The major entries at this site are for parks which hosted professional baseball matches. That leaves out a large chunk
of amateur baseball history, of course, as well as places where professional teams played (or tried to play) just once.
Here are a few of those missing parks.
Many of these parks no longer exist- even in the 1860s and 1870s newspapers regularly reported teams moving
to new grounds due to the progress of building works. Much amateur baseball migrated to the Parade Ground, and
professional and semipro ball to the few larger ballparks available. Today, of course, many public parks in Brooklyn
feature softball fields or full sized baseball diamonds. As we find which of these host some form of
organized ball, this list will grow.
This list was partially sourced from Long Before the Dodgers by James L. Terry, and from
the collected papers of Bill Cahill- who has been there and done that before us with spectacular
success- at the Queens Borough Public Library, with some corrections, additional
parks, and other material gleaned from contemporary newspapers, and just wandering around Brooklyn
to see what's here. There is certainly no way to list everywhere in Brooklyn
that has hosted baseball. The odds are pretty good that on any block in Brooklyn you are within throwing distance of a former
or current ballpark.
A word or two about method: Many 19th century ballparks had no proper name. We have chosen here to grant
club names to parks without other clear names, based on the
most prominent or the earliest tenant we could find. For such parks, newspapers would mostly use references such as
"The Gotham Club of New York played the Resolute Club of this city on the grounds of the latter." In just one case
was a park consistently referred to by its address, and in that case we have named it thusly. If there is a famous club
obviously missing, they probably played at the Parade Ground, or perhaps they are just missing. Information is patchy,
and researching many of the less active grounds is difficult at best. We cannot guarantee that we
have not presented two fields as one, or one as two, somewhere in this page.
Any corrections, help in making this list a little more complete, or stories for
the lesser known parks, would be most welcome.
Adelphi Field
Classon Avenue and Park Place.
This was on the campus of Adelphi Academy, a private high school from which Adelphi College (later
University) also evolved. The land was purchased in 1894 for $50,000. In 1898 this park hosted a
game between the Merits and the professional Colored Giants. Both schools played baseball and football
here, as well as hosting track meets. In 1909 all Adelphi outdoor sports moved to the new Adelphi Oval.
Adelphi Oval
Fulton and Crescent Streets.
This was baseball and football home to Adelphi Academy and Adelphi College from 1909 through 1916.
At the Juniors vs Seniors field day in 1913, Idelle Scott "won great applause as the star twirler"
of the baseball game. In 1917 both schools moved to a new Adelphi Field over the border in Queens Village.
The current Adelphi Field, home of the university baseball team, is in Garden City, Long Island.
Football at Adelphi Oval
Carey Field
Willoughby and Stuyvesant Avenues and Hart Street.
St. John's, like Adelphi, was for some time a university and a prep school. The SJU's main campus
is now in Queens, and the prep school is no more. Carey Field was a "dirt packed, stone strewn diamond,"
home to both university and prep for baseball, football, soccer, and track. St. John's Prep put up some
big numbers here- a 22 to 2 thrashing of arch rival Brooklyn Prep in 1938, and a 25 to 2 slaughter of
Brooklyn Cathedral Prep in 1940. No-hitters were pitched for Prep at Carey Field by Redmond Hogan in
1930 and Walter Rooney in 1945. Bob Sheppard, veteran stadium announcer for the Yankees, was St. John's
Prep midget team first baseman in 1927. Sheppard won a game at Carey Field for the midget nine against
Brooklyn Prep's crippled pitcher Johnny Dollard, 1 to 0, with a squeeze bunt in the 10th inning. He never
forgave himself, and apologised in print in 1980.
Bob Sheppard, Yankee Stadium's "Voice of God"
Atlantic Ground
Marcy and Gates Avenues.
Home to the Atlantic Club before moving to the Capitoline Grounds in 1864. Saw many famous Atlantic victories
during their first hat-trick of championships, including the overwhelming 52 to 27 demolition of the Mutuals
on October 16, 1861 when Henry Chadwick wrote that the Atlantics played with "all their pristine vigor and excellence."
Every Atlantic player scored at least five runs in the game, and the team tallied
an amazing 26 runs in the third inning. The Enterprise Club also shared this ground.
Long Island Cricket Club Grounds
Terminus of the Fulton Avenue Railroad, Bedford.
This ground was owned by Mr. Holder, and was the very first home of the Atlantic Club, obviously sharing with the
Long Island Cricket Club. On Independence Day in 1856, the Long Island Club hosted and handily won a cricket match with the
Brooklyn Club, reported in the Eagle as a "quite a grand affair" with "refreshments on hand for the comfort and
gratification of the visitors."
The Manor House Grounds
Nassau and Driggs Avenues, and Russell and Monitor Streets, or very near there.
The Eckford Club played rent free on this strip of land, then owned by the Backus Estate, before moving
in 1862 to the Union Grounds, where the club achieved its greatest fame. The Satellite Cricket Club
also played on these grounds. The Manor House Grounds are probably now McGolrick Park in Greenpoint.
McGolrick Park (then called Winthrop Park) in 1912
Satellite Ground
Between Broadway and Harrison Avenue, on Rutledge Street- either next to or diagonally across from the Union Grounds.
Home to the Fulton Club, as well as "colored base ball" games including the 1867 championship of
Brooklyn, won 49 to 17 by the Monitors over the Uniques. Also, possibly, the Brooklyn Club around 1860.
The ground was sold off for housing in
1868. Like the Capitoline and Union Grounds, and Washington Park, the Satellite Ground was named
after the skating pond on the same location.
Osceola Club Grounds
Fourth and Fifth Avenues, and Dean and Wyckoff Streets.
Also home at various times to the Quickstep, Washington, American Eagle, Exercise, Hiawatha, and Favorita Clubs, and
possibly the Dean Street Croquet Club. In 1858, the earliest match we can find at this site saw the second nine of
the Osceola Club defeat the Hiawatha first nine by a score of 46 to 30 in six innings. Play was reportedly poor
on both sides.
Vigilant Club Grounds
West of Fourth Avenue between Sixteenth and Middle Streets.
Also home to the superbly named E. Pluribus Unum Club. A classic seven inning game was played at these grounds in
September, 1858. Trailing 23 to 20 in the middle of the sixth, the Sylvan Club scored nine runs, but the Vigilants
scored nine themselves in the top of the seventh, and shut out the Sylvans in the bottom of the inning to win
32 to 29.
Excelsior Grounds
The foot of Court Street.
Home to the Excelsiors from 1859 to 1865. The grounds are now part of Red Hook Park (or, more formally,
the Red Hook Recreational Area) which contains baseball fields, but the part on Court Street is now
a soccer field. The Star Club may have played on this field also, or one nearby, also within modern
Red Hook Park.
Red Hook Park, once the Excelsior Grounds
Exercise Club Grounds
Third Avenue and Tenth Street.
Play began here around 1859. At one time, this ground was also home to the Vigilant Club, and possibly the Solomon Club.
In a match between the Vigilant and Exercise teams in 1860, Vigilant catcher Messerole was struck in the face by a foul
ball. Distracted thereafter, the Vigilants played more carelessly than their name indicates, and lost 29 to 14.
Manhattan Beach Cycle Track
Behind the Manhattan Beach Hotel, between present day West End Avenue and Dover Street.
The cycling track was built in 1895 for $30,000 in back of the Manhattan Beach Hotel. Both were owned
by magnate Austin Corbin. Grandstands held 6,000 people and bleachers another 4,000. By 1906, when the Royal
Giants and the Manhattan Beach Club christened the new ball grounds inside the track on May 30, the stands held 10,000 and the
bleachers 5,000. Manhattan Beach won 2 to 1.
The sadly vanished Manhattan Beach Hotel
Manhattan Beach Field
Ocean Avenue and Oriental Boulevard, just southeast of where the cycle track had been.
Occasional home to James Madison High in the late 1920s and full time home for Long Island
University from 1935 to 1941. On April 10, 1928, Madison High pummeled Haaren High 21 to 0 in
a five inning game. 17 players got in the game for Madison: 15 got hits and the other
two players scored three runs between them. On May 4,
1937, the Blackbirds rapped Brooklyn College for 21 hits in a 16 to 2 victory. As an added insult,
LIU pitcher Bernard Pearlman, a converted first baseman, set a new Blackbird record by striking
out 18 hitters. This field had room for at least 3,000 fans. Now, it is part of Manhattan Beach Park,
and the site houses smaller sports facilities including a tree-lined little league field.
Manhattan Beach Field in 1937, Manhattan Beach Park today
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Kingsborough C.C. Field
Oriental Boulevard and Perry Avenue.
