Frontier Field

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Frontier Field
Frontier Field.jpg
Location One Morrie Silver Way
Rochester, NY 14608
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Owner Monroe County, NY
Operator Rochester Community Baseball, Inc.
Capacity 13,500
Field size Left field: 335 feet (102 m)
Center field: 402 feet (123 m)
Right field: 322 feet (98 m)
Surface Grass
Construction
Broke ground November 16, 1994[1]
Opened July 11, 1996
Construction cost $35.3 million
($53.3 million in 2024 dollars[2])
Architect Ellerbe Becket
Bergmann Associates
Project manager Flaum Management Company[3]
Structural engineer Sear-Brown Group Inc.[3]
General contractor Christa Construction Corporation[3]
Tenants
Rochester Raging Rhinos (USL-1) (1996–2005)
Rochester Red Wings (IL) (1997–present)
Rochester Rattlers (MLL) (2001–2002)
Empire State Yankees (IL) (2012)

Frontier Field is a baseball stadium located at One Morrie Silver Way in downtown Rochester, New York. The park opened in 1996, replacing Silver Stadium in northern Rochester, which had been home to professional baseball in Rochester since 1929. Although the stadium was built for baseball, Frontier Field has had several tenants in numerous sports, including the Rochester Raging Rhinos of the USL First Division from 1996 to 2005, the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse from 2001 to 2002, and the Rochester Red Wings of the International League since 1997. The ballpark seats 10,840 spectators for baseball.[4]

Telecommunications company Frontier has held the naming rights to the ballpark since its opening in 1996. Frontier Field hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12, 2000.

History

Ground was broken on Frontier Field in November 1994. The stadium, designed by Ellerbe Becket, opened on July 11, 1996. Although Frontier Field was always intended to be primarily a baseball facility, it was constructed to be able to accommodate the Rochester Raging Rhinos soccer team as well.

Frontier Field, including the Rochester skyline to the southeast.

After the Rhinos left Frontier Field for PAETEC Park in 2005, the Rochester Red Wings became the sole full-time tenant at Frontier Field. As a result, the Wings made upgrades to the park to make the stadium a better baseball facility. The first notable upgrade, the installation of a new 24-foot (7.3 m) by 32-foot (9.8 m) video scoreboard in left field, was completed in time for the 2006 season. Originally, a new grass turf was to be installed following the 2006 season to replace the grass that has been beat up over the years from extensive use in baseball, soccer, and lacrosse.[5] No such replacement was made for 2007, but work commenced following that season and a new grass surface with an improved drainage system was installed prior to the 2008 season.[6]

Naming rights to the stadium were purchased by Frontier, the primary telephone company in Rochester, for $3.5 million over 20 years in 1996.[6] In December 2015 agreement was reached to maintain the name for a further ten years.[7]

Events

Top: Summertime Red Wings Baseball, Bottom: Wintertime RIT Tigers men's ice hockey during the 2013 Frozen Frontier event

The first event at Frontier Field was a concert by The Beach Boys on July 11, 1996.[8] The facility also hosted the 1996 Drum Corps Associates World Championships on August 31st, 1996.[9] The first sporting event was contested the following night as the Rochester Raging Rhinos played the Montreal Impact in an American Professional Soccer League (original A-League) regular season match. Rochester won 3–2 in front of an A-League record 14,717 fans.[10] The first baseball game at the stadium was the 1997 Rochester Red Wings home opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons on April 11, 1997. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre won 8–5.[8]

Frontier Field hosted the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12, 2000 with a sellout crowd of 12,810 on hand.[11]

The Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse played at Frontier from 2001 to 2002, when the team moved to Bishop Kearney High School. They moved again to then-PAETEC Park in 2006. The Rhinos played briefly at the University of Rochester's Fauver Stadium before moving to Frontier Field during their inaugural 1996 season. The Rhinos played at Frontier until 2005, when the team moved to the soccer-specific PAETEC Park (now Sahlen's Stadium) three blocks northwest of Frontier Field.

On July 10th, 2005 Bryan Adams and Def Leopard held a concert at Frontier.

The Red Wings moved from Silver Stadium to Frontier Field at the conclusion of the 1996 International League season. Currently, the Red Wings are the sole full-time tenant at Frontier Field and thus the stadium is now used exclusively for baseball and special events.


Frozen Frontier

Frozen Frontier was an outdoor hockey event in December, 2013. A sheet of ice was set up on the field and the Rochester Americans played the Lake Erie Monsters in an AHL game. There were also collegiate and high school games.[12]

Attendance records

On May 6, 2012, a regular season record crowd of 13,584 fans were in attendance to witness Andy Pettitte make a start for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees against the Pawtucket Red Sox. The game was originally supposed to be played at Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, New York but was moved due to a high demand of tickets.[13]

On May 18, 2013, the Pepsi Max Field of Dreams Game saw a crowd of 13,718. Local resident Johnny Perotti and his family played alongside players including Frank Thomas, Rickey Henderson, Johnny Bench, Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Reggie Jackson, and others.

The largest crowd to witness a baseball game at the stadium was when the Red Wings faced their then parent organization, the Baltimore Orioles, in an exhibition game attended by 13,723 persons on July 10, 1997.[14]

U.S Women's Soccer Team at Frontier Field

  • In the 1998 Nike Cup team USA played vs. Russia in front of 13,125 in a 4-0 win. In that game, Mia Hamm became the first American, male or female, to reach the milestone of 100 international goals. Also in that tournament Brazil faced off vs Mexico at Frontier Field where Brazil dominated, winning 11-0.
  • The largest crowd in Frontier Field history was on September 25th 2004 when the United States Women's National Soccer Team played an International Friendly vs Iceland on September 25th. Team USA won 4-3 in front of 14,870 fans.

With the creation of soccer specific Sahlen's Stadium a few blocks over, the U.S Women's Soccer Team started playing friendlies there instead of Frontier.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 1634 to 1699: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 1700-1799: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 1800–present: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2015/12/02/frontier-rochester-ballpark-naming-rights/76622706/
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the Rochester Red Wings
1997 – present		 Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by
Fauver Stadium
 Home of the Rochester Raging Rhinos
1996 – 2005		 Succeeded by
PAETEC Park
Preceded by
first ballpark
 Home of the Rochester Rattlers
2001 – 2002		 Succeeded by
Bishop Kearney Field
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