Cardines Field
| Former names | Basin Field |
|---|---|
| Location | 20 America's Cup Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, USA |
| Coordinates | 41°29′28″N 71°19′01″W / 41.491006°N 71.316861°WCoordinates: 41°29′28″N 71°19′01″W / 41.491006°N 71.316861°W |
| Owner | City of Newport, RI |
| Capacity | 3,000 |
| Field size | Leftfield: 315 ft Left Centerfield: 365 ft Centerfield: 395 ft Centerfield Indent: 315 ft Right Centerfield Corner: 340 ft Right Field: 285 ft Fences: 28 ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Electric |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1908 |
| Renovated | 1938, 2000 |
| Tenants | |
|
Newport Gulls (NECBL) (2001-present) Salve Regina Seahawks (CCC) |
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Newport Gulls (NECBL) (2001-present)
Cardines Field, "a small urban gem of a ballpark", is a baseball stadium located at 20 America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island. It is believed to be one of the oldest ballparks in the United States. The field serves as a buffer between the residential and commercial sections of an older part of Newport. The oddly shaped outfield fence and dimensions are created by the close proximity of residential housing, while the spectator side of the park is contained by America's Cup Avenue and West Marlborough Street. Originally called Basin Field, references to the field can be found as early as 1893. At that time, the property was used by local railroads as a drainage and supply basin for steam engines. Complaints from neighbors about the stagnant water and mosquitoes prompted the drainage of the basin area, permitting baseball to be played. A local historical debate continues as to whether baseball was played prior to 1900, making Cardines one of the oldest existing ballparks in the country, or if play didn't begin until 1908, the earliest documented proof of stadium construction.
The Basin Field ballpark was later renamed for Bernardo Cardines, a Newport baseball player who was Newport's first citizen to die in World War I. Today, the ballpark continues to be the home of the historic Sunset League, as well as the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
Built for unofficial sandlot baseball games by railroad workers from the adjacent Old Colony Division of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Line, the field hosted many barnstorming all-stars, including Negro League teams like the Baltimore Elite Giants, Boston Royal Giants and the New York Black Yankees. Satchel Paige once played at Cardines. The original backstop dates back to as early as 1908, when the city organized its first six-team league at the park.
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