Completing the eastward trilogy of ballparks on the Manhattan Beach Peninsula is the well groomed home field
of CUNY Kingsborough Community College softball and baseball. The Kingsborough baseball squad went 0-8 in
the CUNY CC conference in 2006, 1-16 overall, after a 2-13 season in 2005. The school basketball
team wins championships on a regular basis, however.
Kingsborough CC Field Photo taken from Google Maps
Niagara Club Grounds
Hoyt Street between Degraw and Douglass.
Jim Creighton played for the Niagara Club before moving to the Stars, then to the Excelsior. The Niagara seemed
a club unaware of its own strength. In September of 1858, they hosted Amity of New York, "expecting to get beat"
but "played careful and batted tip-top" to come up with a 31-8 victory.
The ground at Degraw, Flatbush, and Ninth Avenue
This ballpark, now on the site of Grand Army Plaza, was home to the Albion, Tippecanoe, and Bedford Clubs. Matches
of ice baseball were also played on the park.
Grand Army Plaza today
Oneida Club Grounds
Lafayette Avenue and Oxford Street.
The new Oneida Club challenged the even newer Lafayette Club to the first recorded match here in 1860, confident of
victory. But the tyro Lafayettes proved too strong, and Oneida called a halt after five innings, trailing 23 to 6.
Ringold Club Grounds
Washington and DeKalb Avenues.
This one is unconfirmed. The listing comes from Long Before the Dodgers but we can see references to neither
club nor field in the Brooklyn Eagle archives.
Monroe Cohen Park
East 108th Street and Seaview Avenue.
We are unsure how long this park has been around, since it only acquired a name in 1976, for late
Canarsie council member Monroe Cohen. It is also known as American Legion Park. The four diamonds
host games of the 69th Precinct junior leagues, some games of Xaverian High School, and
also cricket and football- the Brooklyn Renegades youth team, in particular.
The immaculate diamonds of Monroe Cohen Park Picture
taken from Google Maps
Friends School Field
McDonald Avenue, East 4th Street, Avenue L, next to Erasmus Field.
Around 1907, the Polytechnic Preparatory School (better known as Poly Prep) acquired this site and
named it Poly Field. On August 20, 1910, Franklin Trust defeated Mechanics Bank, who committed
20 errors, 13 to 6 at Poly Field to win the Banks League championship. Poly Prep's football,
track, and baseball teams remained until 1917. The site then hosted sundry football matches for a
few years as Old Poly Field. Brooklyn Friends School renovated the field, renamed it Friends School
Field, and used it for various sports from 1925 through 1973. The first
season was highlighted by an 18 to 4 home baseball win over Hoboken Academy. The greatest Friends School
team of this era, though, was probably the 1931 football squad, which went 6-0, scoring 213 points and giving up none.
The venue was sold in 1973 to the city for $2 million, is now known as Friends Field, and is
mainly used for little league baseball. The 1937 field house still stands, restored after severe
fire damage in 1973. Brooklyn Friends baseball disbanded in the 1960s, but returned recently, along with
softball. The teams now play at Red Hook.
The 1910 Poly Prep squad, action at Poly Field in 1911,
Friends School field tennis and baseball, and the old field house Poly Prep pictures courtesy Poly Prep Alumni Friends School pictures
courtesy BFS Alumni
Poly Prep Field
7th Avenue and Poly Place.
Poly Prep began play here in the 1917 season, when the playing area was initially called New
Poly Field. On April 27, 1932, Poly Prep's Larry Halprin held
Princeton Prep to one hit in a 4 to 0 win. On April 30, 1949, Bill Sankhauser defeated St. Paul's
4 to 2, allowing just two hits and striking out 15 in a seven inning game. The Blue Devils
won the Ivy Preparatory School League baseball championship an incredible 28 times between
1946 and 1990. The field- now named Harlow Parker Field- remains in place today, in a lovely
green belt of Brooklyn next to Dyker Beach golf course.
Poly Prep Field, one of the gems of Dyker Beach Picture
taken from Google Maps
Washington Club Grounds
North Road and Bushwick Avenue, near Wyckoff's Woods.
The Washington Club chose this old cricket ground when they first organized in 1855. Their first practice at the ground
was on July 18 at which they "performed admirably." Later practices were reported with scores- on August 3, for instance,
the seven of Geo. Madden won over the seven of Jno. Strickland, 31 to 18.
Edison Field
Henry and Lorraine Streets.
Also known at various times as Visitation Oval/Park/Field, this site was home to the Visitation Lyceum team from about 1900 to
1910. A semipro team fielded by the Edison Electric Company- known as the Edisons and the Voltas in
different years- began at Edison Field in 1910, playing matches
against the likes of the NYPD. Later, the park hosted games in the local Commercial League. The field
was also a long time home to the Visitation F.C. soccer team. By 1932, Edison Field had moved to Astoria, Queens,
but like the Excelsior Grounds, the original Edison Field is now part of the huge Red Hook Park complex.
We believe one of these two blocks was Edison Field Picture
taken from Google Maps
Hamilton Ground
Gates and Grand Avenues.
As well as the Hamilton Club (not to be confused with its rival and namesake in Jersey City), this ballpark was also
home to the Liberty, Albion, Star, and Washington Clubs at various times.
Wheat Hill Grounds
Marcy and Lee Avenues near Rush Street.
Home to the Continental Club, which donated the silver ball won by the Eckford Club when they defeated
the Atlantics in 1862. This trophy had originally been intended for a match between picked nines of
New York and Brooklyn in 1861, but war intervened and the match never took place. Also an early home to the
Putnams, who took a fine victory over the Excelsior Club in 1856, 21 to 15 in
three innings, after which the teams and their guests adjourned to Trenor's Dancing Academy for
"liberally provided" refreshments.
Putnam Grounds
Broadway between Lafayette and Gates Avenues.
Also home to the Constellation Club, the second incarnation of the Harmony Club, and occasionally
the Orientals of Bedford. In July 1860 the Constellations scored a famous home victory over the Nationals,
22 to 18, in a game featuring just one home run and 34 passed balls. The National Club that day featured several
players who would go on to star for the Atlantics and Eckfords. But the ground is far better known as
the site of an infamous match between the Atlantic and Excelsior Clubs, the next month. In the decider of
the three game series between the clubs, the pro-Atlantic crowd's rowdiness halted the game with
the Excelsiors leading 8-6, and having Creighton on base.
The contest was declared a draw and a much relieved Atlantic Club retained the championship.
The Putnam Club's constitution was used as the
basis of the NABBP's constitution, in 1857.
Hickory Club Grounds
Bergen Street between Underhill and Vanderbilt Avenues.
The Hickory Club was organized in 1860, with John Murphy as president and W.T. Carroll as secretary.
Carroll Park Grounds
First incarnation, bounded by Smith, Hoyt, Degraw, and Sackett Streets. Second incarnation,
bounded by Smith, Hoyt, Carroll, and President Streets.
The Carroll Park Grounds were at times home to the Excelsior, Star, Marion, Waverly,
and Charter Oak Clubs. The second incarnation was also used
as a camp for Union Army draftees in 1863.
Not to be confused with the former home of the New York American League squad, or places of the
same name in several other states, Highland Park was assembled with a series of land
purchases between 1891 and 1906. More confusingly, the park was for some time known as Ridgewood
Park. Ballfields were in place by 1908- in 1915 the New York Times
reported that five were available for use by permit. Today, we count six diamonds.
American Legion, little league, and other amateur baseball has long been played at Highland Park.
Baseball at Highland Park in 1915 and 1946
Resolute Club Grounds
Penn Street between Bedford and Lee Avenues.
Also home to the Phoenix, Oriental of Bedford, and Arctic Clubs. The Phoenix may not have been a great base ball club, but match notes
do mention their post game meals. After a Niagara Club victory on August 31, 1859, they were "sumptuously
entertained" by the locals and "at a late hour took their departure for home, highly pleased."
West End Oval
Cropsey Avenue between 19th Avenue and Bay 20th Street, Bath Beach.
This park was home to the West Ends, a team founded in 1912 by Ernie Lindemann, previously the star
pitcher for Ambrose Hussey's Ridgewoods. To accommodate the new team, grandstands and bleachers were
built to seat 4,000 fans. In September, 1914, the New York Giants scheduled an exhibition match at
West End Oval against Billy Gilbert's All Stars. Charlie Ebbets protested, saying that this violated
the Dodgers' territorial rights, and in any case the game was for money on a Sunday, which was
illegal at the time. The game did not take place, and three people were arrested during the
preliminary match for selling programs on the Sabbath. Bay Ridge High School also played at West End
Oval for a while, beating St. James Academy 25 to 1 in April, 1915.
