Sahlen Field


Sahlen Field is a baseball park in Buffalo, New York. Originally known as Pilot Field, the venue has since been named Downtown Ballpark, North AmeriCare Park, Dunn Tire Park and Coca-Cola Field. Home of the Buffalo Bisons since 1988, Sahlen Field was the first retro-classic ballpark built in the world, and is currently the highest-capacity Triple-A ballpark in the United States.
Sahlen Field was designed with plans for Major League Baseball expansion. Buffalo had not had a major league team since the Buffalo Blues played during the 1915 Federal League season. However, Bisons owner Robert E. Rich Jr. was unsuccessful in his efforts to bring a Major League Baseball franchise to the venue between 1988 and 1992.
The Toronto Blue Jays will play a majority of their home games at Sahlen Field during the 2020 Major League Baseball season.

History

Planning and construction

Former Mayor of Buffalo James D. Griffin and a group of investors purchased the Double-A class Jersey City A's for $55,000 in 1978 and relocated the team to War Memorial Stadium, where they began play as the Buffalo Bisons in 1979. Robert E. Rich Jr. purchased the Buffalo Bisons in 1983 and upgraded the team to Triple-A class in 1985 after buying out the Wichita Aeros franchise rights.
St. John's Episcopal Church originally occupied the venue's land at the corner of Swan and Washington. Constructed between 1846 and 1848 on land donated by Joseph Ellicott, the church remained in use until 1893 and was demolished in 1906.
The land then became the site of Ellsworth Statler's first hotel, Statler Hotel, in 1907. It was later renamed Hotel Buffalo after Statler built a new Statler Hotel on Niagara Square in 1923 and sold his former location. The hotel was demolished in 1968, leaving the land empty until the venue was built.
HOK Sport designed the downtown venue as the first retro-classic ballpark in the world. The City of Buffalo originally hired HOK Sport to design a $90 million domed stadium for the same parcel of land, but the project was scaled back. The venue was designed to fit within the neighborhood's existing architecture of the Ellicott Square Building, Main Seneca Building and Old Post Office. Located in close proximity to Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and along the newly built Buffalo Metro Rail, the venue would be an attractive and accessible destination for suburban residents. The same design firm would later bring this concept to the major leagues with Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The $56.4 million venue was mainly paid for with public funding. $22.5 million came from New York State, $14 million came from Buffalo and Erie County parking garages, $12.9 million came from the City of Buffalo, $4.2 million came from Erie County, and $2.8 million came from the Buffalo Bisons.
The venue broke ground in July 1986 and was originally built with a seating capacity of 19,500, which at the time made it the third-largest stadium in minor league baseball. The overall design allows for future expansion to accommodate a major league team, as capacity could be increased to 41,530 by double-decking the existing mezzanine.

Opening and reception

The venue opened in April 1988 and was lauded by mainstream media outlets, including feature stories by Newsday, New York Daily News, San Francisco Examiner, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Magazine and Vancouver Sun. Writer Eric Brazil wrote in his San Francisco Examiner article that the venue, "just may be baseball's prototype for the 1990s and beyond".
In their first year at the venue after moving from War Memorial Stadium, the Buffalo Bisons broke the all-time record for minor league attendance by drawing 1,186,651 fans during the 1988 season.

