Dodger Stadium
From SoSH
| Location: | Los Angeles, California |
| Opened: | April 10, 1962 |
| Owner: | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Surface: | Santa Ana Bermuda Grass |
| Architect: | Captain Emil Praeger |
| Current Capacity: | 56,000 |
| Build Cost: | $23 Million |
| Tenants: | Los Angeles Dodgers (1962 - Present) California Angels (1962-1965) |
Contents |
Stadium History
When Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley was negotiating with the city of Los Angeles in 1957 over the deal that would take the Dodgers out of Brooklyn, he and a county supervisor took a helicopter ride over Los Angeles to look for potential stadium sites. When they flew over the undeveloped 300-acre lot at Chavez Ravine, surrounded by freeways and within sight of the downtown skyline, O’Malley is said to have pointed and asked, "Can I have that one?" The supervisor replied, "No problem."
Dodger Stadium was baseball’s only privately financed stadium built since Yankee Stadium (1923) and until Pacific Bell Park (2000). Until Denver’s Coors Field was built in 1995, Dodger Stadium and Chicago’s Wrigley Field were the only National League parks built exclusively for baseball. The California Angels shared Dodger Stadium from April 17, 1962 until September 22, 1965. The stadium was known as Chavez Ravine when the Angels were playing there.
Field Dimensions
| Left Field | Left Center | Center Field | Right Center | Right Field |
| 330' | 385' | 400' | 385' | 330' |
Wall Height
| Left Field Corner | Left Center | Center Field | Right Center | Right Field Corner |
| 4.58' | 8' | 8' | 8' | 4.58' |
Ground Rules
In addition to adhering to the Universal Ground Rules, Dodger Stadium also employs the following ground rules:
BACKSTOP AREA
- Batted ball striking camera on top of backstop: Dead Ball.
OUTFIELD AREA
- Batted ball hitting bullpen gate in either left or right field and bouncing into the seats: Home Run.
Trivia
- No drinking-water fountains when first built.
- Original design had a huge fountain in center field, like that in right-center at Kansas City’s Kauffman Stadium.
- Designed by architect Emil Praeger to be expandable to 85,000 seats.
- When foul poles were installed in 1962, it was discovered that they were positioned completely foul. A special dispensation was received from the National League so that they were recognized as fair, but the next year the plate was moved so that the poles are now actually fair.
- Painted every off-season.
- Infield dirt and outfield warning track was originally made of 70 percent crushed red building brick and 30 percent mountain clay and calcium chlorate.
- Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) was installed before the 1996 season.
- Palm trees beyond the fence down the foul lines.
- See-through windows in bullpen fence installed in 1974.
- Although the center field 400 sign came down in 1980, the distance is still 400 feet to center; the two 395 signs are left and right of dead center.
- Hosted the 1980 All-Star game.
External Links
- Update
