Ben Shibe, an Athletics stockholder and manufacturer of baseball products, had a dream in mind when he set out to build the first concrete-and-steel stadium in major league history. William Steele and Sons were signed on in 1908 to make the dream a reality and one year later the doors opened to Shibe Park.
Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a baseball park located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL).
When it opened April 12, 1909, it became baseball's first steel-and-concrete stadium. In different eras it was home to "The $100,000 Infield", "The Whiz Kids", and "The 1964 Phold".
The venue's two home teams won both the first and last games at the stadium: the Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox 8—1 on opening day 1909, while the Phillies beat the Montreal Expos 2—1 on October 1, 1970, in the park's final contest.
Shibe Park stood on the block bounded by Lehigh Avenue, 20th Street, Somerset Street and 21st Street. It was five blocks west, corner-to-corner, from the Baker Bowl, the Phillies' home from 1887 to 1938.
Shibe Park hosted eight World Series and two MLB All-Star Games, in 1943 and 1952, with the latter game holding the distinction of being the only All-Star contest shortened by rain (to five innings). In May 1939, it was the site of the first night game played in the American League.
Phillies Hall-of-Fame centerfielder and longtime broadcaster Richie Ashburn remembered Shibe Park, "It looked like a ballpark. It smelled like a ballpark. It had a feeling and a heartbeat, a personality that was all baseball."
"There is much less drinking now than there was before 1927 because I quit drinking on May 24, 1927." - Rabbit Maranville
Shibe Park / 1909 - 1953
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Data | ||
First Game | 04-12-1909 | |
Last Game | 09-19-1954 | |
First Game | 05-16-1927 | |
Last Game | 05-28-1927 | |
First Game | 07-04-1938 | |
Last Game | 10-01-1970 | |
Data | ||
Shibe Park / 1909 - 1953
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Data | ||
Capacity Changes (Yearly Attendance Tm 1) (Yearly Attendance Tm 2) |
1909 | 20,000 |
1925 | 33,500 | |
1926 | 27,500 | |
1929 | 30,000 | |
1930 | 33,000 | |
1947 | 32,750 | |
1948 | 32,500 | |
1952 | 33,300 | |
1953 | 33,166 | |
1960 | 33,359 | |
1961 | 33,608 | |
Largest Crowd | 41,660 | 05-11-1947 |
Smallest Crowd | 23 | 09-08-1916 |
Shibe Park / 1909 - 1953
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Data | ||
A.K.A. | 1953+ | Connie Mack Stadium |
Current Status | Demolished 06-1976 | |
Field Surface | Grass | |
First Night Game | 05-16-1939 | |
Last Game Ever | 10-01-1970 | |
Original Location | North | West Somerset Street |
South | West Lehigh Avenue | |
East | North 20th Street | |
West | North 21st Street | |
Shibe Park / 1909 - 1953
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Shibe Park Dimensions | ||
Backstop | 1909 | 85' |
1942 | 90' | |
1943 | 86' | |
1956 | 78' | |
1960 | 64' | |
Left Field | 1909 | 360' - 378' |
1921 | 380' | |
1922 | 334' | |
1926 | 312' | |
1930 | 334' | |
Left Center | 1909 | 393' |
1922 | 387' | |
1925 | 405' | |
1969 | 387' | |
Center Field | 1909 | 515' - 502' |
1922 | 468' | |
1950 | 448' | |
1951 | 440' | |
1953 | 460' | |
1954 | 468' | |
1956 | 447' | |
1969 | 410' | |
Right Center | 1909 | 393' |
1969 | 390' | |
Right Field | 1909 | 360' - 340' |
1921 | 380' | |
1926 | 307' | |
1930 | 331' | |
1934 | 329' | |
Shibe Park History | Connie Mack Stadium History |
Shibe Park was designed and built by William Steele and Sons. It took less than one year to build the entire ballpark and cost $141,918.92 for the land and $315,248.69 for the stadium itself - ballpark history at its best!
Right center field had a scoreboard that was 400' from home plate, 50' high, and had a 60' Ballantine Beer sign attached to it. Dick Allen was the only player to ever hit a home run over the Ballantine Beer sign and scoreboard.
"Allen didn't just hit homeruns... Connie Mack Stadium featured a two-deck grandstand in left field. Allen crushed balls that landed on or over the roof of these stands on several occasions." - Author Chris Williams in Coulda Woulda Shoulda: Baseball Stories You Haven't Heard (ACTA Publications. 03/01/2017. Chapter 6. Pages 48 and 49. Get it at: Acta or Amazon.)
Did you know that when the park closed in 1970 they removed home plate and placed it in Veterans Stadium for the 1971 regular season?