Park Name: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Park Tenants: Bradenton Marauders (Low-A Southeast) Pittsburgh Pirates (Grapefruit League) Opened: 1919 Grandstand Rebuilt: 1923, 1993 Address: 1611 Ninth Street West, Bradenton, Florida 34205 Dimensions: 335' (L), 400' (C), 335' (R) Former Names: Ninth Street Park (1919-1923) City Park (1923-1926) Ninth Street Park (1927-1947) Braves Field (1948-1961) McKechnie Field (1962-2016) Former Tenants: Bradenton Growers (Florida State League) 1919-1924, 1926 St. Louis Cardinals (Grapefruit League) 1923-1924 Philadelphia Phillies (Grapefruit League) 1925-1927 Boston Red Sox (Grapefruit League) 1928-1929 Boston Braves (Grapefruit League) 1928-1940 St. Louis Cardinals (Grapefruit League) 1930-1936 Boston Braves (Grapefruit League) 1948-1952 Milwaukee Braves (Grapefruit League) 1953-1961 Kansas City Athletics (Grapefruit League) 1963-1967 Oakland Athletics (Grapefruit League) 1968 Bradenton Explorers (Senior Professional Baseball Association) 1989 Bradenton Marauders (Florida State League) 2010-2019 The grandstand at LECOM Park is broken up into three separate covered seating areas. When the park opened to Spring Training in the 1920's it featured a separate seating area for African American fans. The pressbox sits above the main seating area. The grandstand, rebuilt in 1993, features a Spanish Mission style facade that is reminiscent of Bradenton's old train station. A fourth covered bleacher area sits above the left field wall, added before 2013 as part of the latest renovations to the classic ballpark. The area behind the grandstand has been incorporated into the park as an outdoor concourse, complete with Adirondack Chairs for fans to lounge under the palm trees. Though most of the Pirates practice facilities are located several blocks from the ballpark, a small practice field can be seen beyond the fountains behind the outfield concourse. Oversized baseball cards on the outfield wall celebrate former Marauders who have made it to the major leagues. The home bullpen sits in front of the outfield boardwalk and behind a the chain link outfield fence in right field. The outfield curves fairly uniformly around the field, with the boardwalk concourse sitting above the fence. The height of the outfield fence jumps slightly in left field, as the line score board pops briefly out of the wall. |
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