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Griffith Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium was built on a farm and opened its doors on April 21, 1956 for the American Association Minneapolis Millers. The cornfield-turned-stadium had a curved triple-deck grandstand that ran from first base to third base, but maintenance was a constant issue and by the final season railings on the third deck were declared a safety hazard.
On April 12, 1961, the Washington Senators moved into "The Met" and became the modern day Minnesota Twins. To make room for a major league crowd, permanent bleachers were added along the left field line, a temporary bleacher was installed in left field and the first & second decks were extended down the right field line. |
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"The ballpark was demolished in early 1985 and replaced by a mall, convention center and amusement park. However, home plate remained sacred. It became part of Camp Snoopy, a playground at the mall." - Jonathan Fraser Light in The Cultural Encyclopedia of Baseball (1996)
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| Data |
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First Game
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04-21-1961
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Last Game
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09-30-1981
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| Data |
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Attendance Records
(Single Game)
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Largest
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50,596 on 10-14-1965
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Smallest
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547 on 09-20-1965
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Capacity Changes
(Yearly Attendance)
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1961
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30,637
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1964
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40,000
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1973
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45,921
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1974
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45,181
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1975
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45,919
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| Data |
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Backstop
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1961
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60'
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Left Field
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1961
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329'
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1962
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330'
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1965
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344'
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1967
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346'
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1975
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330'
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1977
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343'
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Left Center (short)
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1961
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365'
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1962
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360'
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1965
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373'
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1967
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350'
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1975
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346'
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1977
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360'
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Left Center (deep)
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1961
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402'
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1965
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435'
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1968
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430'
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1975
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410'
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1976
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406'
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Center Field
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1961
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412'
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1965
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430'
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1968
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425'
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1975
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410'
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1977
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402'
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Right Center (deep)
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1961
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402'
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1965
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435'
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1968
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430'
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1977
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410'
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Right Center (short)
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1961
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365'
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1968
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373'
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1972
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365'
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1977
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370'
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Right Field
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1961
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329'
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1962
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330'
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| Fences |
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Left Field Fence
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1961
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8'
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1964
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12'
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1974
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7'
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1977
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12'
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Centerfield Field Fence
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1961
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8'
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Right Field Fence
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1961
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8'
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1964
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12'
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1970
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8'
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Metropolitan Stadium
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The $8.5 million Metropolitan Stadium was the first major league park built on a cornfield and after it was destroyed the Mall of America was built in its place.
On August 25, 1970, a bomb scare delayed the Boston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins game forty-three (43) minutes. Here is The Sporting News writeup:
Bomb scare forced 43-minute delay in fourth inning, but only bomb that exploded was the homer by Tony Conigliaro in eighth giving Red Sox 1-0 victory over Twins. Crowd of 17,697 evacuated stands after annoucement over public address system that telephoned warning had been received that bomb was due to go off.
Source: The Sporting News.
The first major league home run hit in Metropolitan Stadium came off the bat of Dale Long of the Minnesota Twins on April 21, 1961. The last major league home run hit in Metropolitan Stadium came off the bat of Clint Hurdle of the Kansas City Royals on September 30, 1981. Harmon Killebrew hit two-hundred forty-six (246) home runs in The Met (the most by any player in history) & the total number of major league home runs hit in Metropolitan Stadium was 2,866.
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