Nat Bailey Stadium

Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium
The Nat
circa 2006
Map
Vancouver is located in Canada
Vancouver
Vancouver
Location in Canada
Vancouver is located in British Columbia
Vancouver
Vancouver
Location in British Columbia
Former namesCapilano Stadium (1951–1978)
Nat Bailey Stadium (1978–2009, 2021–2022)
Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium (2010–2020)
Address4601 Ontario Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V5V 3H4
Coordinates49°14′35″N 123°06′23″W / 49.2431°N 123.1063°W / 49.2431; -123.1063
OwnerCity of Vancouver
OperatorCity of Vancouver
Capacity6,500
Field sizeLeft field – 320 ft (98 m)
Centre field – 385 ft (117 m)
Right field – 330 ft (100 m)
Backstop – 30 ft (9 m)
Outfield fence – 6–16 ft (2–5 m)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1951
OpenedJuly 15, 1951;
73 years ago (1951-07-15)
Construction costC$550,000
($6.26 million in 2023[1])
ArchitectWilliam Aitken[2]
Tenants
Vancouver Capilanos (WIL) 1951–1954
Vancouver Mounties (PCL) 1956–1962, 1965–1969
Vancouver Canadians (PCL) 1978–1999
UBC Thunderbirds (NAIA) 2000–2010
Vancouver Canadians (NWL/High-A) 2000–present
Nat Bailey Stadium main grandstand

Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, also known as The Nat, is a baseball stadium in western Canada, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is home to the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League High-A.

Stadium history

The stadium is located in Hillcrest Park immediately north-east of Queen Elizabeth Park in the Riley Park neighbourhood of Vancouver. It replaced Athletic Park, which had opened in 1913. Originally built in 1951 as Capilano Stadium, it was renamed Nat Bailey Stadium in 1978 for Vancouver restaurateur (and founder of the White Spot restaurant chain) Nat Bailey after his death to honour his tireless effort to promote baseball in Vancouver. On June 16, 2010, Scotiabank and the Vancouver Canadians announced a naming rights agreement that led to the name Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium[3] until that agreement ended in 2019 and the stadium reverted to its prior name.[4][failed verification]

The stadium was first home to the Vancouver Capilanos in the early 1950s and later attracted the Oakland Oaks, who became the Vancouver Mounties of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League, from 1956 to 1962, and 1965 through 1969. The PCL returned to Vancouver in 1978 with the Vancouver Canadians, owned by Harry Ornest. He purchased most of the primary assets of Sick's Stadium in Seattle and shipped them north for use at Nat Bailey.[5] The Canadians stayed in Vancouver through the 1999 season, then relocated south to Sacramento, California. The following season, a second incarnation of the Canadians began playing in the short-season Class A Northwest League and now play in Class High-A.

The stadium's seating capacity is 6,500 and as of 2019 they led the short-season A clubs in attendance and outdrew Vancouver's AAA team.[6] Their major league affiliation remains with the Blue Jays.[7]

The Canadians ownership signed a long term lease at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium in February 2007. They have significantly improved and modernized the stadium while also restoring parts of the park to their original 1951 condition.[8]

In April 2023, team officials announced that Rogers had acquired the naming rights to the stadium in an agreement through the 2027 season. The stadium was then renamed to Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium.[9]

Bud Kerr Baseball Museum

The Bud Kerr Baseball Museum is located inside Nat Bailey Stadium within the stadium concourse along the third base side. The museum, which opened on June 18, 2008, is dedicated to the more than sixty years of baseball that have been played in that stadium.[10] The museum is named for Bud Kerr, the team's official historian until his death in 2009,[11] and celebrates the players who have spent some of their careers there including: Rich Harden, Sammy Sosa, and Tim Raines, who helped open the museum.[12][10]

In fiction

The stadium was used as the home of the fictional Santa Barbara Seabirds Class A Minor League Baseball team in the "Dead Man's Curveball" episode of the television series Psych. It was also used as the home of the fictional Seacouver Chiefs in the "Manhunt" episode of Highlander: The Series. It is also the setting for a scene between MacGyver and Reggie Jackson in the MacGyver episode "Squeeze Play".[13]

References

  1. ^ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "William Aitken, Sicks' Stadium Designer, Dies". The Seattle Times. July 23, 1961. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "Vancouver Canadians rename "The Nat"". News 1130. June 16, 2010.
  4. ^ "Nat Bailey Stadium". MiLB.com. Minor League Baseball.
  5. ^ "Ol' Sicks' for sale – works". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. May 23, 1978. p. 18 – via Google News.
  6. ^ "2019 Affiliated Attendance By Classification". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Armstrong, Laura (December 13, 2020). "Blue Jays are ignoring geography to keep Canada's only minor-league team in Vancouver". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (June 21, 2006). "Wi-Fi in the minor leagues". CNET. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Reichard, Kevin (April 18, 2023). "New for 2023: Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Fai, Rob (May 1, 2009). "Bud Kerr Museum brings back memories for fans both young and old". Vancouver Canadians Baseball Club. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  11. ^ Hawthorn, Tom (July 28, 2009). "Ultimate baseball fan helped save Nat Bailey Stadium". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  12. ^ Scadden, Natalie (July 13, 2015). "Fun Facts from the Bud Kerr Baseball Museum". C's Extra Innings. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  13. ^ "MacGyver Shooting Locations". Richard Dean Anderson Website. Retrieved August 1, 2020.