Billy Gilbert - sometime major leaguer and
infielder for Hussey's 1907 Brooklyn outlaw squad
Brighton Oval
Atlantic Ave and Berriman Street.
In 1907 the police and the Brighton Athletic Club were at war over Sunday baseball. On several occasions
players were arrested for "creating a disturbance" by hitting a ball out of the park. In July, two Royal
Giants players were arrested when one hit a foul tip into the crowd. No charge was ever sustained from these arrests.
Marine Park Ballfields
South of Fillmore Avenue and Marine Parkway.
On August 27, 1930, Mayor Walker dedicated the first baseball diamond at Marine Park. It cost $5,800
to build, and was christened with a game between two public park junior teams. Since then, plans have
changed many times, millions
of dollars have been spent, and Marine Park now features a golf course, superb landscaping, all
manner of amenities, and thirteen little league sized ballfields. In the middle of all the fields are two cricket
pitches, which see constant use in summer also. In 1946, a light plane crashed into one of the Marine
Park fields during a game, and while the players scattered safely, sadly pilot George Sadler did not
survive.
The many ballfields at Marine Park
Photo taken from Google Maps
Joe Torre Stadium
Avenue U and 38th Street.
In April, 1979, New York Mets manager Joe Torre wrangled $60,000 from the city to build two ballfields
side by side in the neighborhood where he had grown up, not far from the Marine Park fields. These
fields became home to the Joe Torre Little League, which placed no small amount of pressure on his
14 year old son, Michael. The fields remain, now named Rocco Torre Ballfields in honor of Joe's
late brother.
Joe Torre circa 1979, Joe Torre Stadium 1979, Rocco Torre Ballfields 2006 Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Gerritsen Ballfields
Gerritsen and Channel Avenues.
The Gerritsen Beach area within Marine Park is named for Dutch colonist Wolphert Gerritsen. The
ballfields, which also include an airport for model planes, were renovated in 1993 at a cost of
$192,000. The Brooklyn Meadows Softball League is one of the leagues which plays here.
Gerritsen Ballfields
Photo taken from Google Maps
Plank Road Hotel
The Plank Road, Valley Grove.
The Plank Road eventually became Flatbush Avenue, and the Valley Grove area is now part of
Prospect Park. The fledgling Atlantics played a practice match at the hotel on August 16,
1855, in which Loper pitched his eleven to victory over Sniffin and his eleven, 38 to 31 in
three innings. This is the earliest recorded game of the great club.
Prospect Park Lake
In front of the Well House, southern end of Prospect Park.
The Brooklyn Eagle of January 20, 1883, reported that a base ball match on skates would take
place, with teams to be chosen at 2pm by Messrs. Chadwick and Barnie. Unfortunately, a storm
prevented play, but four days later Nelson's Side defeated Barnie's Side by a score of 26 to
13, as the indefatigable Chadwick umpired.
Part of the lake- the base ball diamond would
be on the right hand side of this picture
Photo by Garry R. Osgood, used under Creative Commons 2.5 license
Long Meadow Ballfields
Western part of Prospect Park.
In 1959, during work on the Parade Ground, Robert Moses had ballfields installed in the Long Meadow
of Prospect Park, complete with chain link fence and brick bleachers. In the major restoration of
Prospect Park which began in 1979, the fields were reworked in a more blended way, with fence and
bleachers removed. Today, the ballfields host junior baseball and softball games of the Prospect
Park Baseball Association, which organizes leagues in parks all over Brooklyn.
Long Meadow Ballfields in present day Prospect Park Overhead photo from Google Maps
Oriental Club Grounds
Union Avenue between E and F Streets, Greenpoint.
Play began on this ground in when the Oriental Club of Greenpoint was organized in 1858, with the visiting Niagara
Club winning 28 to 10.
National Club Grounds
Hamilton Street and Park Avenue.
Also home to the Morphy Club. The National Club was home to such stars as Lip Pike and Joe Sprague before they went
on to bigger things at the Atlantic and Eckford Clubs.
Dyker Beach Park Ballfields
14th Avenue and 86th Street.
Dyker Beach Park was assembled by the city in eight separate land purchases, between 1895 and 1934. By
the mid 1940s, ballfields were in place along with the more famous golf course. The fields are set aside
for public use. In 1995, $607,000 was allocated for renewal of the diamonds. The southern fields are
named for Ben Vitale, longtime football coach of New Utrecht High School, which plays its home baseball
games at those fields. The Parkviews of the Coney Island Sports League, where Milt Laurie coached a
young Sandy Koufax during his sandlot career, played games at Dyker Beach Park.
Ben Vitale Ballfields, northern ballfields under construction Photos taken from Google Maps
Brooklyn Baseball Grounds
Knickerbocker and Johnson Avenues.
We cannot find reference to any actual baseball games at this venue, now long since covered over
by industrial development, but the New York Times reported that the July 4 celebrations of 1912
were to include a musical recital here.
Maria Hernandez Park
Suydam Street and Knickerbocker Avenue.
The city purchased land for this park and built it by 1896, when it was named Bushwick Park.
The field remained a showpiece for some time, with games of baseball and croquet a regular feature.
A softball field was purpose built in 1930. The park's gradual decline
coincided with that of the Bushwick neighborhood, reaching a low point when anti-drug
campaigner Maria Hernandez was shot dead in 1989. The park was subsequently renamed in her honor,
and was substantially cleaned up in 1993. In 1897, in a game at a vacant lot at the same intersection,
13 year old Charles Riesigel was critically injured by a bat that slipped from the hands of 17 year
old John Dreitling, who was arrested after the incident.
Artificial turf at Maria Hernandez Park Photo taken from Google Maps
Lincoln Terrace Park
East New York and Rochester Avenues.
Land for this park was first purchased by the city around 1896, although we do not know when the
ballfield was built. The high school teams of EBC/Bushwick and Paul Robeson play here. The EBC/Bushwick
Panthers went 12-4 in a successful 2006 season, including a 23-2 home win over All City Leadership
Academy, scoring 12 in the first and 10 in the second. Wilmer Ramirez was 3 for 3, scoring 3 runs
and batting in 3. His position? Third base.
Lincoln Terrace Park's distinctively shaped ballfield Photo taken from Google Maps
Faucett Oval
Somewhere in Bath Beach.
Home to the Bath Beach Faucett Club. In September 1917, Branch pitched a two hitter
against the Colored Giants, but six errors behind him meant he gave up four runs. The Faucett team
scored nine, however, to win the game. It is possible that this is West End Oval by another name.
St. Agatha Oval
50th Street and 9th Avenue.
Home to the St. Agatha semipro club from about 1917 to 1925. St. Agatha won the championship of Bay Ridge over the Sunset Club
in 1917, the deciding game being attended by a reported 17,000 fans. In 1930, St. Agatha Oval became home of the Bay
Ridge F.C. soccer team.
Crescent A.C. Grounds
Bay Shore Road, Narrows Avenue and 83rd and 85th Streets.
The amateur Crescent Athletic Club, which competed at sailing, track, lacrosse, baseball, football, rugby,
and other sports, acquired these grounds for the 1899 season at a cost of $51,500 and spent a further
$12,000 on improvements. The old Van Brunt Mansion served as a clubhouse. Among many other achievements, the
Crescents dominated the inaugural season of the Intercity Amateur Baseball League in 1900, winning
the pennant easily. The Crescents moved to Huntington, Long Island in the early 1930s, but the site
was renovated in 1941 and again in 2001 and remains in place today as Fort Hamilton Athletic Field,
serving Fort Hamilton High School's track, football, baseball, and softball teams, as well as being
open for public use.
Views of the Crescent A.C. Grounds, Fort Hamilton Athletic Field today
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Sunset Oval
Somewhere in Sunset Park.
Host of matches in the Commercial League in the mid 1910s, and possibly home to the Sunset Club
of the Bay Ridge League.
Marquette Oval
4th Avenue and 8th Street.
The Marquette Club, which was formed for baseball around 1905, was an organization
attached to the Church of Thomas Aquinas. The Royal Giants were occasional opponents. Marquette Oval
also hosted the local Commercial League, and soccer games including the first American Amateur
Football Association Cup final in May 1912, won 2 to 1 by Brooklyn Celtic over Newark F.C.
Fort Hamilton Parade Ground
Approximately where the Brooklyn approach to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built.
Fort Hamilton dates back to 1831, but we date baseball here to about 1900. Baseball, football,
and possibly polo were played on the fort's parade ground. In 1903, Fort Hamilton entered
a team in the New York Harbor Army Athletic League. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, weekly night
games were played, usually featuring the base's nine against local amateur or college squads.
