Hiram Bithorn Stadium facts for kids
The stadium in 2006
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| Location | Gobernador Piñero, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates | 18°25′0″N 66°4′23″W / 18.41667°N 66.07306°W |
| Owner | Municipality of San Juan |
| Operator | Municipality of San Juan |
| Capacity | 18,264 (baseball) 40,000 (concerts) |
| Field size | Left Field – 325 ft (99 m) Left-Center – 375 ft (114 m) Center Field – 404 ft (123 m) Right-Center – 375 ft (114 m) Right Field – 325 ft (99 m) Backstop – 60 ft (18 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass (1962–1994) AstroTurf (1995–2003) FieldTurf (2004–2015) Turf Nation (2015–present) |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1962 |
| Opened | October 1962 |
| Construction cost | 4.3M |
| Architect | Orval E. Sifontes Fontan AIA |
| Structural engineer | Martinez y Costa |
| General contractor | R.P. Farnsworth & Co. |
| Tenants | |
| Senadores de San Juan (LBPRC) (1962–1974, 1984–2000, 2003–2004, 2010–2011, 2014–2015) Cangrejeros de Santurce (LBPRC) (1962–1982, 1989–2004, 2008–2009, 2012–present) RA12 (LBPRC) (2020–2024) Atléticos de San Juan (PRSL) (2008–2011) Academia Quintana (PRSL) (2008–2011) Montreal Expos (MLB) (2003–2004; secondary) |
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Hiram Bithorn Municipal Stadium
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| NRHP reference No. | 13001118 |
| Added to NRHP | 22 January 2014 |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a famous baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was built in 1962 and designed by architect Pedro Miranda. This stadium is the home field for the Cangrejeros de Santurce baseball team. They play in the Puerto Rican Baseball League. For a short time, it was also a home for the Major League Baseball team, the Montreal Expos.
The city government of San Juan runs the stadium. It is named after Hiram Bithorn, the very first Puerto Rican player in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago Cubs in 1942. The stadium was built in 1962. It replaced an older stadium called Estadio Sixto Escobar. In 2014, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
How Big is the Stadium?
The stadium has about 18,000 seats for baseball games. The field has specific measurements for different areas. It is 325 feet (99 meters) from home plate to the left-field fence. It is also 325 feet (99 meters) to the right-field fence. The distance to the center field is 404 feet (123 meters). The fences around the field are 8 feet (2.5 meters) high.
Stadium History
Hiram Bithorn Stadium first opened its doors in October 1962. It quickly became an important place for sports and other events.
Early Events
The stadium hosted the first-ever outdoor National Basketball Association (NBA) game. This happened on September 24, 1972, during the preseason. The Phoenix Suns played against the Milwaukee Bucks, with the Suns winning 116–103.
In the 1990s, there were plans for a new baseball league called the United League. Hiram Bithorn Stadium was going to be the home for a team from Puerto Rico in this new league.
Major League Baseball Games
The stadium hosted a Major League Baseball Opening Day game on April 1, 2001. The Toronto Blue Jays played against the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays won the game 8–1.
Hiram Bithorn Stadium became a part-time home for the Montreal Expos baseball team. This happened in 2003 and 2004. The Expos played 20 "home" games there because not many fans came to their games in Montreal. Before the Expos moved to Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico tried to get the team to stay on the island permanently.
Major League Baseball returned to the stadium in June 2010. The Florida Marlins played a three-game series against the New York Mets. The Marlins won two of the three games.
In April 2018, the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins played a two-game series at the stadium. This was the first time since 2010 that a regular-season MLB game was played in Puerto Rico. Another series was planned for April 2020 between the Miami Marlins and New York Mets. However, this series was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
World Baseball Classic
Hiram Bithorn Stadium has hosted parts of the World Baseball Classic several times.
2006 World Baseball Classic
In 2006, the stadium hosted games for the first two rounds. Teams like Puerto Rico, Cuba, Panama, and the Netherlands played there. Later, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela also played in the second round.
2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic
The stadium also hosted games for the 2009 World Baseball Classic in March 2009. In 2013, it was again a host for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Teams from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Spain competed there.
Other Sports
In 2008, the stadium was home to two soccer teams. These were Atléticos de San Juan and Academia Quintana. They played in the Puerto Rico Soccer League, which was Puerto Rico's first professional soccer league.
The stadium has also hosted many professional boxing events. As of June 2020, there had been 71 such events. These included several world championship fights. Famous boxers like Carlos Ortíz and Floyd Patterson fought there.
Recent Challenges
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria caused damage to Hiram Bithorn Stadium. The stadium has since been repaired and continues to host events.
Concerts and Entertainment
Besides sports, Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a popular place for concerts and other shows. Many famous artists have performed there.
Shakira performed at the stadium twice. She was there for her Tour Anfibio on April 9, 2000. She returned for the Tour of the Mongoose on March 22, 2003.
In March 2023, Colombian singer Karol G held three special concerts at the stadium. These shows supported her 2023 album Mañana Será Bonito. Other artists like Bad Gyal, Feid, Maldy, Romeo Santos, and Sean Paul joined her on stage.
Notable Concerts
Here are some of the many concerts held at the stadium:
- The Byrds – April 30, 1967
- Santana – October 31, 1971
- The Jackson Five – July 17, 1973
- Blue Angel/Peter Frampton – August 22, 1981
- Blue Öyster Cult – October 28, 1983
- Bon Jovi/Scorpions: Love At First Sting Tour – July 13, 1984
- Ozzy Osbourne: Bark At The Moon Tour – August 4, 1984
- Men At Work – August 2, 1985
- Sting – November 9, 1985
- Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet Tour – February 21, 1987
- The Beach Boys – April 4, 1987
- Ratt: Dancing Undercover Tour – June 12, 1987
- Rod Stewart: Out of Order Tour – July 1, 1988
- Whitney Houston: The Bodyguard World Tour – April 24, 1994
- Phil Collins: Both Sides Tour – April 29, 1995
- Laura Pausini: World Wide Tour – May 10, 1997
- Olga Tañón - Ardiente - October 11, 1997
- Billy Joel – February 11, 1999
- Maná: Unplugged – May 6, 2000
- Backstreet Boys – May 19 & 20, 2001 - Black & Blue Tour
- Rihanna: Diamonds World Tour – October 29, 2013
- Bad Bunny: P FKN R – December 10–11, 2021
- Daddy Yankee: La Última Vuelta World Tour – January 6–8, 2023 (these were his final career performances)
- Rauw Alejandro: Saturno World Tour - March 31, 2023 and April 1, 2023
- Romeo Santos: Formula, Vol. 3: The Tour — May 20–21, 2023
Professional Wrestling
The stadium has also hosted professional wrestling events:
- WWC Anniversary Show 1984 - September 14, 1984 (Attendance: 34,383)
- WWF – October 19, 1985
Images for kids
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View of the stadium during a baseball game in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Estadio Hiram Bithorn para niños
