Borchert Field
Encyclopedia
Borchert Field was a baseball park
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. It was the home field for several professional baseball clubs for most of the years from 1888 through 1952.
The park was built on a rectangular block bounded by North 7th and 8th Streets, and Chambers and Burleigh Streets in Milwaukee. Home plate was positioned at one end with the outfield bounded by the outer fence, making fair territory itself home-plate shaped. This was a design used by a number of ballparks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when they were confined to a block that was too narrow to allow the foul lines to parallel the streets. The best known example of this design probably would be the Polo Grounds
in New York City
.
. (Podoll, p. 46)
The ballpark operated as the home of the Milwaukee Creams of the Western League, later renamed the Brewers. The Creams/Brewers played there through the 1894 season.
The ballfield was also sublet to the Milwaukee Brewers
club of the major league American Association
for the last part of the 1891 season, replacing the disbanded Cincinnati Kelly's Killers. 1891 was the last year of the AA as a major. The AA merged into the National League
for 1892, and the Milwaukee franchise was dropped.
The Western League version of the Brewers left Athletic Park and opened the Lloyd Street Grounds
in 1895, continuing to play there until they became a major league club in 1901 as part of the American League
, and then transferred to St. Louis Browns
in 1902.
A new minor league version of the American Association
formed in 1902, including a new Milwaukee Brewers
club. Meanwhile, another new minor league club, the Creams, began play in a new version of the Western League
. The Creams retained the lease on the Lloyd Street property, so the Brewers re-opened their 1887-1894 ballpark, initially calling it Brewer Field, although the name Athletic Park would endure until 1928.
Milwaukee was too small to support two ballclubs, and the Western League entry folded after 1903. The Western League and the AA formed a healthy rivalry, and would maintain business relations through the years, until the Western circuit folded after the 1937 season. The AA Brewers would play for 51 seasons before displaced by the Milwaukee Braves
.
Athletic Park / Brewer Field was renamed Borchert Field at the start of the 1928 season in honor of previous owner Otto Borchert, who had died the previous year, on April 27, 1927, at a baseball dinner that was being broadcast live on the radio at the time (Podoll, p. 218). During the 1920s, the ballpark had been unofficially dubbed "Borchert's Orchard" by the media (Podoll, p. 189).
Borchert Field was also home to Milwaukee's short-lived entries in the Negro Leagues and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
, the Milwaukee Bears
and Milwaukee Chicks
. The Chicks won a pennant in their only year of operation.
owned the team. The "PT Barnum of Baseball" brought an element of whimsy and marketing to the park, including fan giveaways of livestock, butter and vegetables, and staging morning games for third-shift wartime workers. According to his own autobiography, Veeck - As in Wreck, he claimed to have installed a screen to make the right field target a little more difficult for left-handed pull hitters of the opposing team. The screen was on wheels, so any given day it might be in place or not, depending on the batting strength of the opposing team.
There was no rule against that activity as such, so he got away with it... until one day when he took it to an extreme, rolling it out when the opponents batted, and reeling it back when the Brewers batted. Veeck reported that the league passed a rule against it the very next day. It has been speculated that the story was made up by Veeck; research by two members of the Society for American Baseball Research
revealed no evidence of either a movable fence or any gear (pulleys, etc.) required for it to work. Veeck would later employ these fence-moving shenanigans at Cleveland Stadium
when he owned the Cleveland Indians
in the late 1940s.
In that same book Veeck wrote: "Borchert Field, an architectural monstrosity, was so constructed that the fans on the first-base side of the grandstand couldn't see the right fielder, which seemed perfectly fair in that the fans on the third-base side couldn't see the left fielder. 'Listen,' I told them. 'This way you'll have to come back twice to see the whole team.'" Veeck's comments referred to the exceptionally high corners, which could theoretically hide the closest outfielder from a given spectator's view at times.
, which played in the National Football League
from 1922 to 1926, staged its home games at Borchert Field.
Borchert Field was also the host to the first Green Bay Packers
game held in Milwaukee - a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants
on Oct. 1, 1933.
Borchert Field was too small to accommodate Major League Baseball
. Milwaukee's city fathers, looking to attract a Major League franchise (the majors had flirted with a return to Milwaukee since Veeck had attempted to move the St. Louis Browns back to Milwaukee), built Milwaukee County Stadium
to replace Borchert Field. It was intended that the Brewers would play in County Stadium in the 1953 season, but early that year the Boston Braves
relocated to Milwaukee, so the final season of baseball at Borchert Field also turned out to be the last season of Brewers minor league baseball.
The former site of the stadium (and the entire block) is now fully occupied by Interstate 43
, Milwaukee's major north-south arterial
.
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. It was the home field for several professional baseball clubs for most of the years from 1888 through 1952.
The park was built on a rectangular block bounded by North 7th and 8th Streets, and Chambers and Burleigh Streets in Milwaukee. Home plate was positioned at one end with the outfield bounded by the outer fence, making fair territory itself home-plate shaped. This was a design used by a number of ballparks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when they were confined to a block that was too narrow to allow the foul lines to parallel the streets. The best known example of this design probably would be the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Baseball
Originally known as Athletic Park, the park opened for baseball in 1888 During winter it was flooded and served as an ice hockey rink. The ballfield replaced the Wright Street GroundsWright Street Grounds
Wright Street Grounds is a former baseball ground located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The ground was home to the Milwaukee Brewers of the Union Association in 1884, and minor league versions of the same team during early 1884 and 1885 through 1888....
. (Podoll, p. 46)
The ballpark operated as the home of the Milwaukee Creams of the Western League, later renamed the Brewers. The Creams/Brewers played there through the 1894 season.
