Greenville Drive (BOS) @ Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS)
S: Marquis Grissom Jr.
Attendance: 3,634
Time of Game: 2 hours, 33 minutes
Stadium Facts
Location: Wilmington, DE
Opened: 1993
Capacity: 6,400
Level: High A
League: South Atlantic
Attendance: 3,634
Time of Game: 2 hours, 33 minutes
Stadium Facts
Location: Wilmington, DE
Opened: 1993
Capacity: 6,400
Level: High A
League: South Atlantic
My first official Minor League Stadium Tour stop was at a ballpark that I had driven past many times before, but had never actually visited. The original plan was to go to a game in Wilmington on a Saturday evening in April and then drive the very short distance up to Philadelphia to see the White Sox play the Phillies on Sunday afternoon. But after the Sox got off to a historically awful start (which has continued into a historically awful first half of the season), I decided I wasn't too interested in seeing them play in Philly of all places. I wanted to get this minor league tour started though, so I kept my plans for Wilmington and added a second minor league game on Sunday instead.
While I intend to write these recaps soon after my future visits to parks, in this particular case, I am sort of glad I've had a chance to see what a bunch of other parks look like to use as a comparison. Prior to this trip, and even in the immediate aftermath of it, I thought it was a little odd that a city the size of Wilmington would only have a High-A team. Most of my prior experiences at lower level minor league parks were at much less impressive facilities in smaller communities. Frawley Stadium is perhaps on the older side of current minor league parks, but it is a nice facility. And I like the location as well. While it is a bit South of downtown Wilmington, it is in an area that has been built up with a number of hotels and restaurants within walking distance. It is easy to get to as well, right off I-95. In fact, those traveling on the interstate are able to take a quick glance and see right into the stadium as they pass by.
Having recently visited a number of AA and AAA parks, I can now see how Frawley Stadium maybe isn't quite up to those levels in terms of size and amenities. There is only one level of seating and none in the outfield. Wilmington's extremely close proximity to Philadelphia might make it challenging to build a devoted fan base, particularly for a team not affiliated with the Phillies. However, this was a fun Saturday night with a nice crowd for an April evening. An unusual mascot, a celery stalk named Mr. Celery, made appearances on the field after every Blue Rocks run, high fiving kids sitting in the front row.
I had quite a bit of interest in the action on the field as well with Wilmington being a Nationals affiliate. Neither they nor Greenville had any particularly notable prospects who appeared in this game though. Neither team did much offensively in the first few innings. Wilmington took the lead in the 5th on a pair of runs, scored via a squeeze bunt and a wild pitch. Wild pitches were a big part of this game with six in total. The Blue Rocks scored three more runs in the 7th to take a 6-3 lead. Marquis Grissom Jr. was given the chance to close out the game on the mound. Yes, the son of a former All-Star outfielder is a pitcher. Things got a bit dicey in the ninth with the potential tying run at the plate. But the game ended on a great diving catch in right by Jonathan Thomas, preserving a 6-4 Blue Rocks victory. It was an exciting end to a great game to get my tour kicked off.
Next ballpark: ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood, NJ
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