Estadio
Hiram Bithorn
As seen on the
left hand side of the postcard pictured below, Hiram Bithorn Stadium
is a smallish ballpark situated in a sports complex within San
Juan.The roof has since been painted blue as seen in other pictures
below.
Though the name
of the ballpark is Hiram Bithorn Stadium over the main entrance
gate, inside, under the scoreboard, the Spanish Estadio Hiram
Bithorn prevails.
The flags of
the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, & San Juan above the
hitters backdrop as Vladimir Guerrero waves to the fans in the bleachers between innings.
On the right
field wall are the retired numbers of three Puerto Rican greats
of the game. Interestingly, Hiram Bithorn, the first major leaguer
to hail from Puerto Rico, (who broke into the big leagues with
the Cubs in 1943), is not similarly honored. Apparently, the name
on the stadium was enough.
The foul poles
at Hiram Bithorn Stadium are on the short side as seen in this
image of the right field pole.
The light towers
over the roof seem to be on the verge of tipping over. Though
not clearly seen in the image to the left, there are cables which
are reminiscent of those above Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Also,
as with Olympic Stadium, the turf is artificial.
Baseball in the
tropics can be a little different. One interesting difference
within the ballpark is depicted in the image below. Hiram Bithorn
Stadium is the first ballpark encountered by the staff of ebaseballparks.com in which
vendors sell pina coladas in the stands.
In the foreground
are Roberto Alomar (on the right) and Rey Sanchez (on the left)
of the New York Mets, the first Puerto Rican born double play
combination to play in Puerto Rico. Also note in the background
that while the left field fence is only 315 feet away, it is not
much of a corner, as there is ample foul territory throughout
the ballpark making outs of foul balls that would otherwise be
in the stands in other ballparks.
Hiram
Bithorn Stadium- Panoramic Images
The following
images will open in new windows. To take full advantage of the
panoramic effect expand the window to a full screen.
Exterior
Interior
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