The ballfield was also sublet to the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers (AA)
The 1891 Milwaukee Brewers were an American professional baseball team and a member of the minor league Western Association and Western League and the major league American Association. They were managed by Charlie Cushman and finished their major league stint with a record of 21-15...
club of the major league American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
for the last part of the 1891 season, replacing the disbanded Cincinnati Kelly's Killers. 1891 was the last year of the AA as a major. The AA merged into the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
for 1892, and the Milwaukee franchise was dropped.
The Western League version of the Brewers left Athletic Park and opened the Lloyd Street Grounds
Lloyd Street Grounds
Lloyd Street Grounds was a baseball park located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was used by two different professional baseball clubs during 1895-1903....
in 1895, continuing to play there until they became a major league club in 1901 as part of the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
, and then transferred to St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
in 1902.
A new minor league version of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
formed in 1902, including a new Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers (minor league baseball team)
The Milwaukee Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They played in the American Association from 1902 through 1952.-A Milwaukee Tradition:...
club. Meanwhile, another new minor league club, the Creams, began play in a new version of the Western League
Western League (defunct minor league)
The Western League is a name given to several circuits in American minor league baseball. Its earliest progenitor, which existed from 1885 to 1899, was the predecessor of the American League...
. The Creams retained the lease on the Lloyd Street property, so the Brewers re-opened their 1887-1894 ballpark, initially calling it Brewer Field, although the name Athletic Park would endure until 1928.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
.
Athletic Park / Brewer Field was renamed Borchert Field at the start of the 1928 season in honor of previous owner Otto Borchert, who had died the previous year, on April 27, 1927, at a baseball dinner that was being broadcast live on the radio at the time (Podoll, p. 218). During the 1920s, the ballpark had been unofficially dubbed "Borchert's Orchard" by the media (Podoll, p. 189).
Borchert Field was also home to Milwaukee's short-lived entries in the Negro Leagues and the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
, the Milwaukee Bears
Milwaukee Bears
The Milwaukee Bears were a Negro National League team that operated during the 1923 season, its only season in the league, representing Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
and Milwaukee Chicks
Milwaukee Chicks
The Milwaukee Chicks were a women's professional baseball team which played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the season. They were managed by Max Carey, former star player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Robins and a future Hall of Famer.-History:By 1944 the...
. The Chicks won a pennant in their only year of operation.
Bill Veeck
One of the more colorful times for the stadium occurred during the early 1940s when Bill VeeckBill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
owned the team. The "PT Barnum of Baseball" brought an element of whimsy and marketing to the park, including fan giveaways of livestock, butter and vegetables, and staging morning games for third-shift wartime workers. According to his own autobiography, Veeck - As in Wreck, he claimed to have installed a screen to make the right field target a little more difficult for left-handed pull hitters of the opposing team. The screen was on wheels, so any given day it might be in place or not, depending on the batting strength of the opposing team.
There was no rule against that activity as such, so he got away with it... until one day when he took it to an extreme, rolling it out when the opponents batted, and reeling it back when the Brewers batted. Veeck reported that the league passed a rule against it the very next day. It has been speculated that the story was made up by Veeck; research by two members of the Society for American Baseball Research
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research was established in Cooperstown, New York, in August 1971 by Bob Davids of Washington, D.C. The Society's mission is to foster the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball, while generating interest in the game...
revealed no evidence of either a movable fence or any gear (pulleys, etc.) required for it to work. Veeck would later employ these fence-moving shenanigans at Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
when he owned the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the late 1940s.
In that same book Veeck wrote: "Borchert Field, an architectural monstrosity, was so constructed that the fans on the first-base side of the grandstand couldn't see the right fielder, which seemed perfectly fair in that the fans on the third-base side couldn't see the left fielder. 'Listen,' I told them. 'This way you'll have to come back twice to see the whole team.'" Veeck's comments referred to the exceptionally high corners, which could theoretically hide the closest outfielder from a given spectator's view at times.
Football
The Milwaukee BadgersMilwaukee Badgers
The Milwaukee Badgers were a professional American football team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that played in the National Football League from 1922 to 1926. The team played its home games at Athletic Park, later known as Borchert Field, on Milwaukee's north side...
, which played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
from 1922 to 1926, staged its home games at Borchert Field.
Borchert Field was also the host to the first Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
game held in Milwaukee - a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on Oct. 1, 1933.
Later years
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Milwaukee's city fathers, looking to attract a Major League franchise (the majors had flirted with a return to Milwaukee since Veeck had attempted to move the St. Louis Browns back to Milwaukee), built Milwaukee County Stadium
Milwaukee County Stadium
Milwaukee County Stadium was a ballpark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1953 to 2000. It was primarily used as a baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Braves and Brewers, but was also used for football games, ice skating, religious services, concerts and other large events...
to replace Borchert Field. It was intended that the Brewers would play in County Stadium in the 1953 season, but early that year the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
relocated to Milwaukee, so the final season of baseball at Borchert Field also turned out to be the last season of Brewers minor league baseball.
The former site of the stadium (and the entire block) is now fully occupied by Interstate 43
Interstate 43
Interstate 43 is a intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Wisconsin, connecting Interstate 39 and Interstate 90 in Beloit with Milwaukee and U.S. Route 41 and U.S. Route 141 in Green Bay. I-43 is the 5th longest intrastate Interstate Highway of the Interstate...
, Milwaukee's major north-south arterial
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
.
Dimensions
- Left Field - 267 ft
- Left-Center - 435 ft
- Center Field - 392 ft
- Right-Center - 435 ft
- Right Field - 268 ft
Sources
- The Minor League Milwaukee Brewers, by Brian A. Podoll, McFarland, 2003.
- Ballparks of North America, by Michael Benson, McFarland, 1989.
- Green Cathedrals by Phillip Lowry, Walker Books and SABR, 2006.