but
both the home and opposing pitchers were certain it was shorter.
The stadium began to decline in the 1960s, and the surrounding
neighborhood became rather dangerous, particularly at night. These
factors, along with the city's desire to build a single stadium that could
house both the Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL led to the
closure of Crosley and the mid-season move of the Reds in 1970 to Riverfront
Stadium. Crosley Field was demolished two years later, and a business
park now stands on the site.
Crosley Field has been recreated in Cincinnati at the Blue Ash Sports
Center, 11540 Grooms Road. It even has a replica scoreboard with the
Longines clock on top.
Crosley Field!
Aerial view of
Crosley Field in the 1940s.
Postcard
courtesy of LCPC
FIRSTS
at CROSLEY FIELD
Game
04/11/1912
Cubs 6, Reds 10
Umpires
Jim Johnstone, Mal Eason
Managers
Hank O'Day, Reds
Frank Chance, Cubs
Starting Pitchers
Frank Smith, Reds
King Cole, Cubs
Ceremonial Pitch
Cincinnati Mayor Henry Hunt
Attendance
23,500
Batting
Batter
Johnny Evers (ground out)
Hit
Jimmy Sheckard (single)
Run
Bob Bescher
RBI
Dick Hoblitzell
Single
Jimmy Sheckard
Double
King Cole
Triple
Frank Schulte
Home Run
Jimmy Esmond (04/21/1912)
Grand Slam
Edd Roush (08/19/1918)
IPHR
Jimmy Esmond (04/21/1912)
Stolen Base
Frank Chance
Sacrifice Hit
Frank Chance
Sacrifice Fly
Johnny Bates (04/12/1912)
Cycle
Joe Medwick (06/29/1935)
Pitching
Win
Bert Humphries
Loss
King Cole
Shutout
Rube Marquard (05/20/1912)
Save
N/A
Hit by Pitch
Bert Humphries hit Frank Schulte
Wild Pitch
Harry McIntire (04/12/1912)
Balk
George Suggs (05/07/1912)
No-Hitter
Hod Eller (05/11/1919)
Primary
research by Jim Herdman & David Vincent
Courtesy of Retrosheet.
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--Patrick Mondout
CROSLEY
The Mill Creek Flood of 1937 covered the field with 21 feet of water.
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