Alterations

Prior to the 1990 season, 1,500 bleacher seats and a standing-room only area within the third-base mezzanine were added, increasing the stadium's capacity to 21,050. The standing-room only section had its own bar and was referred to as Luke & Ollie's, named after former Bisons players Luke Easter and Ollie Carnegie. Easter and Carnegie are the only former Bisons players to have their numbers retired by the team.
In September 1990, Robert E. Rich Jr. attempted to buy the Montreal Expos for $100 million and move the team to Buffalo, but owner Charles Bronfman declined his offer. That same month, Rich Jr. and his investment group, which included Larry King, presented their bid for a Buffalo expansion franchise to the National League Expansion Committee. However, by February 1991 the entry fee and startup capital needed for securing a Major League Baseball expansion franchise had skyrocketed to $140 million, and Rich Jr. declined the chance to secure additional investors. Buffalo was one of six finalists for the 1993 Major League Baseball expansion, but franchises were awarded to the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins in June 1991.
In their fourth year at the venue, the Buffalo Bisons once again broke the all-time record for minor league attendance by drawing 1,240,951 fans during the 1991 season.
In June 1992, Robert E. Rich Jr. attempted to buy the San Francisco Giants and move the team to Buffalo, but owner Bob Lurie declined his offer. The proposed name for the team would have been the New York Giants of Buffalo, as the franchise had previously played as the New York Giants from 1885 to 1957 in New York City. That same month, the City of Buffalo chose to exercise an escape clause and buy back $24.2 million in federal bonds they had earmarked for expanding the venue to accommodate Major League Baseball.
Following the 1995 season, a new outfield fence was erected to make the park more hitter-friendly. Center Field was reduced from 410 feet to 404 feet, and the height of the fence was reduced from 15 feet to 8 feet.
The park's original scoreboard was retrofitted with a 38' wide by 19' tall video screen in 1999.
, investor in Buffalo's 1990 major league expansion bid.
Prior to the 2004 season, the stadium's Right Field bleachers were removed and replaced with a four-tier Party Deck. The removal of the bleachers decreased the stadium capacity to 18,025.
In 2011, the original scoreboard was removed and replaced by a high-definition LED video screen that is 80' wide by 33' tall. The screen is the largest in all of Minor League Baseball. That same year, a new $750,000 lighting system was added to the venue.
For the 2014 season, $500,000 was spent in improvements to the venue, including a new sound system and the installation of new LED message boards down both baselines.
In order to modernize the stadium, the venue began a campaign to replace older seating with wider seats in 2014. 3,700 seats were replaced prior to the 2015 season, reducing capacity of the stadium from 18,025 to 17,600. More seats were replaced prior to the 2017 season, reducing capacity of the stadium from 17,600 to 16,907. Additional seats were replaced prior to the 2019 season, further reducing capacity to 16,600.
In June 2020, the Buffalo Bisons canceled their season at the venue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their MLB affiliate Toronto Blue Jays announced in July 2020 that they would play a majority of their home games at the venue during the 2020 Major League Baseball season after the government of Canada denied them permission to play at Rogers Centre.
Major League Baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to fully fund renovations of the venue in preparation for the 2020 Major League Baseball season. Installation of a new LED lighting system, relocation of the bullpens from playable foul territory to behind the outfield wall, and construction of a larger clubhouse to allow social distancing were identified as necessary upgrades.

Naming rights

Pilot Air Freight of Philadelphia purchased the 20-year naming rights to the venue in 1986. The stadium would be named Pilot Field in exchange for the company paying the City of Buffalo $51,000 on an annual basis.
Pilot Air Freight of Philadelphia had their name stripped from the venue by the City of Buffalo in March 1995 after defaulting on payments. The stadium was then known as Downtown Ballpark until July 1995, when local HMO North AmeriCare purchased the naming rights and the stadium became North AmeriCare Park. North AmeriCare agreed to pay the City of Buffalo $3.3 million over the course of 13 years.
The Dunn Tire chain of tire outlets assumed North AmeriCare's remaining contract with the City of Buffalo in May 1999, and the venue became Dunn Tire Park.
Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Buffalo purchased the 10-year naming rights to the stadium in December 2008, and it was renamed Coca-Cola Field for the 2009 season.
Local meat packing company Sahlen's purchased the 10-year naming rights to the stadium in October 2018, and it was renamed Sahlen Field for the 2019 season.

