ORIOLE PARK AT CAMDEN YARDS--AMERICA'S BEST BALLPARK
When former Baltimore mayor William Donald Schaefer became governor of Maryland in the mid-1980s, he helped push plans for a baseball-only stadium through the state legislature. The plans also called for a football-only stadium next door and both would be financed by a new instant lottery game. Construction on an 85-acre site began in June 1989, took 33 months and cost $110 million. The success of Oriole Park at Camden Yards inspired other cities (Cleveland, Denver, etc.) to build their own versions of this new Retro style ballpark. Eli Jacobs, who owned the Orioles when the ballpark was built, wanted to call it Oriole Park. Schaefer preferred Camden Yards. Finally, they agreed on Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (from ballparks.com)
25th anniversary logo honors Oriole Park
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve of their jerseys in 2017 to honor the 25th anniversary season of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The logo, which was unveiled on Friday, will also be used on official game baseballs in all home games during the season.
The anniversary logo has a brick background with a silver number 25 and the years 1992 and 2017. The logo pays homage to both the iconic B&O Warehouse and the original Oriole Park at Camden Yards logo used by the club when the ballpark first opened on April 6, 1992.
Since its opening, Oriole Park has welcomed more than 67 million fans. A popular attraction for visitors to Baltimore, more than 980,000 fans have taken a tour of the venue. During the 2008 season, it became the fastest Major League ballpark to welcome 50 million fans, a record that stood until the San Francisco Giants broke the mark at AT&T Park during the 2015 season.
Tenant: Baltimore Orioles (AL)
Opened: April 6, 1992
Surface: Maryland Bluegrass
Capacity: 48,262
Architect: HOK Sport (Kansas City)
Construction: Barton Malow / Sverdrup; Danobe Construction
Owner: Maryland Stadium Authority
Cost: $100 million
Location: Left field (N by NW), Camden Street; third base (W by SW), Russell Street; first base (S by SE), Martin Luther King Boulevard; right field (E by NE), Howard Street.
Dimensions: Left field: 333 ft. (1992), 337 ft. (2001), 333 ft. (2002); left-center: 364 ft. (1992), 376 ft. (2001) 364 ft. (2002); deepest left-center: 410 ft. (1992), 417 ft. (2001), 410 ft. (2002); center field: 400 ft. (1992), 407 ft. (2001), 400 ft. (2002); right-center: 373 ft. (1992), 391 ft. (2001), 373 ft. (2002); right field: 318 ft. (1992), 320 ft. (2001), 318 ft. (2002); backstop: 57 ft. (1992), 50 ft. (2001), 57 ft. (2002).
Fences: 25 ft. in right field, 7 ft. elsewhere.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards Trivia:
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Site of the 1993 All-Star game.
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Camden Yards complex includes the Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse, the longest building on the East Coast (1,016 feet long by 51 feet wide).
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Warehouse contains Orioles offices as well as a cafeteria, sports bar, gift shop, and the exclusive Camden Club.
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Banks of lights are mounted on the roof of warehouse.
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Each aisle seat in the park features an 1890s Orioles logo.
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Unique double-decked bullpens in left-center field.
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Playing field is 16 feet below street level.
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Located only two blocks from Babe Ruth's birthplace.
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Ruth's father operated Ruth's Cafe at 406 Conway Street, the site of which is now located in center field.
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Faced with brick to present a traditional appearance.
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Bronze baseballs imprinted in the cement of the Eutaw Street walkway commemorate home runs hit in the ballpark.
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The "H" in "The Sun" sign on top of the scoreboard will flash to show a scoring decision of a hit and the "E" will flash to show an error.
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Fans yell "O" (for Orioles) in unison when "The Star-Spangled Banner" reaches "O Say does that star-spangled banner yet wave..."
Oriole Park At Camden Yards Ranked No. 1 MLB Ballpark
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — For the third consecutive year, Oriole Park at Camden Yards was ranked No. 1 MLB Ballpark Experience by Stadium Journey.
Every year, StadiumJourney.com ranks the 30 Major League stadiums using the FANFARE scale. The items included in this scale include “the food and beverage in the ballpark, the overall atmosphere, the neighborhood where the stadium is located, the fans, the access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and handicap accessibility), the overall return on investment, and any special or unique features.” So what is the secret to the Orioles success?
Lloyd Brown of Stadium Journey says, “Instead of tearing down the surrounding neighborhood, they embraced it and incorporated it into the stadium design. In the years since Camden Yards was built the Orioles have concentrated on every element of the fan experience by constantly upgrading the concession offerings, creating special promotions celebrating the diversity of Baltimore’s population and making customer service the first priority for its game day staff.”
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A red seat in left field (Section 86, Row FF, Seat 10) marks the spot where Cal Ripken hit home run number 278 in 1993, breaking Ernie Banks' record for most home runs hit by a shortstop. Ripken hit the seat again in 1995 while playing in consecutive game number 2130, which tied Lou Gherig's record.
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An orange seat in the bleachers (Section 96, Row D, Seat 23) marks the spot where Eddie Murray hit home run number 500 on September 6, 1996.
