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Canal Park (Akron, Ohio)
Encyclopedia
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
located in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, that is the home of the Akron Aeros
Akron Aeros
The Akron Aeros are a minor league baseball team based in Akron, Ohio, USA. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.The Aeros play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 9,097 fans...
of the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
. The team is a double-A minor-league
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
affiliate of 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...
. The stadium was designed by Populous, the same architectural firm that designed Progressive Field, the Indians' stadium that opened three years earlier. The stadium takes its name from its location adjacent to the Ohio and Erie Canal
Ohio and Erie Canal
The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the 1820s and early 1830s. It connected Akron, Summit County, with the Cuyahoga River near its mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Scioto County, and then...
, which runs behind the left-field wall.
The stadium is designed as a single deck with the concourse at the top. All seats for Aeros games are sold for one price, regardless of number of rows from the field, except for right-field bleacher seating which is one dollar less. Seats extend all the way from one foul pole to the other (farther than most other parks at this level), and most sections contain 20 to 25 rows, although they taper to as little as five in the corners.
A series of 25 luxury boxes, and the press box, covers the concourse and the top few rows of seats from first base
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
around to third base
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
. The walkway down the right-field line is also covered, and contains a restaurant and the Aeros' team shop. A picnic berm in left field is available for pre-game rental by groups of 25 or more.
During the 2006 Akron Aeros season, the team celebrated its 10th season in Canal Park with several events.
Aside from Akron Aeros baseball, Canal Park will occasionally host special events such as local high school and college baseball, and the Akron Marathon.
Scoreboard
In August 2006, the park completed the installation of a new 18'x25' digital scoreboardScoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
to replace the original board with light bulbs
Incandescent light bulb
The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
. The new board has full color animation capacity and features a four color matrix display. The $386,000 project was originally expected to be completed in early July.. The entire scoreboard measures 56¼'x68' and is the largest free-standing scoreboard in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
.
Win-loss records
Below is a list of season-by-season records for the Akron Aeros at Canal Park:- 1997 Akron Aeros season: 51-90 (5th), manager Jeff Datz
- 1998 Akron Aeros season: 81-60 (1st), manager Joel SkinnerJoel SkinnerJoel Patrick Skinner is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former third base coach of the Cleveland Indians. Skinner was dismissed effective with the end of the 2009 season on September 30, 2009. He is the son of Bob Skinner, a National League outfielder in the 1950s and '60s...
• Lost to HarrisburgHarrisburg SenatorsThe Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
3-1 in first round of playoffs - 1999 Akron Aeros season: 69-71 (5th), manager Joel Skinner
- 2000 Akron Aeros season: 75-68 (3rd), manager Eric WedgeEric WedgeEric Michael Wedge is a Major League Baseball manager and former catcher, and is the current manager of the Seattle Mariners. As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in 1983...
- 2001 Akron Aeros season: 68-74 (3rd), manager Chris BandoChris BandoChristopher Michael Bando was a catcher in Major League Baseball in the 1980s, spending much of his career with the Cleveland Indians before also playing for the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics. He was formerly the manager of the South Coast League's Aiken Foxhounds and The New York - Penn...
- 2002 Akron Aeros season: 93-48 (1st), manager Brad KomminskBrad KomminskBrad Komminsk , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Despite a sterling record in the minor leagues, he never played well in the majors...
• Lost to HarrisburgHarrisburg SenatorsThe Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
3-2 in first round of playoffs - 2003 Akron Aeros season: 88-53 (1st), manager Brad Komminsk • Defeated AltoonaAltoona CurveThe Altoona Curve are a minor league baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve . The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club...
3-1 in first round of playoffs; defeated New HavenNew Hampshire Fisher CatsThe New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....
3-0 in ELCS - 2004 Akron Aeros season: 63-78 (5th), manager Brad Komminsk
- 2005 Akron Aeros season: 84-58 (1st), manager Torey LovulloTorey LovulloSalvatore Anthony "Torey" Lovullo is a former Major League Baseball infielder and current first base coach of The Toronto Blue Jays. He was the manager of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. He is an alumnus of the University of California, Los Angeles...
• Defeated AltoonaAltoona CurveThe Altoona Curve are a minor league baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve . The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club...
3-2 in first round of playoffs; defeated PortlandPortland Sea DogsThe Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....
3-1 in ELCS - 2006 Akron Aeros season: 87-55 (1st), manager Tim BogarTim BogarTimothy Paul Bogar is a former Major League Baseball infielder. Currently, Bogar is the third base coach for the Boston Red Sox.-Playing career:...
• Defeated AltoonaAltoona CurveThe Altoona Curve are a minor league baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve . The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club...
3-2 in first round of playoffs; lost to PortlandPortland Sea DogsThe Portland Sea Dogs are the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Established in 1994 and based in Portland, Maine, the Sea Dogs play in the Northern Division of the Eastern League....
3-2 in ELCS - 2007 Akron Aeros season: 80-61 (2nd), manager Tim Bogar • Defeated ErieErie SeaWolvesThe Erie SeaWolves are a minor league baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball club....
3-1 in first round of playoffs; lost to TrentonTrenton ThunderThe Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...
3-1 in ELCS - 2008 Akron Aeros season: 80-62 (2nd), manager Mike SarbaughMike SarbaughMichael "Mike" Sarbaugh is a former minor league baseball player, and is currently a minor league manager for the Columbus Clippers the AAA farm team of the Cleveland Indians. After attending Lamar University, where he was an all conference shortstop and earned a degree in kinesiology, Sarbaugh...
• Defeated BowieBowie BaysoxThe Bowie Baysox are a minor league baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the class-AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League...
3-1 in first round of playoffs; lost to TrentonTrenton ThunderThe Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...
3-1 in ELCS - 2009 Akron Aeros season: Defeated Reading Phillies in First Playoff Round and Defeated Connecticut Defenders 3-1 in Championship Series
In each season, the Aeros have been a member of the Eastern League and served as the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.
Attendance
| Season | Total attendance | League rank | Total Aeros openings | Average attendance per Aeros opening |
Average attendance per Eastern League opening (not including Aeros openings) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 473,232 | 1st | 71 (approx.) | 6,665 | 4,260 |
| 1998 | 521,122 | 1st | 71 (approx.) | 7,340 | 4,334 |
| 1999 | 522,459 | 1st | 71 (approx.) | 7,359 | 4,954 |
| 2000 | 481,060 | 1st | 71 (approx.) | 6,775 | 4,147 |
| 2001 | 485,582 | 1st | 71 (approx.) | 6,839 | 4,294 |
| 2002 | 400,187 | 3rd | 71 (approx.) | 5,636 | 4,284 |
| 2003 | 445,603 | 2nd | 71 (approx.) | 6,276 | 4,128 |
| 2004 | 478,611 | 1st | 71 (approx.) | 6,741 | 4,399 |
| 2005 | 455,056 | 2nd | 71 (approx.) | 6,409 | 4,468 |
| 2006 | 412,995 | 3rd | 71 (approx.) | 5,817 | 4,353 |
| 2007 | 355,376 | 6th | 64 | 5,553 | 4,831 |
| 2008 | 342,816 | 7th | 67 | 5,117 | 4,570 |