War Memorial Stadium (Hampton)
Encyclopedia
War Memorial Stadium is a stadium
in Hampton, Virginia
. It is primarily used for baseball
and has been the home of the various incarnations of the Peninsula Pilots
, including the current Coastal Plain League
incarnation. It is also the home for the Apprentice School
Builders
college baseball
team. The ballpark has a capacity of 4,875 people and opened in June, 1948.
Peninsula War Memorial Stadium was designed by the legendary Branch Rickey
as an affiliate for his Brooklyn Dodgers. The Newport News Dodgers won 3 Piedmont League
Championships before Brooklyn moved to Los Angeles and the Dodgers were no more in 1958. In 1963 the Carolina League came to the Stadium as the Top Class "A" club of the Washington Senators. The Peninsula Grays were born. The Cincinnati Reds
followed with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench
playing in the Stadium in 1965. The 1965 team also won the pennant for best record but lost in the playoffs. The Kansas City/Oakland "A"s followed until 1968 when the Astros came in. The following started a great era: the era of the Phillies. The name Astros was kept for 1969 when the Phillies came knocking. That's when the club adopted the nickname Peninsula Pilots, which was used 1971, 1976-1986, 1989-1992. The Phillies were Peninsula's affiliate for much of that time winning 7 Carolina League Division Championships, including 6 trips to the Carolina League Championship Series. In 1980 the club had a record of 100-40 and swept the Durham Bulls
in the League Championship Series. That team had a .714 winning percentage, which was the best in Carolina League history. It still stands as one of the top 20 all time records in professional baseball history. The Seattle Mariners
were the affiliate in Peninsula's last season and won the CL Championship. Then the era of professional baseball on the peninsula that dated back to 1893 was over. The team is honored by the Peninsula Pro Baseball Alumni Association and the Peninsula Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. Inductee and chairman is longtime Peninsula executive John Graham. War Memorial Stadium celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
. It is primarily used for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and has been the home of the various incarnations of the Peninsula Pilots
Peninsula Pilots
The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia...
, including the current Coastal Plain League
Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League is a wood-bat collegiate summer league, featuring college players from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from a Class D minor league baseball league which operated in the same area from 1937 to 1952. The modern league was formed with six teams in 1997...
incarnation. It is also the home for the Apprentice School
The Apprentice School
The Apprentice School is a four-year apprenticeship vocational school founded and operated by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company in Newport News, Virginia. The school trains students for careers in the shipbuilding industry...
Builders
Apprentice Builders
The Newport News Apprentice School athletic teams are known as the "Builders". The school is unique in that it does not grant degrees and therefore is not a member of either the NAIA or the NCAA, but has regularly competed in multiple sports against other degree-granting institutions in the...
college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
team. The ballpark has a capacity of 4,875 people and opened in June, 1948.
Peninsula War Memorial Stadium was designed by the legendary Branch Rickey
Branch Rickey
Wesley Branch Rickey was an innovative Major League Baseball executive elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967...
as an affiliate for his Brooklyn Dodgers. The Newport News Dodgers won 3 Piedmont League
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.- Former :...
Championships before Brooklyn moved to Los Angeles and the Dodgers were no more in 1958. In 1963 the Carolina League came to the Stadium as the Top Class "A" club of the Washington Senators. The Peninsula Grays were born. The Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
followed with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame...
playing in the Stadium in 1965. The 1965 team also won the pennant for best record but lost in the playoffs. The Kansas City/Oakland "A"s followed until 1968 when the Astros came in. The following started a great era: the era of the Phillies. The name Astros was kept for 1969 when the Phillies came knocking. That's when the club adopted the nickname Peninsula Pilots, which was used 1971, 1976-1986, 1989-1992. The Phillies were Peninsula's affiliate for much of that time winning 7 Carolina League Division Championships, including 6 trips to the Carolina League Championship Series. In 1980 the club had a record of 100-40 and swept the Durham Bulls
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the International League. The Bulls play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park located in the downtown area of Durham, North Carolina. Durham Bulls Athletic Park is often called the "DBAP" or "D-Bap". The Bulls are...
in the League Championship Series. That team had a .714 winning percentage, which was the best in Carolina League history. It still stands as one of the top 20 all time records in professional baseball history. The Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
were the affiliate in Peninsula's last season and won the CL Championship. Then the era of professional baseball on the peninsula that dated back to 1893 was over. The team is honored by the Peninsula Pro Baseball Alumni Association and the Peninsula Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. Inductee and chairman is longtime Peninsula executive John Graham. War Memorial Stadium celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008.