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McKechnie Field

LECOM Park
Florida's Fenway Park
The "Fenway Park" of spring training stadiums
LECOM Park.PNG
Former names McKechnie Field (1962–2017)
Braves Field (1948–1961)
Ninth Street Park (1927–1947)
City Park (1923–1926)
Location 1611 9th Street West
Bradenton, FL 34205
Coordinates 27°29′9″N 82°34′13″W / 27.48583°N 82.57028°W / 27.48583; -82.57028Coordinates: 27°29′9″N 82°34′13″W / 27.48583°N 82.57028°W / 27.48583; -82.57028
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
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)

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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