Atlanta’s Other Lost Ballpark – Ponce De Leon Park

Ponce De Leon Park postcard

Long before Turner Field, before Fulton County Stadium, there was a wonderful minor league ballpark in Atlanta known as Ponce De Leon Park. Ponce De Leon was the home to the Atlanta Crackers and Atlanta Black Crackers. The Atlanta Crackers played in the Southern Association from 1901 until 1965, and played at Ponce De Leon in…

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Searching For The Baltimore Black Sox’s Lost Ballparks

The 1913 Baltimore Black Sox

Just south of Camden Yards are two historic baseball sites, the exact location of which was unknown until November 2013. The first was Maryland Baseball Park, located at the intersection of Bush Street and Russell Street, where the Baltimore Black Sox played from 1921 to 1932. The second was Westport Park, located two blocks south…

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Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes To Greenville And Stays

Joesph Jefferson Wofford “Shoeless Joe” Jackson was born in 1887 in Pickens County, South Carolina, just west of Greenville. He began his professional baseball career in 1908, playing first for the Greensville Spinners and then for the Philadelphia Athletics later that season. In addition to the Athletics, Shoeless Joe also played for the Cleveland Indians…

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Walter Johnson: The Montgomery County Farmer Who Could Also Pitch

Walter Johnson was arguably the greatest pitcher of all time. He played his entire major league career for the Washington Senators from 1907 to 1927, compiling a record of 417-279 and an ERA of 2.17 for often last-place Washington squads. Johnson struck out 3,509 batters during his 20 year career and was nicknamed the “Big…

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Lonaconing’s Own Lefty Grove

Robert Moses “Lefty” Grove was one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. He spent his 17 year major league career with the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics, compiling a record of 300-141 with an ERA of 3.06. Prior to his major league debut, he pitched for several seasons for the Baltimore Orioles…

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Albert Spalding and Point Loma Nazarene University

Baseball pioneer and Hall of Famer Albert Spalding played for two early major league teams in the 1870s, the Boston Red Stockings (who later became the Braves) and the Chicago White Stockings (later known as the White Sox). Towards the end of his playing days he helped form the National League and, with an eye…

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Charlie Ebbets’s Field

The Ebbets Field postcard

Ebbets Field was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913 until 1957. The ballpark was the brainchild of Dodgers owner Charlie Ebbet. He spent four years piecing together the land necessary to construct the ballpark when it became clear that the Dodgers’ home at Washington Park was no longer suitable. Located in the Flatbush section…

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