Erasmus Field, at McDonald Avenue and Avenue M between Midwood and Bensonhurst, has been in use
since 1907, initially for track and field, and later for football, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball.
It has served all that time as sporting home to Erasmus Hall High School, and also been made available
to whoever else might pay the rent. In 1928, Herman Rosner, owner of the semipro Bay Parkways,
constructed wooden stands to seat 5,000 fans at the field.
The odd shape of Erasmus Field- see the overhead photograph below, and picture the original diamond in the
lower left corner- meant plenty of home runs were hit to right center, but homers to
left field, over 400 feet away, were almost impossible. Negro Leaguers Josh Gibson and Fats Jenkins
were among the few who managed the feat, however.
As well as Erasmus Hall High, other baseball teams to call Erasmus Field home at different times were
the Bay Parkways (meaning famed teams like the Bushwicks and Royal Giants were regular visitors),
New Utrecht High, Long Island University, and the teams of the Brooklyn-Long Island Defense League
in 1943. Big games such as the Public Schools Athletic League baseball finals were also played at
Erasmus Field from time to time.
Plays at the plate - a run for George Washington High in
the 1936 PSAL final, Erasmus Hall scores with style in 1954 1954 photo by Kenneth Goldman, courtesy
Erasmus Hall Alumni Association
Among minor league football teams, the Bay Parkways, Brooklyn Eagles, and Brooklyn Bears all called
Erasmus Field home in different years.
On April 8, 1931, New Utrecht High pitcher Antonio Belucci threw a no-hitter at Erasmus Field against Theodore Roosevelt High,
winning 4 to 0. Soon afterwards, on May 10, Erasmus Hall hurler Ivan McPherson no-hit Manual High
in a 2-0 victory. Semipro records are thinner- it's tough to pick great events out of nothing but
game scores with no details given. But we would like to have seen the double header of June 30, 1939,
when the Bay Parkways defeated the rival Springfield Greys 10-9 and 9-8.
Erasmus Field saw one awful baseball tragedy. On June 28, 1936, during a semipro game,
Harry Kronenberg was hit in the head by a pitch and fell to the ground. He finished the game
after taking some water, but was rushed to hospital during the night and did not survive.
Sid Luckman Field today Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Erasmus Field was renovated before the 1994 football season and rechristened Sid Luckman
Field, in honour of the former Erasmus Hall quarterback who won a city title and went on to become an All American at
Columbia, and lead the Chicago Bears to four NFL titles. Sid Luckman Field is primarily a football
ground for Erasmus Hall, but its artificial turf has facility for softball and soccer also.
The Erasmus Hall baseball team now plays at the Parade Ground.
