After exploring downtown Louisville on a warm and humid morning, we headed to the second ballpark on our first baseball trip of 2021. Arriving well before the gates opened at Louisville Slugger Field, we parked next to the stadium in a public parking lot adjacent to the right field wall. Since parking (a rather hefty $8) was presumably for the day, we left the car in the lot and wandered around nearby Louisville. Gates at the ballpark opened about an hour before game time (scheduled for 100 pm), and we returned just as fans were entering.
As is typical for a new ballpark, we walked around the outside of Louisville Slugger Field (home of the Louisville Bats, the Triple A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds). Though the ballpark opened in 2000, the brick face on all sides of the stadium gave it a retro field, and it fit in well with the surrounding buildings. Located in front of the ballpark is a statue of Pee Wee Reese. Raised in Louisville from the age of eight, the Hall of Fame shortstop played his entire MLB career with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, where he won a world championship in 1955. Reese returned to Louisville after his playing career ended, and later in his life, he worked for the owners of the Louisville Slugger company. Louisville honored its “native” son with a symbol that greets fans as they enter the ballpark.
Following our tour of the outside of the park, we entered through the side entrance (nearest the main parking lot). Greeted by smiling and helpful ticket attendants, we were reminded we were in Kentucky, where the hospitality was almost disarming to a couple of life long residents of the Northeast. Once inside, we were impressed with the inner concourse of Louisville Slugger Field. Reminiscent of Truist Park in Atlanta, the inner concourse had the look and feel of an MLB park, a feature not expected in a minor league stadium. In addition, a portion of the inner concourse was air conditioned, which was a welcome respite from the building northern Kentucky heat and humidity.
Walking along the concourse (which encircles the playing field), we wandered past the right field foul pole, where ongoing construction indicated additional seating in the right field corner, as well as a picnic area. While passing center field (and the batter’s eye), we found a grass covered seating berm stretched across left center field, in front of one of the two videoboards in the ballpark. We did not see anyone seated on the berm (it was probably too hot in the direct sunlight for that), but there were a few people milling around seats above the berm. Just beyond the berm was a left center entrance gate, for those fans entering from East Witherspoon Street.
From the concourse in left field, we were treated to some outstanding views of Louisville’s Main Street, as well as the Ohio River and southernmost Indiana to the north. As we would discover later, this part of Louisville Slugger Field afforded the best view of both the city and the river. Interstates between the ballpark and the river would obscure the Ohio River, but the gold colored bridges were visible. From the remainder of the stadium, only the tallest buildings in Louisville were visible over the forest green aluminum roof.
Seating in the lower level of the park extended from left field behind home plate to the right field foul pole, offering more than 10,000 green seats. There is a second level in Louisville Slugger Field, but unlike the vast majority of the ballparks we have visited in the US, we were not granted access (because we did not possess tickets stating our seats were located there). While we have become accustomed to exclusivity in MLB parks, this was one of the first examples of it we have seen in a minor league (MiLB) stadium. Hopefully the exclusivity seen here does not become more widespread in the future. Including the second level and private suites, the ballpark can accommodate over 13,000 fans, which makes it possibly the largest MiLB stadium we have visited (with regard to capacity).
To my mild surprise, there were plenty of seats available for the early afternoon contest. We have found that Sunday afternoon games are generally more lightly attended than Saturday night games, but the assembled crowd seemed smaller than might be expected. Perhaps the heat (with temperatures at game time near 90 degrees, with moderate humidity) or the small threat of thunderstorms kept the attendance light, but we were able to secure great seats just two rows behind the first base dugout. Unlike most ballparks, the home team occupied the third base dugout, placing us close to the visiting team, the Indianapolis Indians (the Triple A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates).
Unfortunately, our seats put us in direct sunshine, though intermittent clouds helped take the edge off the heat at times. After finding our seats, we sought out a baseball lunch at the concession stands scattered across the inner concourse. There were several places to eat within Louisville Slugger Field, but we were content with standard fare, along with plenty of cold drinks to combat the heat and humidity. Surprisingly, the cost of the concessions was much higher than I expected, at least when compared to ballparks in other portions of the US. These prices would become significant, as we attempted to keep well hydrated during the game. During the first pitch ceremony, three siblings threw out first pitches to the catcher, who turned out to be their father returning from active duty.
Our seats provided great sight lines for the entire park. Two moderately sized videoboards located in left center and right centerfield provided all of the essential information for serious baseball fans, and played videos and replays as well. The left videoboard displayed the hitter’s information, while the right videoboard showed the pitcher’s stats, as well as the score. Auxiliary scoreboards located above the second deck beyond the dugouts kept fans informed on the count, the inning and the score. As a dedicated baseball fan, I appreciated the multiple sources of data.
Crisp starting pitching from both sides kept the game moving, and only 41 minutes had elapsed by the end of the third inning. Clouds that had been building since late morning started to produce showers and thunderstorms, most of which bypassed Louisville Slugger Field. However, we did not escape unscathed, as mainly light rain showers (lasting about 20 minutes) did affect the ballpark, though it did not require a stoppage of play. Despite the rain, conditions did not cool off much, and by the middle innings, I began to feel the effects of the heat. In fact, many of the fans in the seats around us eventually sought refuge from the sun by heading to seats out of the sun, or into the cooler inner concourse.
We quickly discovered that Louisville Slugger Field was very close to the flight path of nearby Muhammed Ali Louisville Airport. Though planes did not pass directly overhead, we did see planes every couple of minutes come very close as they took off from the airport. Being veterans of the air traffic out of LaGuardia Airport over Shea Stadium in New York, we were hardly phased by the nearly constant planes passing by, but I did find myself catching a glimpse of the aircraft as they climbed out to wherever they were going.
In the bottom of the seventh inning of a scoreless game, we saw something of a rarity. Indians lefthander Braeden Ogle took too long to deliver a pitch, and the home plate umpire awarded the batter a ball. In the minor leagues (as well as the Atlantic League), pitchers are required to deliver a pitch to the plate within 15 seconds (20 seconds with runners on base), in an attempt to speed up the pace of play. Failure to do so can result in a ball being awarded to the hitter. Despite the presence of pitch clocks in most ballparks, this rule is rarely enforced, but I saw delighted that it was in this instance.
A home run in the top of the eight inning gave the visiting Indians a 1-0 lead, and it appeared as though the Indianapolis bullpen would make the single run stand up going into the bottom of the ninth. The Louisville Bats, which had been largely dormant for much of the game, came to life in the bottom of that frame. The Bats used three singles and a walk to plate two runs to secure a 2-1 victory. Even with the heat and threat of rain, most of the Louisville faithful remained to celebrate the hard fought win.
After the game, kids were invited to run the bases (which is not unusual for weekend games). In a surprise to us, all fans were permitted on the field for a game of catch. Nearly three hours in the heat and and humidity of northern Kentucky essentially wiped me out, and I was not up for a game of catch. With a long drive awaiting us, we did something that would normally be unconscionable; we did not partake in the opportunity to walk on a professional baseball field.
Louisville Slugger Field is a fine example of a Triple A ballpark, complete with all the amenities fans could need. The concourse area looks as though it was modeled after a MLB park, and ongoing construction indicated that the ownership was dedicated to improving the fan experience. Only limited access to the second deck, and the seemingly high concession prices, detracted from a great baseball atmosphere, and we were treated to an outstanding game as well. While I would recommend visiting the ballpark if you are in the vicinity during baseball season, being so far away, I am not sure we will return.
Baseball Travels 