On June 5, 1938, Stumpy Stewart's RBI double with two out in the ninth gave the army nine a dramatic
4 to 3 victory over Brooklyn College. The Kingsmen turned the tables in 1939 with a 13 to 9 win,
however. The parade ground disappeared under bridge construction around 1959.
Fort Hamilton Parade Ground in 1955
Photo courtesy Harbor Defense Museum
Doubleday Field
Marshall Drive and Grimes Road, Fort Hamilton Army Base.
Doubleday Field was named for Abner Doubleday, the soldier who famously did not invent baseball,
but was at one time the commanding officer of Fort Hamilton. The field was laid out around 1960 as
a replacement for the lost parade ground, and hosted football and softball as well as baseball.
Army teams were not the only ones to call Doubleday Field home. In 1998, the New York Times reported
that ten baseball and soccer leagues were using Doubleday Field. The field was replaced by new
housing in 2006. A new field is scheduled to be constructed at the fort in the next few years.
Doubleday Field, taking a lead from first base in a 68th Precinct junior game
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps, action photo courtesy Paul Fox
Homewood Field
17th Avenue and 71st Street.
A space was especially cleared in the new development of Homewood in 1899, so that games could be played on
"Saturday afternoons and Sundays as well as in the early evenings of pleasant days." Homewood Field
also hosted matches of the Drug and Chemical League in the mid 1910s.
Ambrose Park
36th Street and 3rd Avenue.
An early game was recorded between Kismet Temple of Brooklyn and Mecca Temple of New York in
September, 1896. In early 1897, Charlie Byrne investigated the possibility of moving the Dodgers
to Ambrose Park, but nothing came of it. In 1899, the Chinese Giants and the Young Ladies Base Ball
Club played their games at Ambrose Park. In 1902 the park hosted the City Department Baseball League.
Later the park was used more for football. It also featured a cycling track.
William Cody's Wild West Show at Ambrose Park in 1894
Olympic Club Grounds
Location highly variable.
In the space of four days in September, 1859, the Brooklyn Eagle mentioned first that the grounds of
the Olympic Club were on Smith Street between Union and President in South Brooklyn, but then on
Division Avenue in the Eastern District. The South Brooklyn, or Carroll Hill, location is
always mentioned as the Olympic Grounds afterwards.
Columbia Club Grounds
Division Avenue, South 9th Street.
The Columbia Club, comprising "thirty members, principally merchants and clerks," was organized
in July, 1855. They practiced at these grounds on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 5 till
7 o'clock. This may be the same field attributed once to the Olympic Club in 1859.
Canarsie Park
Seaview and Skidmore Avenues, East 93rd Street.
Canarsie Park, also known as Seaview Park, dates to 1895, with various land purchases increasing
its size through to the 1950s. The ballfields overlap heavily, but it would still be possible to play as many as nine games
of baseball or softball, and three of cricket, all at the same time. Teams of the 69th Precinct
leagues play at Canarsie Park, as do Saint Edmund's and Canarsie High School baseball teams.
Canarsie High did produce a major leaguer- Dan Morogiello, who pitched for
the World Series winning 1983 Orioles, although a far more famous alumnus is Kiss drummer Peter
Criss.
The many fields of Canarsie Park Photo taken from Google Maps
McGuire Fields
Bergen Avenue, Avenue V, Avenue X.
McGuire Park is a huge 77 acre reserve with all kinds of recreational and wildlife areas. The
ballfields were originally the vision of former major leager John Malone in the 1970s, and
were renovated in 2002 at a cost of $5.7 million. There are now new dugouts, electronic
scoreboards, and portable pitching mounds to enable players of all ages to play on appropriate
diamonds.
McGuire Fields in excellent condition Photo taken from Google Maps
Star Club Grounds
Old cricket ground near Division Avenue.
The newly organized Star Club began practice at this ground on Saturday afternoons in September,
1855, before moving to Red Hook.
Hawthorne Field
Hawthorne Street between New York and Nostrand Avenues.
Long time baseball and football home to Boys High School, sometime football home to Long Island
University, host of various commercial baseball leagues, and also home to several
Brooklyn soccer teams. In 1913
the Brooklyn franchise of the outlaw United States Baseball League planned to expand the grandstand
and build new bleachers to play home games at
Hawthorne Field, but the league did not last long enough for that to happen. Also that year, a
game between Erasmus Hall and Stuyvesant was abandoned during the eighth inning when the last
available ball was hit over the fence. Stuyvesant was awarded the game, since they were leading
9 to 5 at the time.
Erasmus Hall High School track trials at Hawthorne Field in 1910
Brooklyn Athletic Association Grounds
DeKalb and Classon Avenues.
Previously the Williamsburgh Athletic Club Grounds- the club changed name in 1885. Mostly home to
track events, but also lacrosse, football, and baseball, including a team fielded by the Brooklyn
Athletic Association. In 1888, the grounds hosted a match between the Retail Grocers' Association
of the Western District and the Retail Merchants' Association of the Eastern District. The field
was sold off after the Brooklyn A.A. disbanded in 1889.
Marine Barracks Grounds
Navy Yard, Flushing Avenue.
Beginning in 1883, on a space normally used for their parades, a Marine nine would take on all comers,
mostly other military teams, and
usually win. These baseball matches were said by the Brooklyn Eagle to have brightened the neighborhood
considerably. Games at the grounds continued until around 1889.
Arctic Park
North side of Johnson Avenue at Gardner Avenue.
Home of the Monroes in the 1880s, the Skellys in the 1900s (the park was called Skelly's
Grounds for a time), the Empire City team from 1911 to 1921,
the Arctic Polar Bears team from 1922 to 1933, and the Glendale Tigers in the 1930s and 1940s.
All of these were semipro squads. There were no locker rooms, so teams had to change their
clothes at a nearby saloon. In 1912, the Empire City team, realizing they had little chance against
the powerful Lincoln Giants negro team, tried to get their opponents drunk and overfull by offering
lunch at the saloon before the game. The Giants ate and drank well, and won the game easily.
The Empire City team at Arctic Park
Paramount Park
Metropolitan and Morgan Avenues.
Home to the Paramounts of Williamsburg, Max Rosner's first attempt to build a semipro squad.
After the Paramounts defeated Passaic, 7 to 2, on June 4, 1905, seven men were arrested for
violation of Sunday blue laws.
Lindower Park
Mill and Strickland Avenues.
This land has been owned by the city since 1959, and was named Lindower Park in 1965, to
honor Alex Lindower, a community activist in the Mill Basin area. The park's two ballfields
are available for public use, and are also home to the Hornets of Midwood High School, who
made the PSAL playoffs in 2004 with a 13-3 record.
Lindower Park Picture taken from Google Maps
Loughlin Oval
Kingsland Avenue and Jackson Street.
Home to the Loughlin Lyceum amateur team in the early 1900s. Top negro clubs such as the
Cuban Giants were regular visitors, also. In 1910, 6,000 fans saw Henry Batterman & Co. of
Brooklyn defeat O'Neill-Adams of New York, 10 to 4, to win the Department Stores League pennant.
Betsy Head Playground
Strauss Street and Dumont Avenue.
Although more famous for its pool, Brownsville's Betsy Head Playground is home to two overlapping
regulation sized baseball fields. The playground was originally built in 1915 with $250,000
from the local community and $190,000 from the estate of philanthropist Betsy Head. When Willie
Randolph was appointed Mets manager in 2004, much was made of his local credentials, having
learned to play the game on the Betsy Head fields. Today
they serve as public, little league and high school fields.
Betsy Head Playground from overhead Picture taken from Google Maps
Floyd Patterson Field
Christopher and Riverdale Avenues.
Floyd Patterson Field, named for the two time heavyweight boxing champion, neatly fits
in two ballfields and a cricket pitch, and hosts soccer and football, too.
The area was acquired by the city in the early 1970s and developed and named in 1981.
In 1997, an $885,000 reconstruction was done. Several high schools play occasional
home games at Floyd Patterson Field.
Floyd Patterson Park from overhead Picture taken from Google Maps
McCarren Park
Bedford Avenue and Lorimer Street.
Home to all kinds of amateur baseball and softball, this large public park has been a fixture in Brooklyn since
1905. It was named in 1909 after Patrick Henry McCarren. It also features a running track, soccer pitch, tennis courts,
a long defunct swimming pool which now hosts summer concerts, and more. In the 1920s the McCarren
Nine represented the park in amateur games. High school matches remain a regular event.
McCarren Park from overhead Picture taken from Google Maps
McLaughlin Park
Jay and Tillary Streets.
