MLB: The Five Best Ballparks in Major League Baseball
By Ron Juckett
BEST OF THE REST
From historical to modern, these parks just are outside the top five, but are worth checking out:
— Millions have been spent refurbishing Boston’s Fenway Park over the last 15 years. Built in 1912, so much has been added and changed to the place that it is almost too much. New seats give fans views that are extraordinary and the neighborhood has turned into a friendly Boston Red Sox community. What has changed too much is all the additions has made Fenway a different park than 30 years ago. Before the luxury boxes and roof seats, left-handed pitchers hurled at Fenway at their own peril. Now, that disadvantage is gone. Still, Fenway oozes history and is worth the trip.
— When built in 1973, what was Royals Stadium was so different from other parks of the era it shook ballpark design. With a uniquely shaped scoreboard and waterfalls in the outfield, television made the place shine. A recent remodel of now Kauffman Stadium has modernized this gem. The Kansas City Royals have great fans, making the park special. The lone thing keeping it out of the top five is a new generation of stadiums that moved the bar higher. Great beer and baseball are in abundance at the “K.”
— Another refurbish gives Cleveland Indians home Progressive Field a good look. New lighting and scoreboards restored one of the newer parks into a better place to watch a game. Considered a retro park in design, from the bench bleachers in left to the grandstands, Progressive Field fits the city well. With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nearby and the Tribe playing well, the former Jacobs Field is under-appreciated.
— As a new neighborhood goes up around it, Washington’s Nationals Park transformed the Navy Yard on the Anacostia River into a vibrant community. With the Capitol Building on the horizon, Nationals Park does not look old, yet possesses enough originality to not be bland. When the construction is finished in the area, the park will be the centerpiece of a 21st Century masterpiece.
Next: The New Detroit