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Doubleday Field / Cooperstown Hawkeyes

It is a relic of the myths surrounding the origins of America’s Pastime, a quaint village ballpark that for many years hosted a major-league exhibition game due to its proximity to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Still, Doubleday Field in downtown Cooperstown is a charming little ballpark that plays host to high-school, college and summer-collegiate games throughout the year.

FAST FACTS

Year Opened: 1939
Capacity: 9,791
Dimensions: 296L, 336LC, 390C, 350RC, 312R
Owner: Village of Cooperstown
League: NYCBL
Website: nycbl.com
Address: 25 Main St., Cooperstown, NY.
Directions: Main Street runs through the center of Cooperstown. It is within walking distance of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

On any given day (and it will be during the day; the ballpark lacks lights) there’s baseball being played at Doubleday Field in downtown Coopertown. The ballpark is the summer home for touring youth teams wanting to play a game in Cooperstown, as well as the NYCBL’s Cooperstown Hawkeyes, Though it was not, as myth would have it, the birthplace of baseball (indeed, baseball was a semi-established sport by the time Abner Doubleday rolled around), it is still a ballpark that is worth a visit during your trip to Cooperstown. Right off Main Street in Cooperstown, it’s a good place to swing by after you’ve made your run to see the plaque of your favorite Hall of Fame player.

Baseball has been played at this site since 1919; a grandstand of sorts was built in 1924. The current grandstand opened in 1939, a project funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

It is a basic facility, with bleachers flanking a small grandstand with the basic necessities, like small locker rooms.Though the stated capacity is over 9,000, that’s with every square inch of aluminum bleacher used. Most fans will want to sit in the smaller, covered grandstand.

The Connecticut Tigers (short season; NY-Penn League) play an annual exhibition game here, but 2008 marked the last MLB exhibition game scheduled for Doubleday Field — and, perhaps somewhat fittingly, it was rained out.

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