Mulcahy Stadium
Encyclopedia
Mulcahy Stadium is a 3,500-capacity baseball park
in Anchorage
, Alaska
. Built in 1964, it is home to two teams of the Alaska Baseball League
: the Anchorage Glacier Pilots
and Anchorage Bucs
. In addition to the Glacier Pilots and Bucs, high school and American Legion games are played at Mulcahy. The ballpark is named after former Alaska Railroad
station auditor assistant William Mulcahy. It is located west of the Sullivan Arena
across a parking lot. It has a natural grass outfield and an infield of FieldTurf
. It has one of the largest capacities of any outdoor sports facility in Alaska. In 1999, five sections of aluminum bleachers were removed so that the Bucs' 3rd base clubhouse could be built. There are two rows of seating in front of the Bucs' clubhouse containing seats that were formerly used at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The OF dimensions are as follows, LF 325 CF 398 RF 325 backstop 60
There have been talks of demolishing the ballpark in favor of a new, modern park, with the hopes of attracting a minor league team, but no advances have been made.
The San Diego Chicken, the "Clown Prince of Baseball" Max Patkin
and "Morganna
the Kissing Bandit" have made appearances at Mulcahy.
The annual 4th of July
doubleheader between the Glacier Pilots and Bucs routinely draws crowds in excess of 4,000.
On July 31, 2003, a Cessna 207 Skywagon plane carrying the pilot and three passengers made an emergency crash landing, rolling just behind the left field fence as a game between the Bucs and the Alaska Goldpanners was on at Mulcahy, and a soccer game was being played at the field behind it (Anchorage Football Stadium
). Players and spectators rushed to the wreckage to help. Three aboard the plane walked away with minor injuries while one received substantial injuries.
The field received a new scoreboard, new exterior fencing, new gray box seats, and the press box and grandstand were repainted for the 2007 season. In 2008, four sections of aluminum bleachers were replaced with the Home Brew Alley expansion, a wooden multi-tiered beer garden, that was installed on the first base line. After the 2009 season, the dugouts were expanded, the bullpens were relocated out-of-play, and FieldTurf
was installed in the infield and foul territory. As of 2010, the pitcher's mound is the only spot with actual dirt.
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
in Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Built in 1964, it is home to two teams of the Alaska Baseball League
Alaska Baseball League
The Alaska Baseball League is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league, with six teams located in four Alaskan cities. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining....
: the Anchorage Glacier Pilots
Anchorage Glacier Pilots
The Anchorage Glacier Pilots are a college summer baseball team in Anchorage, Alaska. They are part of the Alaska Baseball League, and a member of the National Baseball Congress....
and Anchorage Bucs
Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club
The Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club is a college summer baseball team in Anchorage, Alaska. The team has been a member of the Alaska Baseball League since 1981....
. In addition to the Glacier Pilots and Bucs, high school and American Legion games are played at Mulcahy. The ballpark is named after former Alaska Railroad
Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...
station auditor assistant William Mulcahy. It is located west of the Sullivan Arena
Sullivan Arena
The George M. Sullivan Arena is an arena in Anchorage, Alaska. The arena opened in 1983 and has a seating capacity of 8,700 for basketball, 6,251 for hockey...
across a parking lot. It has a natural grass outfield and an infield of FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
. It has one of the largest capacities of any outdoor sports facility in Alaska. In 1999, five sections of aluminum bleachers were removed so that the Bucs' 3rd base clubhouse could be built. There are two rows of seating in front of the Bucs' clubhouse containing seats that were formerly used at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
The OF dimensions are as follows, LF 325 CF 398 RF 325 backstop 60
There have been talks of demolishing the ballpark in favor of a new, modern park, with the hopes of attracting a minor league team, but no advances have been made.
The San Diego Chicken, the "Clown Prince of Baseball" Max Patkin
Max Patkin
Max Patkin was an American baseball player and clown, best known as the Clown Prince of Baseball ....
and "Morganna
Morganna
Morganna Roberts is an entertainer who became known as Morganna or Morganna, the Kissing Bandit in baseball and other sports from 1970 through the 1990s...
the Kissing Bandit" have made appearances at Mulcahy.
The annual 4th of July
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
doubleheader between the Glacier Pilots and Bucs routinely draws crowds in excess of 4,000.
On July 31, 2003, a Cessna 207 Skywagon plane carrying the pilot and three passengers made an emergency crash landing, rolling just behind the left field fence as a game between the Bucs and the Alaska Goldpanners was on at Mulcahy, and a soccer game was being played at the field behind it (Anchorage Football Stadium
Anchorage Football Stadium
The Anchorage Football Stadium is a 4,500-seat stadium in Anchorage, Alaska used for American football, track and field, and soccer. Anchorage Football Stadium is located next to Mulcahy Stadium and Sullivan Arena...
). Players and spectators rushed to the wreckage to help. Three aboard the plane walked away with minor injuries while one received substantial injuries.
The field received a new scoreboard, new exterior fencing, new gray box seats, and the press box and grandstand were repainted for the 2007 season. In 2008, four sections of aluminum bleachers were replaced with the Home Brew Alley expansion, a wooden multi-tiered beer garden, that was installed on the first base line. After the 2009 season, the dugouts were expanded, the bullpens were relocated out-of-play, and FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
was installed in the infield and foul territory. As of 2010, the pitcher's mound is the only spot with actual dirt.