Cashman Field in Las Vegas got a taste of Major League Baseball action from March 25-26, when the ballpark hosted its annual Big League Weekend.
In what marked their 13th consecutive visit to Las Vegas, the Chicago Cubs hosted the Cincinnati Reds in games on Saturday and Sunday. The games were met with strong attendance figures–a reported 11,455 fans turned out for Saturday’s contest, which was followed by Sunday’s total of 11,285.
During the regular season Cashman Field, is home to the Las Vegas 51s (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League). The facility opened in 1983, and its aging condition has prompted discussion of a new ballpark for the 51s. Some of its deficiencies–including cramped concourses–were evident during Big League Weekend, but the games were cited as a success by fans and 51s front office members alike.
51s president Don Logan credited the involvement of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which owns the ballpark, as well as Centerplate in helping to pull off Big League Weekend. More from The Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Cubs fans went home happy after watching their team’s offense erupt for more than 10 runs each day, thanks in part to Las Vegan Kris Bryant, who finished 2 for 3 Saturday with a double and home run and 1 for 2 Sunday with a double. Logan said the event was great from their end, despite the shortcomings of the park.
“The beauty of it is the (LVCVA) does everything they can,” Logan said. “They’ve worked tirelessly in the last months. The field’s phenomenal, they painted everything, there’s new padding, they cleaned everything, steam-cleaned it.
“The place is as good as it can be. (Concessionaire) Centerplate’s first couple games, they did a good job with the food and beverage. You just make do with what we have to work with.”
Big League Weekend resulted in a pair of high-scoring wins for the Cubs, who defeated the Reds 11-7 on Saturday before their 22-4 victory on Sunday.