Orlando Says Goodbye to Historic Tinker Field
One of the country’s oldest baseball stadiums has seen its final pitch. The city of Orlando has decided to tear down historic Tinker Field as they renovate the Citrus Bowl near downtown Orlando.
Built in 1914, Tinker Field has hosted a myriad of baseball teams throughout its century long history. The Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins all called Tinker home for spring training. Thirteen different minor league clubs were based out of the stadium including the Orlando Caps, Tigers, Bulldogs, Colts, Gulls, Senators, Seratomas, Flyers, Dodgers, Twins, Sunrays, Cubs and Rays. The Florida League has had three different squads play at Tinker, including the Shockers (2004-06), Suns (2008) and Monarchs (2012-13).
Most of the players in the Florida League share a common goal: to reach the Major Leagues. For those who don’t quite make it to that level, playing on a Major League caliber field is a nice consolation prize. A number of players who had never seen the facility were surprised by the size and often questioned if it was home to a pro team. After learning about the history of Tinker Field, those same players would often walk away excited to learn that they were playing on the same field where MLB legends like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron once played.
“There’s no question that Tinker Field is one of the most historic baseball stadiums in not just the state of Florida, but the whole country,” said Rob Sitz, Florida League President. “I remember going to Twins games as a kid, and thinking how amazing it was to see MLB stars like Kirby Puckett and Frank Viola. I even got to see Michael Jordan play here when he was with the White Sox! When I later had the chance to play at Tinker during my college career, it was an awesome experience. We are sad to see Tinker go because it has been a great opportunity for our players to play there over the past decade.”
The Florida League’s two most famous coaches each have ties to historic Tinker. Davey Johnson, who coached in the League in 2009 and 2010, grew up in the Central Florida area. He actually served as a bat boy for the Washington Senators in the 1950s. “Spending time at Tinker Field helped me fall in love with the game of baseball,” said Johnson, who recently retired as head coach of the Washington Nationals. “I knew from a young age that I wanted to make a career in baseball because of my time spent at Tinker.”
Frank Viola may have spent more time at the field than anyone else. Frank spent every spring with the Twins from 1982-89 at Tinker Field. He loved the Orlando area so much, he decided to make the city his off-season home. “I spent my first spring training at Tinker. I loved that place,” he said. After the Cy Young winner’s career ended, he coached at nearby Lake Highland Prep, who played their home games at Tinker during construction of their on-campus field. When Frank took over as head coach for the Leesburg Lightning, he traveled to Tinker regularly to play against the Orlando Suns, who called the landmark home in the summer of 2008. “This place holds a special place in my heart. Having spent so much time here over the years, remembering some of my favorite baseball moments … I’ll be sad to see it go.”
A new baseball facility will be erected at McCracken Field, which is adjacent to the current location. The new field will have seating for 500 patrons, and will be used to host high school and college baseball games.
