 Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Baltimore, MD
The 2012 season marks
the Baltimore Orioles 20th anniversary at Camden Yards. Since its
opening it has
become one of the most influential ballparks built since Shibe Park
and Forbes Field pioneered the modern fireproof baseball stadium in
1909. When it opened in 1992 Camden Yards ushered in a new age of ballparks.
With an aging
Memorial Stadium, the Orioles and city official developed a plan
to build a new ballpark to be in
downtown Baltimore. The ballpark was built on land that once was
occupied by Babe Ruth’s father’s saloon. The owner of the Orioles at
the present time, Eli Jacobs, and the head architect, Joseph Spear
developed the
design for the ballpark. Camden Yards revolutionalized the design
and quality of future baseball stadiums. Since 1992, almost all
ballparks have been designed in a similar way. It was built similar
to ballparks built in the early 1900s. Instead of concrete, steel
columns, beams and trusses were used to support the ballpark. The facade
consists of brick with arches and the low raked upper deck keeps
the ballpark from looming over other buildings. Bleacher seats, a
 picnic area behind part of the centerfield fence and ivy on
the hitters backdrop give the ballpark a nostalgia atmosphere.
Behind the right field wall, the 1898 B&O Warehouse stands eight
stories high and spans several blocks.
The Baltimore Orioles played their inaugural
first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 6, 1992. The ballpark is nestled
on the edge of downtown Baltimore. Many fans enter Camden Yards
through the Eutaw Street entrance. Once a street that led into
downtown Baltimore, Eutaw Street is a bustling area between the
seating area and the B&O Warehouse. Fans can mingle, enjoy ribs and
barbeque, see plaques of legendary Oriole Hall of Famers, and enjoy
the sights and sounds of the ballpark. From Eutaw Street fans see a
plethora of
green seats in the main grandstand. Located below street level is the main playing field
that prevents fans from having to walk up to get to the lower deck
of the seating area. Large open air concourses allow people to
easily move around Camden Yards. Escalators, ramps and elevators
allow easy access to the upper deck.
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 The ballpark consists
of a three tier grandstand that stretches from behind home plate,
down the third base line around the left field foul pole, and
down the first base line. All 48,190 seats are green, replicating
ones in bygone ballparks. Additional seating is located under the main
score/video board in right center field. Two orange seats mark the
landing spot of homeruns by two Hall of Fame Orioles, Cal Ripken Jr.
and Eddie Murray. One in right- centerfield, marks the location of
Murray's 500th homerun, and the other in left-field marks the spot
of Ripken's 278th homerun, breaking Ernie Banks record for homeruns
by a shortstop. Fans can stand and watch
the game from behind the 25 foot high out of town scoreboard in
right field or in an area over looking the bullpens in left
centerfield. A beautiful grassy picnic and park area filled with
colorful, flower gardens and shady trees is located beyond
centerfield.
Recent improvement to Camden
Yards include a new 24' x 74' LED videoboard replacing the original JumboTron
in 2008 and the replacement of all seats before the 2010 and 2011
seasons. The seating capacity has decreased from just over 48,000 to
45,971 as the original seats in the club and upper decks were
replaced with larger ones. New for the 2012 season will be an newly
configured picnic area in center field honoring the six Orioles
members of the Baseball Hall of Fame with statues. A new bar and
seating area will be constructed on top of the batters eye,
concessions will be upgraded in the upper deck and the right field
wall will be lowered from 25 feet to 21 feet by the start of the
2012 season. Almost every new park since 1992 has
been built in the Camden Yards lineage of baseball-only intimacy:
Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Coors Field in Denver and PNC Park in
Pittsburgh. With its great setting in downtown Baltimore and
excellent views of the city, Camden Yards remains one of the best
ballparks in baseball, two decades after its opening.
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MEMORABLE MOMENTS AT CAMDEN YARDS |
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All Star Game: 1993
Cal Ripken plays in his
2,131st
consecutive game on September 6, 1995 passing
Lou Gehrig record.
Ripken's consecutive game streak ends
at 2,632 games
on September 20, 1998
Eddie Murray's 500th career homerun.
Team
record 59 doubles by Brian Roberts in 2009.
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2012 ORIOLES SCHEDULE |
UPCOMING GAMES |
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CAMDEN YARDS
PICTURES |
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