This downtown park, first acquired in 1894, is far better known for basketball nowadays, being
something of a a Brooklyn equivalent to Rucker Park in Harlem. But once there was a McLaughlin Park
baseball team, which played the McCarrens among others. In October, 2006, a $3 million city funded
renovation began, including a new multi-purpose synthetic field for softball, baseball, and
soccer. Brooklyn Friends School softball will move in when the field is completed.
McLaughlin Park pre-renovation Picture taken from Google Maps
Commodore John Barry Park
Navy Street and Park Avenue.
Home to two public baseball diamonds, this is the oldest park in Brooklyn. It
was first acquired by the Village of Brooklyn in 1836, and known as City Park for 115 years,
until being renamed for John Barry, who helped to found the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Little league baseball and Pop Warner football are common sights at the park nowadays.
We do not know when baseball began here.
The worn diamonds of Commodore John Barry Park Picture taken from Google Maps
Sternberg Park
Lorimer and Boerum Streets.
Controversially created in place of crowded tenements in 1924, this was originally
called Williamsburg Park, then Lindsay Park, and finally renamed Sternberg Park in 1990. A
$3.8 million renovation was completed in October, 2006, providing a new artificial baseball
surface, as well as basketball, handball, and other facilities. Mr. Met was on hand for the
unveiling ceremony.
Sternberg Park looking badly in need of $3.8 million Picture taken from Google Maps
Leif Ericson Park
Between 65th and 67th Streets at 8th Avenue.
Home to ten tennis courts and at least one parrot colony, Leif Ericson Park in Bay Ridge is
also proudly referred to on the Parks Department website as having two ballfields. One of
these apparently has the shortest left field in existence. The website conspicuously fails
to mention, however, two other fields, collectively known as the Dust Bowl, which give rich
testament to the origin of the phrase "sandlot ball."
Grassy and less grassy fields at Leif Ericson Park Picture taken from Google Maps
A very rocky diamond filled with hummocks
86th Street near the corner of 3rd Avenue.
On May 5, 1894, the Young Lady Champions of the World met the Fort Hamilton Club at this address,
and were defeated by a "score of no one knows how many to one." About 700 people attended the affair.
Some of the fans later joined the game as members of the Young Lady team tired of the farce and
repaired to the beer wagon. Pitcher Maud Nelson and Emily Foster at third base were by far the pick
of the Young Lady Champions, while the Fort Hamiltons were said to be a "loose limbed lot of
fellows" and showed little mercy during the match.
Sheepshead Bay Race Course
Ocean Avenue and Vorhees Lane.
In 1880, the Coney Island Jockey Club opened this new track, bounded largely by pristine
forests within sight of Manhattan Beach and Sheepshead Bay. Other sports events were held
here, too, though: aviation shows, and even baseball games, including a July 4, 1912 match
between St. Mark's Lyceum and the Cherry Lanes. On June 18, 1910, a race meeting was
interrupted by a severe storm, and lightning struck the judges' stand. In 1915 the track
was sold and converted for auto racing.
The 1889 Futurity race at Sheepshead Bay
Brooklyn Athletic Field
Avenue L and 17th Street.
On May 2, 1925, in the only baseball game we can find at this venue, Jefferson High defeated
New York Prep of Brooklyn 4 to 3. For the most part, Brooklyn Athletic Field saw track, soccer,
and later football games, and still does, under the name of General Wingate Athletic Field. Midwood
High now calls Wingate Field home. On June 9, 1923, Frank Hussey of Stuyvesant High incredibly tied
the world record for the 100 yard dash of 9.6 seconds, winning by 10 yards while 5,000 spectators
looked on.
Track at Brooklyn Athletic Field in 1927, Wingate Field today
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Columbia Grounds
Park Avenue and Spencer Street.
This Columbia Club, distinct from the earlier mentioned one, was a junior team organized in June, 1858.
Bensonhurst Park
Bay 28th Street and Cropsey Avenue, Bath Beach.
This public park, which first saw use in 1895, has a stunning waterfront view of Staten Island and the Verazzano Bridge.
As well as baseball and softball fields, there is facility for tennis and basketball. Bensonhurst Park is one
of the many fields hosting games of the Prospect Park Baseball Association.
Softball at Bensonhurst Park
Neptune Ground
5th Avenue and Pacific Street.
Also home to the Dreadnaught Club, appropriately continuing the aquatic theme at Pacific Street.
In May, 1859, Neptune lost 25 to 23 against the Vernon Club, with Vernon catcher Bergen scoring
7 runs without making an out.
Nassau Grounds
Cumberland and Willoughby Streets.
The Nassau Club should not be confused with its namesake from Princeton. In September, 1859, Nassau
defeated again unlucky Neptune at these grounds, 18 to 17, in a "well contested" match.
Thomas Jefferson Field (I)
Pennsylvania and Livonia Avenues.
This incarnation of Jefferson Field opened on May 14, 1926. Thomas Jefferson High's first home game
resulted in a forfeit, 9-0 over Bushwick High, when Bushwick complained of fans on the field and
refused to play on after three innings. 5,000 were in attendance. The Jefferson High football team
also played home games at this field, which is now an asphalt playground with diamonds and
basketball courts marked out. We are unsure when the school moved its sports field- see
Thomas Jefferson Field (II), in the Take The Field section below.
Jefferson High football players at their new field in 1926
Saratoga Park
Halsey Street and Saratoga Avenue.
This land, previously a vacant lot used for circuses and assorted sports, was purchased by the city
in 1895. On Independence Day, 1896, the Howard Athletic Club celebrated by thumping Arctic A.C. 24
to 8, then survived a late 7 run rally to defeat the Pastime Field Club 9 to 8. The Howards moved
to Wallace's Grounds in 1912 when the plot was sold to real estate interests. Saratoga Park remains
to this day, but has too many trees to hold a ballfield.
Saratoga Park from overhead Picture taken from Google Maps
Suydam Oval
Betweeen DeKalb and Willoughby Avenues, above Cypress Avenue.
Home to the Suydam Lorials, a lower level semipro squad of the late 1920s and early 1930s, and Brooklyn
Tech High School around the same time. The field
was very small and fully enclosed. The field lasted longer than that, however. Ken "Trolley Car" Schlapp,
captain of the present day Gotham Base Ball Club of New York, remembers:
After baseball was played there (and probably
during), that area was where Trolley Cars were stored at night and those not in use, etc. In fact
anyone that is my age or older that was from Ridgewood still calls that park "The Car Barns". Once
the Trolleys were no longer used in NY, baseball fields, a track and bleachers were used for Grover
Cleveland High School's teams as well as city track meets. In the late 70s, a young boy learned
to play baseball (and handball and football and basketball) on these badly worn broken-glass filled
fields. He later returned to this field as the captain and star of an awful Grover Cleveland Track
team in the mid 80s. In the early 90s, the field was completely redone to put in Astroturf and once
again become the home field of the Grover Cleveland High School baseball team. The nephew of the
young boy mentioned earlier became a star shortstop (all-city honorable mention in 1999) for Grover
Cleveland. Yes, of course, the young boy was the one and only Trolley Car of the New York Gothams,
and the shortstop was Sparky's brother Genius (another former member of the Gothams).
The Car Barns, as used by Grover Cleveland High Picture taken from Google Maps
Commercial Field
Albany Avenue, Lincoln Road (now East New York Avenue), Lefferts Avenue, Kingston Avenue.
Home to Commerical High School soccer, football, and baseball from around 1906. Commercial wrapped up the
1908 PSAL baseball title with a 4 to 2 victory over Stuyvesant on June 13, 1908. In October they
rubbed salt into the wound with a 17 to 0 football victory. In 1929, a visiting Bermudan cricket team
played several matches at Commercial Field, defeating All New York and All Brooklyn elevens, and returned
for more tours during the 1930s. In May 1937, Marty Cogan of Samuel J. Tilden High defeated
Alexander Hamilton High 14 to 1, striking out 12 and pitching a no-hitter.
Football at Commercial Field, 1929
Saint A's Field
53rd Street, east of 21st Avenue.
Home to the St. Athanasius little league teams- the Angels, and host to other matches within the
78th Precinct and Prospect Park associations, this kid-sized field has been in place since the 1940s.
The right and left field lines measure little more than 170 feet.
Saint A's Field lit for a night game, August 2006: Bulldogs 19, Bonnies 1
Flatbush Oval
Avenue H and Nostrand Avenue.
This field was home to high school games in the 1910s and 1920s, and well as the Cooper Union
football team. In 1923, a wild all in brawl started when a Manual High player refused to return
to third base- having taken home when a ball went into the crowd as fans interfered in a rundown
play- and the umpire awarded the game and the PSAL championship to Erasmus Hall. 5,000 spectators-
boys and girls from both schools- joined in the fight. The New York Times reported that "many
reprimands were handed out for conduct not entirely becoming young ladies." This park was also
known as Public Schools Athletic League Field.
