Overview of the Ballpark
Informally known by various names including
Philadelphia Base Ball Park and the Huntingdon Street Grounds,
National League Park—as it was officially called—was the home
ballpark of the Philadelphia Phillies between 1887 and mid-1938.
It gradually came to be known as Baker Bowl after William
F. Baker, owner of the Phillies between 1913 and 1930. Baker
Bowl was located on a square block in North Philadelphia.
The right field line ran parallel to Huntingdon Street; right
field to center field parallel to Broad Street; center field
to left field parallel to Lehigh Avenue; and the left field
line parallel to 15th Street.
There were actually two Phillies ballparks
at this location. The first existed from 1887-1894. It was
built at a cost of $101,000 and had a seating capacity of
12,500. There were 5,000 seats in a pavilion behind home plate
and 7,500 seats in grandstands that extended down the left
and right field lines. This original ballpark was the first
to offer pavilion seating for customers and the first with
outside walls built entirely of brick instead of wood.
Virtually the entire ballpark burned to
the ground on August 6, 1894. Fans were seated in temporary
stands for home games during the rest of the 1894 season.
Only part of the exterior outfield wall remained and was incorporated
into the newly constructed stadium.
The second ballpark was built between 1894-95
and was dedicated on May 2, 1895. It seated 18,800 and is
judged by historians as the “first modern ballpark” built
for baseball. The expanded stadium was the first one constructed
with a cantilever design—at the time a radically new architectural
technique in stadium construction. Using cantilevered concrete
supports eliminated many of the support columns in the pavilion
that had made for so much “obstructed view seating” in the
original ballpark and other existing stadiums. Use of the
cantilever design, according to one baseball historian, was
“ a defining moment for the future of ballparks.”
In addition, Baker Bowl was the first ballpark
to be constructed primarily of steel and brick. The double-decked
grandstand was built of steel, brick and concrete to prevent
future fires. The ballpark featured outer brick walls on all
four sides, three wide steel stairways between decks, and
a series of fifteen 30-foot heavy iron girders supporting
the platforms and roof of the upper deck. The latter was made
possible by the use of the cantilever system.
Built on an oddly shaped parcel of land, Baker Bowl had unusual
dimensions. From home plate to the bleachers down the left
field line was a healthy 341 feet, to dead center field a
respectable 408 feet. However, many a ball was rocketed off
the right field wall because it was only 280 feet from home
plate down the right field line, a neighborly 310-320 feet
in the right center field power ally. Because of the cozy
right field wall—60 feet high with a 20-foot screen on top—Baker
Bowl was often described as a “cigar box” and “band box.”
Noteworthy Events & Achievements
Unfortunately for the Phillies, their record
for the years they played at Baker Bowl was primarily one
of failure. While a fairly competitive team at the turn of
the century and the early part of the 20th century, the Phillies
finished higher than 5th place only once between 1918 and
1938 (a 4th place finish in 1932), and the club usually could
be found in the National League’s cellar during that period.
Still, the Phillies ballpark did have its
moments of glory and singular achievements. In 1915, one of
those moments took place when the Phillies hosted their only
World Series at Baker Bowl. The club played Boston in the
Series that year. In the first contest, Babe Ruth made his
initial World Series appearance, grounding out as a ninth-inning
pinch hitter for the Red Sox. Woodrow Wilson became the first
US President to see a World Series game when he attended the
second game of the 1915 World Series at Baker Bowl. Although
the Phillies lost the Series to Boston, they won the opening
game behind the pitching of Grover Cleveland Alexander. The
Phillies would not win another World Series game until 65
years later in 1980.
Babe Ruth’s association with Baker Bowl
would also be highlighted at the end of his career. On May
30, 1935, Ruth, now a member of the Boston Braves, took himself
out of the lineup after the first inning of the first game
of a doubleheader at Baker Bowl. He never again played in
a major league game.
For Phillies fans, Ed Delahanty, Chuck Klein,
and Grover Cleveland Alexander mostly earned their Hall of
Fame credentials while playing with the team at Baker Bowl.
On October 2, 1916, Alexander pitched his sixteenth shutout
of the season—still a record. In 1932, Klein was selected
the National League’s Most Valuable Player, leading the senior
circuit in hits (226), runs (152), home runs (38), stolen
bases (20), and hitting a remarkable .348 and driving in 137
RBIs.
Baker Bowl was also the sight of some highly
unusual events in baseball history. On Opening Day in 1938,
Brooklyn outfielder Ernie Koy homered in the first inning
in his first major league at bat. In the bottom half of the
same inning, Phillies second baseman Emmett Mueller homered
in his first big league time at bat!
Baker Bowl was also the site of many Negro
League baseball games. The Hilldale Daisies from Darby, PA
often played at the ballpark in the 1920s-1930s. Indeed, Negro
League World Series games were played at the ballpark in 1924-26.
In addition, between 1933-35, Baker Bowl
was the home field of the Philadelphia Eagles football club—the
team’s first three years as a franchise in the National Football
League. Thus, Baker Bowl became the first dual-use stadium
for professional sports in Pennsylvania—an idea that would
be formally resurrected with the construction of Veterans
Stadium for both the Phillies and Eagles.
Other Uses
Because of their meager finances, the Phillies
always had to seek ways to produce extra income, and one of
the best ways to do that was by renting the ballpark for other
sports activities as well as for non-sporting events. The
State Police staged an annual rodeo at the Baker Bowl in the
1920s. The Philadelphia Police and Fire Departments held annual
parades at the ballpark in the teens and twenties. The photos
that accompany this article were taken in 1916 during a police
parade. Shot from the third base side from just beyond the
infield, the photos show the infamous rightfield wall of Baker
Bowl. The Phillies would rent the wall space to advertisers,
and the wall is adorned with advertising for Moerlein Beer,
Young’s Y.P.M. Whisky, Boston Garters, B.F. Keith’s Vaudeville
Theatre, and other products. One photo shows the flagpole
that was a prominent feature of the ballpark, and it also
depicts the corner of the centerfield clubhouse. None of these
photos have ever been published before.
Years of Decline
Despite the revolutionary design and construction
methods Baker Bowl incorporated when built, the ballpark was
badly outmoded and in serious disrepair by the 1930s. With
mediocre teams, scant attendance, and poor finances, the Phillies
had no money to put into renovating—or even maintaining—the
stadium. The club finally abandoned Baker Bowl after the 1938
season was underway and moved down Lehigh Avenue to Shibe
Park—home of the Philadelphia Athletics—where the Phillies
would remain until after the 1970 season.
Baker Bowl was used for many activities
after the Phillies left including midget auto races. Finally,
in ramshackle condition and with parts of the old ballpark
falling down, Baker Bowl was razed in 1950.
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