Notable events

Baseball

Opening Day of the venue's inaugural season took place in April 1988 and saw the Buffalo Bisons defeat the Denver Zephyrs 1-0.
The seventh-annual National Old-Timers Baseball Classic was held at the venue in June 1988. The event aired on ESPN and saw the National League defeat the American League 8-2.
The venue was host to the inaugural Triple-A All-Star Game in July 1988. The event aired live on ESPN and saw the American League defeat the National League 2-1.
The eighth-annual National Old-Timers Baseball Classic was held at the venue in June 1989. The event aired on ESPN and saw the National League defeat the American League 8-7.
The June 3, 1990 game between the Buffalo Bisons and Oklahoma City 89ers with a post-game concert by The Beach Boys set the all-time single-game attendance record for baseball at the venue with 21,050 fans. The Bisons lost the game 7–6.
The ninth-annual National Old-Timers Baseball Classic was held at the venue in June 1990. The event aired on ESPN and saw the National League defeat the American League 3-0.
An exhibition between the Buffalo Bisons and their Major League Baseball affiliate Pittsburgh Pirates took place at the venue in May 1991, with the Bisons winning the game 3-2.
An exhibition between the Buffalo Bisons and their Major League Baseball affiliate Pittsburgh Pirates took place at the venue in May 1993, with the Bisons winning the game 4-2.
, who threw the venue's only no-hitter in June 1997.
The baseball events of the World University Games were held at the venue in July 1993. Cuba defeated South Korea in the Gold Medal game 7-1.
An exhibition between the Buffalo Bisons and their Major League Baseball affiliate Cleveland Indians took place at the venue in April 1995, with the Indians winning the game 2-1.
Celebration of Baseball, an Old-Timers Game to benefit the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association was held at the venue in June 1995.
The all-female Colorado Silver Bullets lost an exhibition to the all-male Queen City Rockers at the venue in July 1995 by a score of 2-1.
An exhibition between the Buffalo Bisons and their Major League Baseball affiliate Cleveland Indians took place at the venue in June 1996, with the game ending in a 3-3 tie.
Bartolo Colón of the Buffalo Bisons threw a no-hitter at the venue in June 1997 against the New Orleans Zephyrs, sealing a 4-0 win.
The venue was home to the Buffalo Nighthawks of the short-lived Ladies Professional Baseball League in 1998.
The venue was host to the Adam's Mark Celebrity Old-Timers Classic event in July 2000.
An exhibition between the Buffalo Bisons and their Major League Baseball affiliate Cleveland Indians took place at the venue in July 2002.
An August 30, 2002 game between the Buffalo Bisons and Rochester Red Wings matched the all-time single-game attendance record for baseball at the venue with 21,050 fans. The Bisons won the game 5–0.
In September 2004, the Buffalo Bisons defeated the Richmond Braves at the venue in Game 4 of their championship series to win the Governors' Cup by a score of 6-1.
The venue was host to the 25th-annual Triple-A All-Star Game in July 2012. The event aired live on MLB Network and saw the Pacific Coast League defeat the International League 3-0.
and Syracuse Chiefs – July 2018

Concerts

The Buffalo Bisons have presented a yearly post-game Summer Concert Series at the venue since 1988. The Summer Concert Series has included headlining performances by Aretha Franklin, Bill Cosby, Bo Diddley, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicago, Chubby Checker, Eddie Rabbitt, Foreigner, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Gloria Estefan, Huey Lewis and the News, Kansas, KC and the Sunshine Band, Loverboy, Michael McDonald, Reba McEntire, Styx, The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers, The Temptations, The Monkees, The Turtles, Tommy James, Tony Bennett, Village People and Willie Nelson.
The Budweiser Superfest music festival took place at the venue in July 1989 and included performances by Guy, Kool Moe Dee and New Edition.
The Bluestime Jam music festival took place at the venue in August 1995 and included performances by B.B. King, Etta James and Jimmie Vaughan.
, who headlined Taste of Country in June 2015.
The third-annual WEDG Edgefest music festival took place at the venue in June 1997 and included performances by Buck-O-Nine, David Usher, Goo Goo Dolls, Moist, Saturn Battery, Sloan, Tugboat Annie and Weezer.
WKSE presented their annual Kiss the Summer Hello music festival at the venue from 2001 to 2002, and again from 2009 to 2013. Kiss the Summer Hello included headlining performances by 98 Degrees, Ashanti, Carly Rae Jepsen, Emblem3, New Boyz, The Veronicas and Travie McCoy.
WYRK has presented their annual Taste of Country music festival at the venue since 2001. The 2015 event headlined by Dierks Bentley set the all-time attendance record for concerts at the venue with 27,000 fans.
WEDG staged their tenth-annual Edgefest music festival at the venue in May 2003, and it included performances by Cold, Finch, Hed PE, Klear, Powerman 5000, Seether, Smile Empty Soul, Staind, The Juliana Theory and Trapt.
The second-annual Buffalo Niagara Guitar Festival took place at the venue in June 2003 and included performances by California Guitar Trio, Chris McHardy, Doug Yeaomans, Hubert Sumlin, Jim Weider, Johnny Hiland, Larry Coryell, Murali Coryell, Savoy Brown, Sid McGinnis and The Yardbirds.
Counting Crows headlined a show at the venue in August 2007 as part of their Rock 'n' Roll Triple Play Ballpark Tour. They were supported by Collective Soul and Live.