Roosevelt Field
Ocean Avenue, Avenue H, Bedford Avenue.
Originally known as Flatbush Field, then Brooklyn College Field, this was home to the
Brooklyn College team, also known as the Kingsmen, from about 1940. Brooklyn College
fielded some awful nines in the Metropolitan Conference in the 1950s- in 1958 the team received
14 walks from NYU pitcher John Sasciano, but still lost 13 to 5. In 1959, St. John's visited and
handed the Kingsmen a 26 to 4 thrashing. Nowadays best known for its colony of monk parrots, the site
has become an artificial turf multi-purpose field, once more called Brooklyn College Field, with a
running track around it. Brooklyn College no longer fields a baseball team.
Stealing home at Flatbush Field in 1950, Monk parrots
at Brooklyn College's athletic field Parrot photo courtesy
Steve Baldwin of BrooklynParrots.com
Brooklyn Sports Stadium
Stillwell Avenue, Bay 50th Street, Avenue Y.
This stadium, originally known as Fewster Field, dates to around 1930. It was baseball home to
Brooklyn College in the 1930s, and hosted high schools from the Coney Island area
for both football and baseball, as well as many soccer clubs.
On April 13, 1934, brothers Sam and Joe Nahem shared a no-hitter for Brooklyn
College as they defeated St. Peter's of New Jersey 13 to 0. Later in the 1930s, the stadium
was renamed Metropolitan Lyric Stadium, and intended for outdoor concerts. John Dewey High
School, founded in 1969, stands on the site today.
Football at Fewster Field, 1932: New Utrecht High beats Madison
in the snow
62nd Precinct Ballfields
Avenue X, south of West 8th and West 11th Streets.
In July 1967, 13 boys from Coney Island protested a city land auction, trying to prevent
the sale of their ballfields. Along with Herman Epstein of the 62nd Precinct Youth Council, they
explained that the city had leased them the field for $15 a year, and that they had improved the
area immensely since 1960, creating two diamonds and installing dugouts so 13 local teams could play.
The Real Estate Department could find no record of the lease, but Commissioner Carl Madonick
intervened and removed the property from auction anyway. The diamonds survive today as the Ty
Cobb Fields. These are home to the Ty Cobb Big Apple League, offering co-ed baseball for ages
5 to 16.
Ty Cobb Fields, the Georgia Peach himself
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Verrazano Narrows Recreation Complex
Hunter Avenue and Bay 44th Street.
This public park features three fields- two for softball and one for baseball. The baseball
field was one of the final homes- along with Keyspan Park and Staten Island's Richmond County
Park- of St. Francis College of the Northeast Conference, before the school
dropped its baseball and softball programs in 2006. The Terriers won their last game at the Narrows
Complex, 5 to 3 over Wagner on May 7. This was a rare highlight in a 6-39 season. The Gowanus Heights
Softball League also plays games at the complex.
Narrows Complex ballfields in varying states of repair
Photo taken from Google Maps
Six Diamonds
West 22nd Street and Bay 52nd Street.
Use of this area for baseball dates to 1942, and it stands not far south of the Narrows Complex.
Land was added to the park in 1964, and in 1995 a renewal project saw the removal of 80 abandoned
cars from this and next door Calvert Vaux Park. In 1985 the name was changed from Coney Island Creek
Boat Basin and Recreation Area to Four Diamonds, but in 1999 two extra fields were added and the
park became Six Diamonds. Several local schools play home games at Six Diamonds, as do various
amateur baseball and softball leagues. The MSBL (Men's Senior Baseball League) Brooklyn Dodgers
played at Six Diamonds in 2005 and won the Central Division.
Six Diamonds (count them), the 2005 MSBL Brooklyn Dodgers Overhead
photo taken from Google Maps, Dodgers photo courtesy "Doc" Calamaria
Kaiser Park
Neptune Avenue and 28th Street.
The city acquired this land between 1934 and 1937, creating a park named Coney Island Lots.
In 1951, it was renamed Leon Kaiser Park in honor of a long serving local teacher. This waterfront
park, right across Coney Island Creek from Six Diamonds, boasts four fields, renovated in 1994.
Both MSBL and NYCMBL (New York City Metro Baseball League) teams currently call Kaiser Park home.
William E. Grady High School also plays some home games there, notably a bizarre 22-16 loss to
Sheepshead Bay in April, 2006.
Kaiser Park also features facilities for tennis, handball, basketball, and tennis. It is also
one of only three parks in Brooklyn where barbecues are allowed.
Kaiser Park Picture taken from Google Maps
Grady Field
Shore Parkway and Brighton 3rd Street.
William H. Grady High School has played baseball on this tree lined, but badly worn lot since
the 1950s. Recent Falcons teams have fared very poorly, going 0-16 in 2006. This awful season
featured 21-0 and 24-0 defeats at Grady Field.
Grady Field Picture taken from Google Maps
Pratt Field
DeKalb and Classon Avenues, on Pratt Institute campus.
The Pratt Institute played baseball here at one time as part of the Knickerbocker Conference against
the likes of Hunter and NY Maritime. Alumnus Richard Lebenson remembers:
It had a 400 foot center field fence and a pretty short right field "porch"
with a sloped small hill leading up to a high fence in right. Home plate was by the
DeKalb avenue side (the left field foul line being parallel to Classon avenue).
On April 25, 1931, Frank Boemeran pitched a no-hitter, allowing
just one walk and helping himself with a home run, as Pratt demolished Hamilton College 15 to 0.
On April 15, 1950, Pratt's Hank Quell also hurled a no-hitter, defeating Jersey State Teachers 2 to 0.
John Mertens also no-hit Brooklyn College in the late 1960s.
Also deserving a mention is the appropriately named Cannon, who twirled two one-hitters at Pratt Field
in the space of eight days, in May, 1927. The site today has long since been built over and is mostly
a parking lot.
LIU Field
Willoughby Street and Ashland Place.
After playing for many years at such venues as Erasmus Field and Ebbets Field, in 1960 the
Long Island University Blackbirds moved onto a diamond at their Brooklyn, or Zeckendorf, Campus.
The team still plays on this field. The field has quirky dimensions and surface because it
is shared by the softball and soccer squads. On September 23, 1961, pitchers Tom Catalano and Bob
Campesi hurled the Blackbirds to a 6 to 1 no-hit win over Adelphi.
LIU Field Picture taken from Google Maps
Cubs Field
101st Street and Shore Road.
This was home to the amateur Bay Ridge Cubs in 1934. Cubs Field was possibly on the same site as
present day Andrew Lehman Field.
Euclid Field
Fountain and South Conduit Avenues, Brooklyn.
Home to East New York Vocational and Tech School since around 1941, this field is part of
City Line Park. On May 28, 1947, left hander
Pete Wasiluk, of Automotive High School, pitched a no-hitter here to defeat East NY 4 to 0. On that same day,
two other high school no-hitters were pitched in Brooklyn, both at the Parade Ground. In 2006,
East NY Transit Tech (same school, new name) scored 67 runs in the first three games of the season,
and went 16-0 to win the Brooklyn division of the PSAL. The Bearcats of Baruch College also play
games here. There are also several other fields, further east along City Line Park.
The lovely asymmetry of Euclid Field, and
the smaller fields of City Line Park Pictures taken from Google Maps
Cypress Hill Houses Park
Blake and Euclid Avenues.
The Cypress Hill Houses contain 15 buildings with 1,442 apartments, and were completed in
Brooklyn's tumultuous baseball year of 1955. The Cypress Hill Houses Park is home to such
teams as the Black Sox of the Mayfield Softball League.
LIU Field Picture taken from Google Maps
Graham Field
86th Street and 15th Avenue.
Also known at times as Bay Ridge Stadium, Bay Ridge Oval Speedway, and MacArthur Stadium,
this was home to the Bay Ridge Baseball Club, or Ridgemen, from 1925. Star visitors included
Roy Campanella and Satchel Paige. In the 1930s a lighting
system was installed, but it worked very poorly. New Utrecht High School played home games of baseball
and football here in 1936 and 1937. The baseball nine won more than they lost, although they were on
the wrong end of a 16 to 8 thumping from Tilden High in 1937. Also that year, Bay Ridge Oval saw
matches of the NYC Baseball Federation tournament, featuring such teams as Koppers Coke and Old
Dutch Coffee. Professional boxing and motor racing were also seen here.
Bay Ridge Oval
68th Street and 5th Avenue.
Home to the Bay Ridge Athletic Club team from 1905 to 1909. Opponents were many and varied: St.
