Hadlock Field
Aerial view from 2023
Location271 Park Avenue
Portland, ME 04102
Coordinates43°39′25″N 70°16′42″W / 43.65694°N 70.27833°W / 43.65694; -70.27833
OwnerCity of Portland[1]
OperatorCity of Portland
Capacity7,368[1]
Field sizeLeft Field: 315 feet (96 m)
Center Field: 400 feet (120 m)
Right Field: 330 feet (100 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundMay 21, 1993[1]
OpenedApril 18, 1994
Expanded1995, 1998, 2002, 2006[1]
Construction cost$3 million[1]
($5.92 million in 2022 dollars[2])
ArchitectWilliam E. Whited Inc.[1]
Project managerThe Public Works Department of the City of Portland[1]
General contractorThe Sheridan Corporation[3]
Tenants
Portland Sea Dogs (EL/Double-A Northeast) (1994–present)

Hadlock Field is a minor league baseball stadium in Portland, Maine. It is primarily home to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League but also the Portland High School Bulldogs and Deering High School Rams baseball teams. The stadium is named for Edson B. Hadlock Jr., a long-time Portland High School baseball coach and physics teacher and member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

History and development

The park opened on April 18, 1994, with a capacity of 6,000. A year later, 500 seats were added, boosting capacity to 6,500. Expansion in 1998 increased capacity to 6,860 and in 2002 to 6,975.[1] About 400 seats were added in right field before the start of the 2006 season, and the park currently seats 7,368. Hadlock Field is located between Interstate 295, the historic Fitzpatrick Stadium, and the Portland Exposition Building, the second-oldest arena in continuous operation in the United States. In 2003, when the Sea Dogs affiliated with the Boston Red Sox, a replica Green monster, called the Maine Monster, was added to left field to match the original at the Red Sox' Fenway Park.[4] A replica Citgo sign and Coke bottle were added as well to make the field look even more like Fenway Park.

In 2006, the tenant Sea Dogs were Eastern League champions.[5] The left-field fence is 315 feet (96 m) from home plate, the center field-fence is 400 feet (120 m), and the right-field fence is 330 feet (100 m) away. New video boards were added prior to the 2014 season.[6]

Field of Dreams Day at Hadlock Field is always a special date on the Portland Sea Dogs schedule. It is celebrated on the first Sunday of September and is usually a sold-out event, which features the team wearing 1926 Portland Eskimos uniforms. Much like the Hollywood film, with the cornfield set up in center field, the Sea Dogs players receive a loud standing ovation when they began to emerge through the stalks and ran onto the field for the Fan Appreciation Day Game.[7][8]

In April 2018, Hadlock was named one of the 10 best minor league baseball stadiums.[9] During the 2019 offseason, new lighting was installed, replacing the prior metal-halide lamps with LED lamps and reducing power consumption by nearly 50%.[10]

When a Sea Dogs player hits a home run, or when the team wins, a fog horn sounds and a light house emerges from behind the outfield fence.[11]

Maine Monster

The Maine Monster is the nickname of the left-field wall at Hadlock Field. It is located 315 feet from home plate along the foul lines. It is 160 feet long and made of wood. Like the Green Monster in Fenway Park, it is 37 feet high and green. There is a 12-foot screen above the wall to catch home run balls. Seats cannot be added to the Maine Monster because there is a railroad track running immediately behind it. On September 18, 2002, the Portland Sea Dogs announced a new affiliation with the Boston Red Sox after nine years of affiliation with the Florida Marlins. To help train future Red Sox left fielders for the Green Monster and to add character to the ballpark, a likeness of the Green Monster was built. Construction started on October 28, 2002. The name, Maine Monster, was chosen from a contest of fans.

Green Monster Maine Monster
Distance from Home Plate 310 feet 315 feet
Height 37 feet
Length 240 feet 160 feet
Height of Screen 23 feet* 12 feet
Color Green
Material Sheet Metal Wood

* Height of Green Monster screen is from before the screen was taken down when the Green Monster seats were added

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Knight, Graham (July 6, 2010). "Hadlock Field - Portland Sea Dogs". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  2. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Hadlock Field" (PDF). The Sheridan Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 1, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
  4. ↑ Solloway, Steve (April 18, 2003). "Naming Game Is One That's So Easy to Lose". Portland Press Herald. p. 1D. Archived from the original on May 2, 2003.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (May 22, 2014). "Sea Dogs Sweep Doubleheader Against Binghamton". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (April 11, 2014). "Sea Dogs Win Hadlock Field Opener". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ Sotos, Wendy (2008). The Portland Sea Dogs. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5712-0.
  8. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (September 6, 2015). "Sea Dogs take win on 'Field of Dreams' day at Hadlock". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  9. ↑ Norris, Josh (April 25, 2018). "Top 10 Best Minor League Stadiums and Ballparks". Baseball America. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Sea Dogs unveil series of ballpark improvements". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball. April 22, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Hadlock Field named one of America's top minor league ballparks". Portland Sea Dogs. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
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