Kevin's Baseball Stadium Blog: Harbor Park

Charlotte Knights (CHW) @ Norfolk Tides (BAL)

August 23, 2025

Tides 4, Knights 2

W: Jose Espada
L: Zach Franklin

HR: Jose Barrero (NOR), Livan Soto (NOR)

Attendance: 8,241
Time of Game: 2 hours, 22 minutes

Stadium Facts

Location: Norfolk, VA
Opened: 1993
Capacity: 11,856
Level: Triple A
League: International

A week after I saw the Orioles AA ballclub play in Bowie, I drove down to Norfolk to see their AAA squad in action. This was not my first visit to Harbor Park. In 2017, Norfolk was my first stop on a trip down south to see each of the White Sox full season affiliates, including Charlotte, who were playing in Norfolk during the start of that trip. This year's game in Norfolk was also against Charlotte, my fourth time seeing the Knights in person this season. Despite having lived in Virginia for over two decades now, I am a bit of a novice when it comes to the Tidewater region. So it was nice to finally make it back down there.

Interestingly, the three highest levels of the Orioles organization, starting with the big league ballclub, all play in facilities that opened in a three year span from 1992-1994. Camden Yards is the gem of the trio, of course, but Harbor Park in Norfolk has aged quite well too. It is located right on the banks of the Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk. The river is not too far beyond the right field fence. Many points from within the park provide scenic views of the river and surrounding shipyards. The area beyond left field was a parking lot last time I was there, but will soon be the site of a riverside casino. There are no regular seating areas in the outfield. Only a picnic area in left field and a party deck immediately down the right field line. This does leave space for two large video boards, including one of the largest I've ever seen in any park, much less a minor league one, in right field. Both boards have been greatly enhanced since my last visit here. One unique feature of the park is a full service indoor restaurant down the first base line with windows allowing patrons to watch the game while having a meal. The lack of outfield seats in the park is made up for with an extensive second deck covering much of the area down each of the baselines and suites on the upper level behind the plate. The main seating bowl is split into two sections with a walkway between them. An expansive concourse runs above the lower level. Harbor Park has a very impressive variety and quantity of concession areas all along the concourse. There was a very large crowd on hand for this Saturday night game on a nearly perfect weather day.

Jonathan Cannon was the starting pitcher for Charlotte in this game. He had spent almost the entire season in the White Sox rotation before being demoted to AAA a few weeks prior to this game. For the most part, he's been struggling for Charlotte since the demotion, but had a solid outing on this night. He was opposed by Carson Ragsdale, a tall righty who the Orioles claimed off waivers from the Giants a few weeks prior. Neither offense was firing on all cylinders for this game. From a contact perspective though, it was a tale of two halves of the game for the Knights. They were able to consistently put the ball in play against Ragsdale, who did not record a strikeout in his four innings of work. But then in the final four innings, Charlotte did almost nothing other than strike out at the plate. Neither team scored until the fourth inning. In the top of the fourth, Knights slugger Tim Elko led off with an opposite field double off the right field wall. Ragsdale had a good chance of stranding him on base. However, with two outs and runners on the corners, Jacob Amaya blooped one into shallow center that centerfielder Jordyn Adams got a poor read on and the ball clanked off his glove on a sliding catch attempt, turning it into a two run single. That would turn out to be the Knights fourth and final hit of the ballgame, and the only two runs they would score. Norfolk answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth on a solo home run by Jose Barrero. He lined an 0-2 fastball into the picnic area in left. That was the only damage done against Cannon who pitched into the seventh inning. Neither team did much of anything during the next four and a half innings. Tides relievers struck out 10 Knights hitters in the final four innings, including the last eight who stepped up to the plate. As it turned out, Charlotte could have used a few more runs. For the first time all game, Norfolk put multiple runners on base in the bottom of the ninth, facing Zach Franklin who was looking for the save. Former Knight Ryan Noda walked with one out, followed by TT Bowens reaching on an infield hit on an excuse me swing chopped back to Franklin who slightly bobbled the ball before making a late throw to first. Noda and Jud Fabian, who pinch ran for Bowens, successfully executed a double steal to put the tying and winning runs in scoring position with just one out. A strikeout then set the stage for Livan Soto with the game on the line. He crushed a first pitch fastball into the bullpen beyond the right field fence for a three run walk-off homer. It was just Soto's third home run of the season and he entered the game hitting well below the Mendoza line, so probably safe to say that was the biggest moment of his season.

This was definitely not the first time I've witnessed a White Sox org team lose to an Orioles org team in excruciating fashion (for a Sox fan). In fact, it seems to happen almost every time I see the Sox play in Baltimore. So perhaps this was a fitting conclusion to this game. Despite how it ended, it was an enjoyable night in Norfolk. Next up was a game in Fredericksburg on my way home the following day.

Photo Album