Michael's Field Club, the Baltimore Colored Giants, and Wall's All Professionals were some of the visitors
in 1905 alone. This venue should not be confused with Graham Field, which was called Bay Ridge Oval
at times in the 1930s, or the other Bay Ridge Oval at 2nd Avenue and 43rd Street, which was a soccer
venue from 1935 to 1946.
Daubert's Field
The Boulevard and Gravesend (now McDonald) Avenue.
The Parkway Driving Club opened this ground for harness racing in October,
1892. In 1914, Brooklyn Dodger captain Jake Daubert (acting as a front man for Charlie Ebbets)
formed a semipro team called the Oakland Club, and
the old Parkway Driving Club grounds were renamed Daubert's Field, with the intention of
being a Sunday venue for the team. On April 19, 2,000 fans showed up to see the Oaklands take on
the Dodgers, but police prevented any play. Daubert and Oakland captain Deedy had already been
summoned to appear in court for organizing a game the previous Sunday, when the Brooklyn Yannigans
(Dodger rookies) had shut out the Oaklands.
Jake Daubert, Dodger captain and part time semipro magnate
St. Michael's Field
65th Street and 2nd Avenue.
Home to the team of St. Michael's Field Club in 1904 and 1905. This was not an enclosed ballpark.
In April, 1905, the brand new Brooklyn Royal Giants played one of their first games at St. Michael's,
and lost 7 to 4.
Shore Road Field
74th and 79th Streets, Shore Road, Shore Parkway.
This group of three ballfields within 58 acre Shore Road Park is home to Xaverian High
School's baseball team, as well as St. Ephrems Baseball and Softball League, and games of
the Brooklyn Meadows Softball League. Xaverian's most famous baseball player is
longtime Giants and Reds shortstop Rich Aurilia, of the class of 1989. In 2003
a local stir was caused by Xaverian fencing off the main field, largely because of the incorrect
perception that it would no longer be available for public use.
Shore Road Field- three fields in one
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps, lower view courtesy Fahmida Y. Rashid
Further south along shore road are the Andrew Lehman Ballfields, with four diamonds hosting games of
the junior Prospect Park Baseball Association, and other leagues. It is possible that Cubs Field
was at this site, too.
Andrew Lehman Field from overhead, and showing junior action
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps Action shot courtesy Paul Fox
Vernon Oval
77th and 79th Streets, 1st and 2nd Avenues (now Colonial Road and Ridge Boulevard).
Around 1915 the name New Vernon Oval came into use. It is difficult to tell whether the second name
represented a move to an adjacent block or a rebuilding of the stadium. The powerful Vernon amateur
club called this park home. They would play other amateur teams, semipros,
and also teams like Municipal Field Club, a picked nine of the best players from clubs all around
Brooklyn. In 1916, they opened the season here by shutting out the wonderfully named Original Empire
Club, 6 to 0.
Bushwick Field
Irving and Putnam Avenues.
Bushwick High School moved to its own diamond gradually in the mid 1930s, still playing some
games at Farmers Oval in Queens, having moved there from Wallace's Ridgewood Grounds in 1928.
The field was recently remade to a design by architectural firm di Domenico + Partners, and will
presumably see use even though Bushwick High School ceased to exist after 2006 graduation.
Bushwick High had a disappointing final baseball season, but one highlight was a 12 to 0 home
win over Bryant in a five inning game. Pitcher Kelvin Morel gave up just one hit, and had three
himself.
Home to the amateur Utica nine from 1904 to 1910, after which the club moved to Saratoga Park.
Soccer matches were also played here.
Suburban Oval
16th and Gravesend (now McDonald) Avenues.
Also known as Parkville Field. Home to various high school games, as well as the Suburban Athletic
Association, a local semipro squad, yet another for which Ernie Lindemann pitched at one time.
Grandstands were completed at Suburban Oval in time for the team
to play Brighton and the New York Fire Department in a double header in April, 1911. In May, 1914,
Bay Ridge High defeated Eastern District 23 to 4, in "one of the worst baseball games seen on a
local scholastic diamond in years." Football and soccer matches were also played here.
Football at Suburban Oval- Manual High
beats Stuyvesant 13 to 0 in 1914
Brooklyn Prep Field
Nostrand Avenue, Carroll Street, Crown Street.
Brooklyn Prep was a Jesuit school in Crown Heights from 1907 to 1972, and had its own
baseball field, surrounded by a high wire fence and known to students as the Rock Pile or the
Dust Bowl, from 1925. On April 28, 1930, Johnny Dollard, a pitcher who had lost both feet
in a railway accident in 1923, allowed just three hits
in a 27 to 0 home win over Columbia Grammar en route to the Catholic Schools city championship.
Brooklyn Prep's best baseball player was pitcher Al McEvoy, who pitched two no-hitters in three
starts in 1946. He later made it to the minor league Newark Bears, but blew out his arm.
Long serving Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was also a sports star at Brooklyn Prep, and
Gil Hodges, Jr. was a catcher in the 1960s.
The ballfield within this larger amusement resort hosted amateur and semipro games from 1893.
The resort closed in 1899, but the field remained for some time after. For many years, cricket was also played
at Ulmer Park, although track and field meets were the most common sporting event. It was owned by the Ulmer
Brewery, which also at one time owned Dexter Park. In 1896,
the Charles Ebbets Club had a day of athletic contests featuring "prominent citizens" and members
of the Brooklyn and Baltimore National League teams. In the mid 1920s, New Utrecht High played home games at
Ulmer Park, as did the new Lafayette High School in the early 1940s. On June 1, 1927, Madison High beat New Utrecht
1 to 0, the only run being a steal of home by Madison's Hoffman.
Mary Saunders races to victory in the
1931 Caledonian Games at Ulmer Park
Buhre Oval
East 9th Street and Avenue Q.
Home of another beautifully named amateur squad, St. Brandan's Lyceum Club, in 1910.
A Lot on Clinton Street
Clinton Street near the Gowanus River.
In August 5, 1934, a baseball game was captured for posterity at this site by Percy Louis Sperr,
who recorded a great many scenes of life in the city during that era. The players appear
to be dock workers on lunch break, perhaps. This site is probably now part of the Red Hook
Recreational Area.
Photographs by the prolific P.L. Sperr
Red Hook Recreational Area
Both sides of Bay Street, between Court and Columbia Streets.
This 58.5 acre area contains both the former Excelsior Grounds and Edison Field. Originally
planned in 1934 as part of a major series of works across the city under the aegis of Robert Moses,
it was laid out by landscape designer Gilmore D. Clarke. Red Hook
Stadium, the major field at the site, was home
to track, lacrosse, cricket, rugby, and soccer for many schools and clubs, football and
baseball home of St. Francis Prep from the late 1930s, and later baseball home to St. Francis College.
Nowadays there are still all manner of playing fields, and hugely popular
soccer and baseball teams representing the local Mexican community- the Mexican Baseball League
of New York began here in 1985 with four teams and now has 32. In 1952, the Brooklyn Cricket
Club defeated the Australian Consulate XI by 153 runs at Red Hook Stadium.
Red Hook Stadium in 1940: St. Francis 21, All Hallows 0,
and the recreational area as it appears today
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Taft's Oval
Rockaway Avenue, Linden Boulevard, New Lots Avenue.
The full name of this park was Taft's Oval Picnic and Baseball Grounds. It was home to many recreational
games of baseball, as well as occasional organized ball- the Dry Goods League of 1910, for
instance. In one game, Saks pitcher Samuels stole home in the eleventh inning to salvage a tie
with Namm & Co. Various local soccer teams played at Taft's Oval between about 1910 and 1920. By 1940,
proprietor Jules J. Taft had retired, and the family had closed the oval and sold off all the land
by the end of 1941.
Breukelen Playground
Flatlands, Williams, Cozine and Louisiana Avenues.
Also known as Five Diamonds, Breukelen Playground is home to the Latin Souls Baseball
Organization, offering games for ages 5 to 16 since 1973. The fields are also available
for public use, and are home to EBC/ENY High School's baseball team, the Eagles.
The five diamonds of Breukelen Playground Picture taken from Google Maps
Sunset Diamond
40th Street and 3rd Avenue.
Little league sized Sunset Diamond takes up most of Dewey Park, in the shadow of the Gowanus
Expressway. Such organizations as St. Michael's Angels and the Sunset Athletic Club host
junior baseball and softball here.
Sunset Diamond in Dewey Park Picture taken from Google Maps
Vincent DiMattina Playground
Hicks Street and Rapelye Street.
