McKechnie Field
| Florida's Fenway Park The "Fenway Park" of spring training stadiums |
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| Former names | McKechnie Field (1962–2017) Braves Field (1948–1961) Ninth Street Park (1927–1947) City Park (1923–1926) |
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| Location | 1611 9th Street West Bradenton, FL 34205 |
| Coordinates | 27°29′9″N 82°34′13″W / 27.48583°N 82.57028°WCoordinates: 27°29′9″N 82°34′13″W / 27.48583°N 82.57028°W |
| Owner | City of Bradenton |
| Operator | City of Bradenton Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Capacity | 2,000 (1923) 6,602 (1993) 8,500 (2013) |
| Field size | Left Field — 335 ft Left-Center — 375ft Center Field — 400 ft Right-Center — 375 ft Right Field — 335 ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1923 |
| Renovated |
1993 2013 |
| Construction cost | US$2,000 (initial) ($28.1 thousand in 2017 dollars) US$30 million (to date) |
| Architect |
L.D. Astorino Companies, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1993 Renovation) Fawley Bryant Architects, Bradenton, Florida (2008, 2012 Renovation) |
| Main contractors | N.D.C. Construction Co. Inc. (2012 Renovation) |
| Tenants | |
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Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) (1969–present) Bradenton Marauders (FSL) (2010–present) Bradenton Explorers (SPBA) (1989–1990) Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (AL) (1963–1968) Boston Braves/Milwaukee Braves (NL) (1948–1962) Boston Bees (NL) (1938–1940) St. Louis Cardinals (NL) (1930–1936) Boston Red Sox (AL) (1928–1929) Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (1925–1927) St. Louis Cardinals (NL) (1923–1924) Bradenton Growers (FSL) (1923–1924, 1926) |
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LECOM Park is a baseball field located in Bradenton, Florida. It is the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and is named after 15-year naming rights deal was signed with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has its main campus in Erie, Pennsylvania and also a campus in Bradenton. Formerly known as McKechnie Field, it was named for Bradenton resident and baseball great Bill McKechnie, who led the Pirates in 1925 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1940 to World Series titles. He was also a coach of the Cleveland Indians in 1948. Several notable members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Mike Schmidt, have played at LECOM Park during their careers. The stadium also hosts minor league baseball games for the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates' High-A club in the Florida State League.
LECOM Park's nostalgic charms in its city neighborhood appeal to many baseball traditionalists and ballpark enthusiasts, and some consider the facility to be Florida's version of Fenway Park. It is built in a Florida Spanish Mission style, with white stucco on the main grandstand and cover bleachers over the reserved seating section. The Pirates and the City of Bradenton celebrated their 40th anniversary together during the 2008 spring training season, which included an agreement between the city and the Pirates to continue their partnership through 2037.
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