Dugdale Field was a baseball stadium in the Rainier Valley of Seattle, Washington, United States. It was the home of Seattle Indians and Seattle Giants and had a capacity of 15,000 people. It opened in 1913 and was destroyed by fire in July 1932.[1] It was named for Daniel E. Dugdale, a baseball pioneer in the area who had founded several teams.[2]

Dugdale Field
Panoramic photo of Yesler Way Park, the predecessor to Dugdale Field, in 1907
LocationSeattle, Washington
Capacity15,000
SurfaceNatural grass
Construction
Opened1913
ClosedJuly 1932
DemolishedJuly 1932
Tenants
Seattle Indians (1913–1932)
Seattle Giants (1913–1920)
Ballard Pippins (1914)

The city's first ballpark was built in 1898 at 13th Avenue and Jefferson Street adjacent to a YMCA in the Central District; it was primarily used on weekdays, while Sunday games were played at Madison Park. Dugdale had built a previous ball park called Yesler Way Park, at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Yesler Way in 1907; it was often referred to as Dugdale Park but predates the larger and later stadium built in Rainier Valley.[3] An exhibition game between the Seattle All Stars and Southwest Timber League on October 19, 1924, featured Babe Ruth, who hit three home runs for the All Stars.[4]

Dugdale Field also hosted the first football game featuring an NFL team in Seattle. On January 31, 1926, the Chicago Bears beat the Washington All Stars 34–0 in an exhibition game.[5] Dugdale Field was burned down in an arson fire on July 4, 1932.[3] Sick's Stadium was built at the same location, and the Indians were renamed the Rainiers after they moved there in 1938.[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ Richardson, Ron (December 7, 2005). "Seattle Indians: A Forgotten Chapter in Seattle Baseball". HistoryLink. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  2. ^ Eskenazi, Daniel; Crowley, Walt (July 5, 2001). "Dugdale, Daniel E. (1864-1934)". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  3. ^ a b O'Keefe, Vince (March 28, 1976). "From Denny to Dugdale to Dome". The Seattle Times. p. G2.
  4. ^ Dougherty, Phil (April 2, 2009). "Babe Ruth hits three homers in an exhibition game at Dugdale Park in Seattle on October 19, 1924". HistoryLink. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "NFL Exhibition Games Played at Neutral Sites". FootballGeography.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  6. ^ Hoffmann, Duane (April 27, 1999). "The OLD Ball Game". P-I News For Kids. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 3.
  7. ^ Karolevitz, Bo (April 12, 1959). "The Grass Is Greener On HIS Side Of the Fence". The Seattle Times. p. 2.