Grant Field (Dunedin)
Grant Field was a baseball stadium located in Dunedin, Florida. It was the longtime home of Dunedin amateur baseball and the first spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as home to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Class A Florida State League. It was closed in 1989 and replaced with TD Ballpark built on the same site.
 Little League Baseball at Grant Field in Dunedin, Florida in the 1950s | |
| Location | 373 Douglas Avenue Dunedin, FL 34698 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 28°0′13″N 82°47′11″W |
| Owner | City of Dunedin Parks & Recreation Department |
| Operator | City of Dunedin Parks & Recreation Department |
| Capacity | 1,200-2,000 (1976) 3,417 (1977-1989) |
| Field size | Left Field – 345 ft Left-Center – ft Center Field – ft Right-Center – ft Right Field – 301 ft (1977-1983) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1930 |
| Opened | 1930 |
| Closed | 1989 |
| Tenants | |
| San Antonio Missions (TL) (Spring training) (1950s) Buffalo Bisons (IL) (Spring training) (?-1962) Dunedin High School (1961-?) FIL Tigers (FIL) (early 1970s) Dunedin Blue Jays (FSL) (1978-1979, 1987-1989) Toronto Blue Jays (Spring training) (1977–1989) | |
Background
The field was built in 1930. It was expanded in 1934 as a WPA project with a $250 grant from the Federal government.[1] It was named in honor of Dunedin mayor Albert J. Grant who oversaw its construction and dedicated on November 22, 1938.[2]
Grant Field served as the spring training home of the Texas League San Antonio Missions in the 1950s and the International League Buffalo Bisons who played their final season at Grant Field in 1962.[3] The Detroit Tigers Instructional League team played at Grant Field in the early 1970s.[4]
The Toronto Blue Jays announced on August 26, 1976 they had selected Dunedin as their spring training home. Dunedin was a 30-minute drive from the Tampa airport with daily flights to and from Toronto and nearby to other Major League spring training sites including the Phillies in Clearwater, the Mets and Cardinals in St. Petersburg, the Reds in Tampa, and the Pirates in Bradenton.
Grant Field was located near the downtown and the city improved the ballpark with new seats, fences, and clubhouses. The city increased seating from approximately 1,200 to 3,400, and brought trailers to the site to house the team's front office staff.[5] The first Toronto Blue Jays game ever was played there on March 11, 1977 when the Blue Jays beat the New York Mets 3–1 in front of 1,988 fans.
A new home clubhouse was constructed beneath the third base grandstand prior to the 1985 season.[6]
In 1990, at a cost of approximately $2.4 million, the City of Dunedin built a new stadium called Dunedin Stadium at the same location as Grant Field. It had a capacity of 6,106. The actual playing field and team clubhouses did not change.
References
- The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip: A Fan's Guide to AAA, AA, A, and Independent League Stadiums. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 194. ISBN 1599216272.
- Knight, Graham (May 21, 2009). "Dunedin Stadium". ballparkpilgrimages.com. Ballparkpilgrimages. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- Luisi, Vincent; De Quesada, A.M. (1999). Dunedin. Arcadia Publishing. p. 94.
- Carson, Ken; Millson, Larry (2016). From Hockey to Baseball: I kept them in stitches. FriesenPress. p. 91. ISBN 1460280113.
- Macleod, Robert (March 3, 2015). "Keeping the Blue Jays' annual coastal migration to Dunedin". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- Pahigian, Josh (2013). Spring Training Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Grapefruit and Cactus League Ballparks, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 27.
External links
- Reichard, Kevin (November 30, 2008). "Dunedin Stadium / Dunedin Blue Jays / Toronto Blue Jays". ballparkdigest.com. August Publications. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- "Grant Field - Dunedin Florida". digital ballparks.com. Digitalballparks. Retrieved January 11, 2020.