BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field will be home to the MLB Little League Classic, a regular season game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. As you may know, Williamsport is home to the Little League World Series.
It was in March 2017 that the MLB Little League Classic was announced. MLB paid for a replacement to the playing surface and irrigation system as well as the relocation of the bullpens from foul territory to areas beyond the outfield wall. The total investment in BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field upgrades amounted to $4 million. So the Crosscutters won’t regret that this MLB game will take place at historic Bowman Field.
The multi-million dollar renovation also features new protective netting, dugouts, new field, new eating area, and the old bleachers now replaced by seats.
Attendance for the game will be open to participants of the Little League World Series and their families, and the contest will air nationally via ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. For Gabe Sinicropi, Jr., the Crosscutters vice president of marketing & public relations and the Crosscutters, the event will provide a chance to make an impression on fans both attending in person and tuning into the game. “We want them to think it’s a really cool place,” he said. “While it has some of the comforts and conveniences of today, it’s a ballpark that harkens you back to yesteryear. We want people to see that, and we can’t wait to show off our little slice of Americana here on 4th Street in Williamsport to the rest of the baseball world.”
Here is a time-lapse of the reconstruction of the ballpark.
The construction of Bowman Field began in October 1925 and the ballpark opened its doors on April 22, 1926. The construction cost $75,000 ($1.01 million in today’s money).
The ballpark has been home to various Eastern League and New York-Penn League teams.
The MLB Little League Classic will be played tomorrow night at 7.00 PM Eastern Time (1.00 AM Central European Time). The game can be watched at MLB.tv.
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