MLB's 5 Most Unique Ballparks

Jul 29, 2011
Richard Mak

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Wrigley Field - Michael_Lehet

Quirky stadium features and moments make these ballparks the most unique in Major League Baseball.

Wrigley Field – Chicago Cubs

Opened: April 23, 1914

Capacity: 41,118

Unique Features:

- Wrigley Field is the only ballpark in the league to have brick outfield walls covered with ivy. The ivy can be a nightmare for outfielders during the early part of the season when growth is sparse and during the summer months when the ivy grows thick enough for balls to get lost within its foliage.

- The stadium continues to use a manually operated scoreboard.

- Unlike other stadiums, Wrigley Field is almost free of advertising.

It Happened Here:

During the eighth inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NL Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins, Chicago fans became enraged at fellow fan Steve Bartman for catching a foul ball down the left-field line instead of letting Cubs left-fielder Moises Alou make the catch.

Bartman had to be escorted from Wrigley Field after fans started to verbally and physically attack him. He eventually went into hiding and has not been seen since.

Miller Park – Milwaukee Brewers

Opened: April 6, 2001

Capacity: 41,900

Unique Features:

- After each Brewer home run, team mascot Bernie Brewer celebrates by plunging down a yellow slide.

- Between the sixth inning of every home game, fans get to enjoy the traditional Sausage Race. The race features five mascots dressed like sausages racing each other from the third base line to the first base line.

- High above home plate is a section of seats in the upper deck called the ‘Uecker Seats’. These seats are famous for its one dollar price and the obstructed view of the field caused by the roof pivot.

It Happened Here:

Pirate’s first baseman Randall Simon took a bat to the head of one of the sausages during a race on July 9, 2003. Although the person inside the costume wasn’t hurt, Simon was arrested and later suspended three games by the league.

Minute Maid Park – Houston Astros

Opened: April 7, 2000

Capacity: 40,950

Unique Features:

- Tal’s Hill is a grass-covered 20 degree slope containing a flagpole located next to the center field wall. Both the hill and flagpole are in play.

- The stadium boasts the world’s largest sliding glass wall (50,000-square-foot) in left field. The wall was designed to protect fans from the heat while giving the stadium an outdoor feel.

It Happened Here:

Minute Maid Park was originally named Enron Field during its first two years of operation. Enron Corporation went bankrupt in December 2001 after a massive accounting scandal was uncovered.

Tropicana Field – Tampa Bay Rays

Opened: March 3, 1990

Capacity: 43,772

Unique Features:

- The stadium’s low roof and the four catwalks hanging below it can turn a typical fly ball into an adventure for the fielding team. Making things even more confusing is that only two of the catwalks are in play. Balls hitting the in play catwalks are considered fly balls while a home run is awarded for any ball that hits the out of play catwalks.

- Tropicana Field is the only permanently enclosed ballpark in MLB.

- The stadium is only one of two ballparks in the majors still using artificial turf (Toronto is the other team).

It Happened Here:

In a game between the Rays and Red Sox on July, 17 2011, Rays’ second baseman Sean Rodriguez fouls a ball into a light overhanging from a catwalk shattering the glass onto the field. No one was hurt but the game was delayed to clean up the broken glass.

Fenway Park – Boston Red Sox

Opened: April 20, 1912

Capacity: 39,928

Unique Features:

- The Green Monster is the tallest wall in the league towering 37-feet high in left field just 310 feet from home plate. Advertisements littered the Green Monster until 1947 when all ads were removed and the wall was painted green. A ladder runs up the wall and is considered in play.

- Among the green right field bleacher seats is a single red seat honoring the location of the longest home run ever hit at 502-feet by Ted Williams.

It Happened Here:

In Game 3 of the 2003 AL Championship Series, 32 year-old Pedro Martinez pushes Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground after the 72-year-old charges the Boston ace during a bench clearing brawl.