In , the sod was replaced with a sand-based blend of Kentucky bluegrass that is genetically darker in color and more durable than the version previously used at Oriole Park, giving the field a more vibrant green color.
For Camden Yards' first nine seasons, outfield dimensions were feet to left field, feet to left center, feet to center, feet to right center and feet to right. Prior to the season, in conjunction with extensive renovations to the ballpark's playing surface and drainage system, the Orioles reconfigured the ballpark with outfield dimensions that were up to 7 feet larger than those used since Camden Yards opened in However, it was found that the new dimensions did not significantly improve sight lines for fans, as had been anticipated, and adversely affected the viewing angle of the batter's eye wall.
As a result, the ballpark was returned to its original dimensions before the season. The changes included moving home plate approximately seven feet closer to the outfield, to its original spot 59 feet from the backstop. In addition, the entire field was shifted several degrees to the first base side and both the left field and right field foul poles were repositioned to their original locations.
The foul line measurements decreased from feet to feet in right field and from to feet in left field. The center field distance decreased from to feet and the deepest part of the ballpark, in left center field, decreased from to feet.
The shorter distance to the right field corner than down the left field line is compensated by a 21' high wall, which extends ' from the right field line toward center. The fence in the rest of the park is only 7' high. Built between , the warehouse is the longest building on the East Coast at ' but only 51' wide. It has been preserved and now provides unique office space for the Orioles as well as home for the banquet facilities, the ballpark's central kitchen and space for ballpark operations.
The Orioles' main ticket office operates out of the north end of the Warehouse. The ballpark and warehouse are separated by a 60' wide promenade, an extension of Eutaw Street. Small circular plaques are found in the concrete along Eutaw Street, marking the locations where home runs have landed since the ballpark opened.
Through the season, 39 different players have hit 57 homeruns which have landed on Eutaw Street 24 by the Orioles and 33 by the visiting team.
Luke Scott 's 6 homeruns are the most by any player in Oriole Park history. In addition, numbers representing the players whose uniforms have been retired by the Orioles are located outside the north Eutaw Street gates. Ballpark tours depart regularly from the Baseball Store on Eutaw Street. The Orioles Official Team Store, open daily, is located on the ground floor of the warehouse.
When the Orioles moved to Camden Yards for the season, they brought with them the right field foul pole that had been used for 37 seasons at Memorial Stadium. The foul pole was affixed atop the tall wall in right field in the Flag Court. Prior to the season, the Orioles replaced the original Camden Yards left field foul pole with the left field pole that had been used throughout their stay at Memorial Stadium.
The foul poles were returned to their original positions when the ballpark was reconfigured to its original dimensions after the season. On Veteran's Day , ground was broken at the south end of the Eutaw Street warehouse for a memorial wall to honor residents of Maryland who were killed in all of our nation's wars.
The foot-tall, curving black granite wall features the well-known phrase from the Memorial Stadium facade, spelled out in the original stainless steel lettering: "Time Will Not Dim the Glory of Their Deeds. A bench allows visitors the opportunity to rest and reflect at any time during the day or evening, and the memorial is illuminated at night. A dedication ceremony was held on Memorial Day, May 26, Covering 22, square feet and showcasing more than 10, artifacts, Sports Legends is an interactive, innovative tour of Maryland's sports heritage.
The space includes exhibits on the Orioles, Baltimore Colts and Johnny Unitas, along with an in-depth look at the history of the Negro Leagues in Baltimore. Other exhibits include Maryland's minor league baseball teams, college sports, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame. Opened in , Camden Station had been unused since the 's prior to the renovations. In , the brand-new Baltimore Orioles franchise arrived at Camden Station from a season-opening series in Detroit for their first home game at Memorial Stadium.
Abraham Lincoln passed through the station on several occasions, once en route to his inauguration in , and also on his way to deliver the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln's funeral car also stopped there on its way to Springfield, Illinois, for his burial.
As part of the renovations, the Gentlemen's Waiting Room will be restored to its Civil War splendor and will interpret Lincoln's passages through Camden Station, the Civil War, and Camden Station's role in America's transportation history. Major improvements and upgrades have been made to the entire Oriole Park entertainment system within the past several years. Prior to the season, the Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority contracted with Mitsubishi to purchase a new video system for Oriole Park at Camden Yards, replacing the Sony JumboTRON video board and Daktronics matrix and out-of-town boards used since the park opened in The LED out of town scoreboard in right field features statistical information in addition to game scores.
The narrow auxiliary matrix boards along the club level and upper deck were replaced with LED ribbon boards, providing better definition, brighter images and wider viewing angles. In order to preserve the traditional feel of Oriole Park while providing fans with the most modern technology, the Orioles hired an expert design team to work with the Maryland Stadium Authority to deliver major technological upgrades while preserving the ballpark's historic aesthetic. Phase two of the ballpark improvements were completed prior to the season and included major control room upgrades, new HD televisions throughout the ballpark and improvements in the coverage and quality of the ballpark sound system.