Another little league field in the shadow of a freeway, this time the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway. Young players from the Prospect Park Baseball Association deal with the noise here,
probably hoping to graduate to a quieter locale in future years. The city acquired the land for
this park between 1941 and 1947, and named it for lawyer and community activist Vincent
DiMattina in 1967. $783,000 was spent on renovations in 2001.
The ballfield in DiMattina Playground Picture taken from Google Maps
Amity Little League Stadium
Avenue V, Brigham Street, Knapp Street.
This superbly manicured field hosts summer leagues for teams from all over Brooklyn. 78th
Precinct Youth Sports gives an annual award in memory of Billy "Pasta" Zitelli, whose home runs
helped the 78th Precinct Bulldogs win the 1996 Amity 10 Year Old League. Known as the Babe Ruth
of Brooklyn Little League for his amazing power, Billy would live just another four years before
he was taken by leukemia.
Amity Stadium Picture taken from Google Maps
Our Lady's Field
Between Windsor Place and 16th Street, east of Prospect Park West.
Surely the cutest ballpark in Brooklyn, this tiny field is devoted to the most junior players in
the Prospect Park Baseball Association and Holy Name Fathers Guild Sports. This is a beautiful
demonstration of the 150 year old Brooklyn tradition of playing ball in any space available.
Our Lady's Field Picture taken from Windows Live Local
North Star Grounds
5th Avenue between Warren and Bergen Streets.
In September 1858, the newly formed Ivanhoe Club announced that it would play at these
grounds, already home to the North Star and Powhatan Clubs, and later the Mohawk Club. This
location is the present home of Calexico,
the preferred Mexican restaurant of the staff of BrooklynBallParks.com, as well as The
Chocolate Room, the preferred dessert restaurant.
Take The Field
Starting in 1999, an ambitious program to renovate Department of Education sports facilities
across Brooklyn (and the other boroughs) was started by Preston Robert Tisch, Tony Kiser and
Richard Kahan. With various government grants, the Take
The Field program gets three taxpayer
dollars for every private dollar, and has rehabilitated a large number of fields, with more
to come. To our eyes, the new fields lack some character, but it's hard to argue
with their usability. They are all relaid in Gameday Grass, a type of artificial turf
designed to mimic the feeling of playing on real grass. The fields mentioned below have all
been remade as part of the Take The Field program.
Tilden Field
Tilden Avenue, Beverley Road, East 57th and East 59th Streets.
Samuel J. Tilden High School has had this field on campus since 1930. It hosts track, baseball, and
football. Ben Davidow of Tilden High pitched a no-hitter to defeat Bushwick High 4 to 1 on June 1,
1938. Tilden won the Brooklyn PSAL title in 1945, and defeated New Dorp at Tilden Field to advance to
the final at Ebbets Field, but failed to take the city title. Tilden produced a major leaguer
in longtime Yankee second baseman and present Met manager Willie Randolph, whose 2210 hits included
just 54 home runs. SJT baseball disappeared for some time, but the school has returned to the game in
recent years. Take The Field spent $1.9 million on renovations here.
Football at Tilden Field in 1939, Tilden Field before renovation
Overhead photo taken from Ask.com
James Madison Field
Bedford Avenue, Avenue P, Quentin Road, East 27th Street.
There has been a baseball field at James Madison High School since around 1925, and it remains
in place today. As well as games for James Madison and other nearby schools, the venue has seen
such odd matches as the United States Bank defeating Newberger, Henderson & Loeb 12 to 4 in 1930.
On April 10 of that year, James Madison pitchers Barney Baker and Bill Tissenbaum combined on
a no-hitter, but lost to Textile High 1 to 0 after Barney walked four batters in a row with
one out in the fourth. James Madison Field's recent renovation came at a cost of $4.2 million.
James Madison Field in football season
Photo taken from Google Maps
Lincoln Field
Ocean Parkway and Guider Avenue.
Home to the Abraham Lincoln High School, PSAL baseball champions of 1938. On May 27, 1940, New Utrecht
High hurler Harold Levine gave up just two hits here in beating Lafayette 1 to 0. Abraham Lincoln High is
still at the same place today, and so is the field. Now officially called the Fred C. and
Mary Trump Athletic Complex, the field was relaid in 2002 at a cost of $2.6 million.
Lincoln Field, before and after
Photos courtesy Take The Field
Old Boys High Field
Schenectady and Troy Avenues, Maple Street, Rutland Road.
As Boys High Field, this was home of Boys High School baseball, football, and track from 1929.
On April 30, 1929, Franklin K. Lane High School took the first game at the
field, 6 to 3 over the Boys High Kangaroos. 2,500 fans attended the match.
Boys High Field underwent a $750,000 renovation in 1967, with a grandstand and fieldhouse added,
as well as the turf being resown. In 1975 Boys High became Boys and Girls High, and moved to a new
campus with its own sports field. Old Boys High, now known as Marcy Avenue Campus, replaced Boys
High, and took over the field also. In 2005, $3.6 million from Take The Field saw another complete
renewal. At some point it was renamed the Paul Tudor Jones Athletic Facility.
Boys High Field in 1956, and Old Boys High Field just before the most recent renovation
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Boys and Girls High Field
Atlantic and Schenectady Avenues.
This has been the home of Boys and Girls High School since 1975.
The baseball team has been middling in recent years, in and out of playoffs and returning an
8-8 record in 2006. The most famed sports team at Boys and Girls High has been the girls track team,
which set a national record for the 4x800m relay in 1981. The $3.6 million renovation here took a
threadbare field and made it into another gem.
Boys and Girls High Field, the school mascot has an Australian flavor
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Lafayette Field
North of Bath and 27th Avenues.
Lafayette High School, founded in 1939, has played baseball here for most of its history. The team's
most famous export, Sandy Koufax, was a first baseman during his high school career in the early
1950s. John Franco also played at Lafayette. Richie Branch pitched a no-hitter for Lafayette against
Wingate on May 18, 1956, giving up just one walk in a 9 to 0 victory. The field was rehabilitated at
a cost of $4 million, and lost its unique triangular shape in the process. It is now known as Coach
Harry Ostro Athletic Complex.
Sandy Koufax later in his career, Lafayette Field pre and post renovation
Overhead photos taken from Ask.com
Grand Street Campus Field
Grand Street and Bushwick Avenue.
Grand Street Campus High has been a major baseball power in recent years, going 82-13
in regular season games from 2001 through 2006. On May 1, 2006, Dellin Betances set a school
record with 20 strikeouts, pitching a two hitter to defeat John Adams High 5 to 0 at GSC Field. Betances
was later drafted by the New York American League franchise. The Lady Wolves softball team is a power also, going 11-0
in the 2006 regular season. Renovation of GSC Field cost $5.7 million.
GSC Field in football formation
Photo taken from Google Maps
Thomas Jefferson Field (II)
Flatlands Avenue and Berriman Street.
In 1982, big league scouts flocked to this field to watch teen phenomenon Shawon Dunston. In four
years at Thomas Jefferson High, he totalled 25 home runs and hit .380, .420, .450, and .790 to
finish up as number one draft pick, taken by the Chicago Cubs. Sadly, Jefferson Field did not
receive such royal treatment, and by 2002 was unusable. The Orange Wave played solely as a road
team for a time until renovations, costing $4.2 million, were completed in late 2003.
Shawon Dunston as a Cub, the new Jefferson Field
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
South Shore High Field
Flatlands Avenue, Glenwood Road, East 78th Street.
For years, South Shore High's fields steadily declined from a lack of funding. Despite having
won several championships in baseball and football, students became less and less keen to play
on a field known as "The Rock." $4.3 million of repairs later, however, South Shore High has
become a powerhouse once more, going 14-0 in 2006 before eventually losing to an amazingly strong
East New York Transit Tech squad in the PSAL playoffs. Officially, the site is now called
John C. Whitehead Field.
South Shore High Field, before and after
Overhead photos taken from Ask.com
Sheepshead Bay High Field
Avenue Y and Coyle Street.
The Sheepshead Bay Sharks have gone 8-8, 9-7, and 7-9 from 2004 to 2006, the very model of
a .500 team. While the team may not be championship calibre now, the school has produced
at least one major leaguer. Rico Petrocelli, of the class of 1962, played shortstop,
third base, and pitcher for the Sharks, and went on to hit 210 home runs and reach two
World Series playing various infield positions for the Boston Red Sox. Rebuilding
Sheepshead Bay High Field cost $2.3 million.
Sheepshead Bay Field, Rico Petrocelli
Overhead photo taken from Google Maps
Paul Luchter deserves many thanks for his knowledge, search skills, and wonderful efforts in tracking
down some of these parks and providing extra information for this page. George Miller's constant advice,
and particularly his help with the location of the Manor House Grounds also earn our gratitude.
