POLO GROUNDS (1920-1963) ************************ Also Known as: Brush Stadium (1911-1919) ************************* HOME OF THE: NEW YORK GIANTS This home-made ball park has been created for use with Diamond Mind Baseball v8. The dimensions and image are to depict the stadium as it looked in 1924. LFL L LFG C RFG R RFL *** *** *** *** *** *** *** DISTANCE: 279 360 455 483 449 330 257 HEIGHT: 10 10 10 20 10 12 11 PARK FACTORS LEFT HANDED BATTERS RIGHT HANDED BATTERS ************ ******************* ******************** S D T HR S D T HR *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** 90 72 78 104 84 72 78 116 SURFACE: Natural Grass FOUL TERRITORY: Large *** Note *** The New York Yankees and New York Mets also played home games at the Polo Grounds. The Yankees played here, May 30th, 1912 (morning game) and again from April 17th, 1913 to October 8th, 1922. The Mets played here from, April 13th, 1962, to September 18th, 1962. Next to Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds is the most storied ballpark in baseball history. Manager John McGraw brought home ten pennant winners in the strangely shaped stadium; Christy Mathewson, Carl Hubbell, Mel Ott and Willie Mays all became living legends there; and from 1908 - when Fred Merkle forgot to touch second base - to 1951 - when Bobby Thomson put the finishing touch on the miracle of Coogan's Bluff - the Polo Grounds was the scene of one unbelievable event after another. Indeed, polo was once played at the Polo Grounds, but that was in the 1870's - a long time ago. There were three previous ballparks that were built in New York, that were also called the Polo Grounds, so the Polo Grounds that was erected in 1911, is actually Polo Grounds IV. Polo Grounds III, it's predecessor, was built in 1891 and succumbed to fire in 1911. Polo Grounds IV was built in 1911 and was originally called Brush Stadium, after it's owner, John T. Brush. The name "Brush Stadium" never stuck and by 1920 it once again became known as "the Polo Grounds." Batters who could pull the ball down the lines, loved the Polo Grounds, however hitters who typically drove the ball to the conventional power alleys in left-and-right-center hated it. Given the bathtub-like shape of the park, home run distances increased rapidly from the foul lines - toward center. Many a 400-foot-plus drive that would have been a homer just about anywhere else, was just another out at the Polo Grounds. The last game played at the Polo Grounds was on September 18th, 1963. The Polo Grounds was razed in 1964, with the same wrecking ball that previously demolished Ebbets Field. Some memorable moments at the Polo Grounds, ... July 3rd, 1912: Giants pitcher Rube Marquard beats the Brooklyn Dodgers, 2-1, for his nineteenth straight win in one season, still a record. August 16th, 1920: Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman is killed after being hit by a pitch thrown by Yankee pitcher Carl Mays. July 10th, 1934: In the All-Star Game, Carl Hubbell of the National League achieves lasting fame by striking out in succession; Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Fox, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin. October 3rd, 1951: In the bottom of the ninth inning of the third and deciding game of a three-game playoff for the National League pennant, Giants third baseman Bobby Thomson hits "the shot heard 'round the world." With one out and the Giants behind, 4-2, Thomson's three-run homer into the lower left-field stands beats the Brooklyn Dodgers, 5-4, and ... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT !!! ... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT !!! ... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT !!! September 29th, 1954: In the eighth inning of the first game of the World Series, with the score tied and two runners on base, Willie Mays of the Giants makes the most celebrated catch in World Series history. Mays races to deep center field and, with his back to home plate, makes an over-the-shoulder catch of a 445 foot drive off the bat of Cleveland's Vic Wertz; in one fluid motion, he whirls around and throws the ball back to the infield, so that instead of two men scoring, neither advance. The above comments are from the book: "Lost Ballparks - A Celebration of Baseball's Legendary Fields," by Lawrence S. Ritter. ***************************************** THE POLO GROUNDS IS FROM THE CREATORS OF: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Baseball's Analytical Search Engine +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/tdmilne Ron Gudykunst - ronlg@aol.com Tom Milne - tdmilne@compuserve.com