The ballpark entertainment control room replacement allows the entertainment system to transmit a high-definition HD signal to the main and auxiliary video boards and further enhance the fan experience at Oriole Park.
The sound system renovations included new speakers in all, replacing those that had been in place since Oriole Park opened. To improve coverage and consistency of sound throughout the seating area, a number of additional loudspeaker positions were created.
New speakers are located in the Upper and Lower Deck seating bowl, Club Level, Main Concourse, centerfield bleacher area and scoreboard. The new system employs digital signal processing DSP that is significantly more advanced than what was previously used and allows a much greater level of control. The result is a substantially more uniform listening experience throughout the seating area.
After the season, the Maryland Stadium Authority completed the final phase of the replacement of the seats in the Oriole Park seating bowl as part of their deferred maintenance program. After the season, all seats in the lower level from foul pole to foul pole were replaced, along with necessary repairs to the concrete in this area. The work concluded in the winter of , as MSA repaired concrete and replaced seats in the lower level outfield, the club level and the upper deck.
The Baltimore Orioles have won three World Series in their team history in , , and The outfield dimensions at the ballpark are feet to left field, to left center, to center field, feet to right center, and to right field. Right field has a slightly larger wall than the rest of the stadium measuring at 21 feet tall.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards has a total capacity size of 45, people. Like many other ballparks, Camden Yards has slightly downsized the number of seats to offer more fan-friendly aspects to the ballpark.
Originally, Camden Yards had over 48, seats available for purchase on game day. With Camden Yards in Baltimore, you have a few options to the north and south of your location. The next closet ballpark is Citizens Bank Park which is north of Baltimore. The drive is about three hours up from Baltimore. Camden Yards ushered in a brand-new era of ballparks in Major League Baseball. Before Camden Yards, baseball had an issue where many of the newer stadiums were cookie cutter ballparks.
Camden Yards changed that by having a fresh and modern look and feel. This massive warehouse acts as office park for the Orioles along with being a unique aspect of the ballpark. Many home run balls have landed on Eutaw Street, and the Orioles organization has marked the spots with small baseball-shaped bronze plaques embedded in the street, though it sometimes takes up to a year for each homer to get a plaque.
The pitcher who surrendered the home run was Ben McDonald. A plaque was placed at the spot, but was stolen and never replaced; however there is a bronze baseball-shaped plaque where it hit.
The bullpen area was designed after many write-in designs were submitted by the public. It's unique two-tiered design was a first in major league parks. On the street there is also a statue, created in by sculptor Susan Luery [7] , of left-handed Babe Ruth holding a right-handed fielder's glove.
The statue is entitled, "Babe's Dream", and shows him at the beginning of his career, before left-handed gloves for the right hand of a fielder were an option. However, the inclusion of the incorrect glove on the statue was indeed the result of a lack of baseball knowledge on the part of the people working on the project. The scoreboard in center field advertises The Baltimore Sun at the top.
The "H" in "The Sun" will flash to show a scoring decision of a hit, and the "E" will flash to show an error. The stadium is the first major league park to have an outfield wall made up entirely of straight wall segments since Ebbets Field. The playing field is 16 feet below street level.
The latter rail line provides direct service to Washington, D. The Light Rail service began around the time the stadium opened. The stadium is located in downtown Baltimore, near the Inner Harbor. The football stadium wasn't built until Camden Yards is just a short walk from Babe Ruth 's birthplace, which is now a museum. Coincidentally, Ruth's father once owned a pub located in what is now center field of the stadium.
Since its opening day in , Camden Yards was a success and fan favorite. Attendance jumped from an average of 25, over the last ten years of Memorial Stadium 's tenure to an average of 43, over the first ten years of Camden Yards' existence. Beginning in , the Maryland Stadium Authority, the state entity that owns and operates Oriole Park, was criticized for the low pay of day-labor cleaners.
About workers a day are employed by a contractor for the Maryland Stadium Authority to clean the facility, making Camden Yards the largest source of temporary worker jobs in Baltimore. Others countered that the workers are highly unskilled, and are paid on par with other similar temporary jobs. Giving them a higher wage, it was argued, could force other employers to "compete against ridiculously high wage scales for totally unskilled work," said one columnist.
As a result, "Many might go out of business or fire low-wage earners, creating more homeless people and, possibly, more day laborers. On September 7 , , a few days ahead of a highly publicized worker hunger strike, the board of the Maryland Stadium Authority voted 4—1 to approve wage increases for the day laborers beginning in the baseball season.
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