Sam Lynn Ballpark
| "Historic" Sam Lynn Ballpark | |
| Location | 4009 Chester Avenue Bakersfield, CA 93301 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°23′51″N 119°01′21″W / 35.397556°N 119.022384°WCoordinates: 35°23′51″N 119°01′21″W / 35.397556°N 119.022384°W |
| Owner | Kern County Parks and Recreation |
| Operator | Kern County Parks and Recreation |
| Capacity | 3,500 permanent seats |
| Field size |
Left Field: 328 feet Center Field: 354 feet Right Field: 328 feet Backstop: 50 feet |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 3, 1940 |
| Opened | April 22, 1941 |
| Renovated | 1994 |
| Tenants | |
|
Bakersfield Blaze (CL) (1941–2016) Bakersfield Train Robbers (PL) (2017–) |
|
Sam Lynn Ballpark (also known as "Historic" Sam Lynn Ballpark) was a baseball venue in Bakersfield, California (address: 4009 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301) and was the oldest ballpark of the Class-A Advanced California League. It was built in 1941 for the Bakersfield Badgers who began that season as a charter member of the California League. The current tenant is called the Bakersfield Train Robbers, who play in the Pecos League and are not affiliated with any team in Major or Minor League Baseball.
It is one of two ballparks in organized professional baseball where the batter faces west, and as such, faces directly into the setting sun (the other being Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Massachusetts). This forces the Blaze to start most games later than any team in professional ball. From mid-June to mid-August, it's not unusual for games to begin as late as 7:58 PM.
Sam Lynn Ballpark was named for the former local owner of a Coca-Cola bottling company who donated much of his income to youth baseball leagues in the area.
The following is a list of Bakersfield franchise names dating back to 1941.
Sam Lynn Ballpark originally featured a covered wooden grandstand that was demolished in 1993 and replaced with the current concrete main stand. It has the shortest center field in all of professional baseball at 354 feet from home plate. The outfield wooden wall is 15 feet high and, in right field, there is a catwalk that is located under the current electronic scoreboard. The site of the catwalk used to be the location of a hand-operated scoreboard. The catwalk remains, and any ball hit onto it is a home run.
Sam Lynn Ballpark's playing field was renovated for the 2006 season. The first-base (home) dugout has been expanded to hold more players, though many still sit on a bench outside of the dugout. The third-base (away) dugout retains its original smaller design prompting most players to either sit on the front edge or an adjacent bench located in foul ground.. Starting the 2015 season, the Mariners organization opted to swap dugouts, placing the home team on the opposite side of the permanent seats. This was not met with enthusiasm by the fans or by sponsors.
Prior to the start of the 2006 season, the bullpens, previously located behind the stands and hidden from the view of the teams playing the game, were moved into foul territory. Due to this change, the overall seating capacity of the ballpark was reduced by 700 general admission bleacher seats, from 4,200 to 3,500.
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