But McKechnie was still the oldest spring training facility in Florida, so city officials agreed to give the Pirates a renovated stadium to make sure they would stay. In 1928, the Boston Red Sox were looking at coming to Bradenton, after spending the prior three years training in New Orleans. [39], The accusation forced the Pirates to admit that their efforts to find surviving family members fell short and issued a formal apology. Improvements also included a renovation of Pirate City, the team's southern headquarters, with new offices, player dormitories and a fifth practice field. The United States military used the field as a training base from 1941 to 1945. The plane landed in what was the outfield at the time, a par 5 hole. The Cardinals' second term: The "Gashouse Gang" era, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota, "Pirates and LECOM announce Bradenton ballpark naming-rights agreement", "Bradentown Growers were Marauders' forerunners", "The History of Baseball in Florida and Manatee County", "Sunday Favorites: Somehow Old Ball Players Come to Bradenton", "City to Consider Plans for McKechnie Field Renovation at Next Meeting", "Turn on the lights; party's over as McKechnie Field gets lights", "Snapshots: Spring training site once drafted as military camp", "Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Ballpark", "McKechnie to get lights; Pirates to stay until 2038", "Pirates, Bradenton agree on 30-year lease", "Bradenton Explorers May Move To Daytona", "Marauders score resounding win in debut", "County approves improvements at McKechnie Field", "Bradenton OKs $7.5 million loan for McKechnie Field", "Pittsburgh Pirates to give as much as $3 million more for McKechnie Field renovations", "Pirates notebook: Renovation adds to McKechnie Field capacity", "2013 Best Ballpark Renovation Over $1M: McKechnie Field", "Bradenton Florida State League All-Star Game Attendance Highest Since 2006", "Pirates get a classy new clubhouse at McKechnie Field", "Best of the Ballparks, Grapefruit League: McKechnie Field", "LECOM Park named top spring park in Florida and draws record crowd this year", "Marauders finish off Yankees, win first Florida State League title", "Bradenton gets nothing from renaming baseball stadium", "McKechnie family's anger over stadium renaming draws apology from Pirates", "McKechnie's daughter upset with name change of Pirates' spring-training ballpark", "Pirates apologize to family over McKechnie Field name change", "The name game at old ballpark is clearly foul", "McKechnie Field is Getting a Name No One Should Use", "Crowd sets single-game attendance record at 93-year-old McKechnie", "Pittsburgh Pirates set new attendance records at McKechnie Field", "Pirates 'obviously' win with Tomlin in town, send down Holdzkom", "Marauders Set Records for Overall Attendance and Average Attendance", "Attendance Review: 2014 Bradenton Marauders", Bradenton Marauders LECOM Park - MiLB.com, Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Ballpark | pirates.com: Spring Training, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LECOM_Park&oldid=968735770, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, N.D.C. Several members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, such as Bert Blyleven, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Alomar, Wade Boggs, Roy Halladay, Jack Morris, Mariano Rivera, Ivan Rodriguez, Babe Ruth, Mike Schmidt and Ted Williams, have played at LECOM Park. [41] An NBC Sports editorial urged the spectators at LECOM Park to keep calling the stadium McKechnie Field. After completion, city engineers discovered that the field's second base, was 14 inches (36 cm) lower than home plate, and the outfield was even 2 feet (0.61 m) lower than second base. The Pirates have always played a handful of night exhibition games each year, but never at McKechnie. To pay for the ballpark renovations, the city planned to take out a 20-year loan, repaying it primarily from the county's "bed tax", which visitors pay when they stay at a hotel or resort located in Manatee County. None of the revenue from the deal will accrue to the city. The Braves agreed and stayed in Bradenton until 1963. [4], The renovations prior to the 2008 Spring training season included a new visitor's clubhouse, a new press lounge and lights. The Braves played in Bradenton for one year, however the city stated that if the Braves agreed to return the very next season, the city would build new clubhouses, field boxes along the first and third baselines and a new press box. SeatGeek provides everything you need to know about your seating options, including sections, row and even obstructed views. 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. LECOM Park , Bradenton, US. Petersburg. [8], On February 7, 2012, Manatee County commissioners Tuesday agreed to an interlocal agreement that will provide McKechnie Field with the $7.5 million in renovations. The Spanish Mission-style façade visible from several blocks away is an iconic architectural feature recognized throughout professional baseball. In return the Reds received the Pirates Class A team, the Lynchburg Hillcats. Mahaffey Theater At The Progress Energy Center. However, the lack of lights meant McKechnie Field could only be used for Spring training games and the facility sat empty 11 months a year. At this time, the Pirates were threatening to leave Bradenton for Winter Haven in search of better training facilities. According to Trevor Gooby, the director of Florida Operations for the Pirates, "McKechnie was built in 1923, and the clubhouse was probably built right after the stadium was built, so it was the oldest part of McKechnie Field". [2], The stadium was named McKechnie Field in 1962 in honor of the former Pirates manager Bill McKechnie. [31] The attendance of 5,882 fans for the game was the highest for the league's All-Star Game since 2006 and it was also the 3rd highest attendance in the All-Star Game's 53-year history. "[42], In 1989, for his book Spring Training, author William Zinsser chose McKechnie Field as a classic Florida baseball setting. However the Pirates were unhappy at Terry Park, their spring training home for 14 years, located in Fort Myers. The offices of the city's Public Works Department are next to the ballpark on land that was also part of the camp. Great view of the whole field. [9] McKechnie Field was also used as a backdrop for the 1987 HBO movie Long Gone.[11]. However, on November 10, 2009, baseball officials voted to allow the Pirates to purchase and uproot the Cincinnati Reds' Class A affiliate, the Sarasota Reds. Future Hall of famer, Hank Aaron played his first games in the major leagues in Bradenton as a rookie in 1954.

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