In film

filmed the music video for their debut single "There You Are" at the venue in October 1990.
A low-budget film called Angel Blues was shot at the venue in August 1993. It was directed by William Zabka and starred Michael Paloma, Loryn Locklin, Meredith Salenger, Richard Moll, David Johansen and Michael Horse.

Professional wrestling

Ballpark Brawl was a series of post-game professional wrestling events produced by the Buffalo Bisons and promoted by Christopher Hill, their Director of Sales and Marketing between 2003 and 2007. The promotion's Natural Heavyweight Championship paid homage to The Natural, which was filmed in Buffalo at War Memorial Stadium.
TNA Wrestling held their unrelated BaseBrawl event at the venue in June 2011, headlined by Kurt Angle defeating Scott Steiner, and an appearance by Hulk Hogan. TNA held another BaseBrawl event at the venue in June 2012, headlined by Bobby Roode defeating Jeff Hardy to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Other events

Reverend Billy Graham staged his Greater Buffalo-Niagara Crusade at the venue in August 1988.
Artist Jenny Holzer commandeered the venue's scoreboard in July 1991 to display her famed Truisms. She was in town to promote the opening of her Venice installation at the Albright–Knox Art Gallery.
Jim Kelly held his inaugural StarGaze charity event at the venue in June 1992. The event drew a crowd of 14,500 and raised $150,000 for the Kelly for Kids Foundation.
Jim Kelly held his second-annual StarGaze charity event at the venue in June 1993. The event drew a crowd of 10,000 and raised $100,000 for the Kelly for Kids Foundation.
In July 1996, the Opening Ceremonies of the Empire State Games took place at the venue. Buffalo native Todd Marchant was the event's keynote speaker.
The venue has been home to the National Buffalo Wing Festival since 2002.
Reverend Franklin Graham staged his Evangelical outreach and music festival Rock the Lakes at the venue in September 2012.

Special features

Eateries

Consumer's Pub at the Park is a full service bar and restaurant within the park's first-base mezzanine that is open to the public year-round via an entrance on Washington Street, and exclusively to ticketholders on game days. It was formerly known as Pettibone's Grille from 1988 to 2016.

Hall of Fame Heritage Room

Plaques honoring all members of the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame are on permanent display within the Hall of Fame Heritage Room on the park's third-base concourse.
The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame was started by the Buffalo Bisons organization in 1985 to honor former members of the Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Blues, Buffalo Bisons and contributors to professional baseball in Western New York.

Tributes

, the father of Buffalo Bisons owner Robert E. Rich Jr., died in February 2006. His initials are inscribed above the owner's box of the venue in tribute.
Former Mayor of Buffalo James D. Griffin was posthumously honored by the Buffalo Common Council in July 2008 after they voted to change the venue's address to One James D. Griffin Plaza. A statue of Griffin was unveiled outside the venue in August 2012 to honor his contributions in constructing the ballpark and bringing professional baseball back to Buffalo.

Transportation access

Sahlen Field is served by Seneca Station on the Buffalo Metro Rail.

Climate