U.S. Steel Yard facts for kids
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U.S. Steel Yard with I-90 in the background
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| Former names | RailCats Stadium (2001–2002) |
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| Location | One Stadium Plaza Gary, Indiana 46402 |
| Owner | Gary, Indiana |
| Operator | Gary SouthShore RailCats |
| Capacity | 6,139 (with lawn seating at least 7,000) |
| Field size | Left - 320' Left-center - 380' Center - 400' Right-center - 390' Right - 335' |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 22, 2001 |
| Opened | August 9, 2002 |
| Construction cost | $45 million |
| Architect | HNTB |
| Tenants | |
| Gary SouthShore RailCats (NL/AA) 2002–present | |
The U.S. Steel Yard is a cool outdoor baseball stadium in Gary, Indiana. It's right next to I-90 in the city's Emerson area. This stadium is the home field for the Gary SouthShore RailCats, a professional baseball team. They are part of the American Association.
The stadium can hold 6,139 people in seats, and even more with extra lawn seating. Besides professional games, it's a popular spot for Little League Baseball and high school baseball games. A special event happened here on July 10, 2009. Over 6,000 fans came for a memorial service for pop music star Michael Jackson, who was from Gary. Many members of his family were there too. More than 2 million fans have visited the U.S. Steel Yard to watch the RailCats play over the years.
Contents
Discovering U.S. Steel Yard's Story
Let's take a look at how this awesome baseball stadium came to be!
How the Stadium Was Built
Back in February 2001, a baseball league called the Northern League decided to add a new team in Gary, Indiana. A company called Victory Sports Group took on the job of building a new stadium in downtown Gary. In July 2001, the city of Gary and Victory Sports Group agreed on a plan. They would build a modern baseball park, hoping to finish it by May 2002. The first ceremony to start building happened around this time.
In September 2001, the new baseball team got its name: the Gary SouthShore RailCats. Their new stadium was first called RailCats Stadium. However, there was a delay! In October 2001, everyone involved realized the stadium wouldn't be ready for the 2002 baseball season. This meant the RailCats had to play all their games away from home that first year. They traveled over 12,000 miles and spent more than 800 hours on buses!
Finally, RailCats Stadium was finished in August 2002. There was a special opening event on August 8. The very first baseball games played there were part of a Little League Baseball tournament the next week. The stadium also hosted music events, like Gospel and Blues concerts.
First Games and New Name
In May 2003, the RailCats' owners and a company called U.S. Steel made a deal. U.S. Steel bought the "naming rights" for the stadium for 10 years. This meant the stadium was renamed U.S. Steel Yard.
On May 26, 2003, the RailCats played their very first home game in the new stadium. It was a sold-out crowd of 7,089 fans! The first pitch was thrown at 3:28 PM. Even though the RailCats lost that game, they made history. The next day, on May 27, outfielder Billy Brown hit the first home run in U.S. Steel Yard. The RailCats also got their first win in the new park, beating the Schaumburg Flyers 5–4. Many fans came to watch the games that year, with an average of over 3,000 people per game.
Big Games and Fan Fun
The U.S. Steel Yard continued to be a popular place for baseball. In 2004, even more fans came to watch the RailCats play. On 12 different days, over 4,000 fans showed up, and two games were completely sold out!
In 2005, U.S. Steel Yard hosted a big event: the Northern League's annual all-star game on July 19. It was sponsored by U.S. Steel. The North Division team won against the South Division team with a score of 5–1. A huge crowd of 6,825 people watched, making it one of the biggest attendances in the stadium's history! That same year, the RailCats made it to the playoffs for the first time. They played in the Northern League Championship Series.
By September 2009, a special milestone was reached: the one millionth fan walked into U.S. Steel Yard! This showed how much people loved coming to watch the RailCats.
Remembering Michael Jackson
On July 10, 2009, U.S. Steel Yard held a memorial service for Michael Jackson. He was a famous pop musician and grew up in Gary. More than 6,000 fans came to the service. Local musicians played some of Jackson's songs as a tribute. Gary's mayor, Rudy Clay, showed a 7-foot, 4-inch granite plaque of Michael Jackson. About 20 of Jackson's cousins attended, along with his father, Joe Jackson, and Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Hosting College Baseball Tournaments
U.S. Steel Yard isn't just for professional and local games. It has also hosted important college baseball tournaments!
2012 NCAA Baseball Regional
In 2012, the Purdue Boilermakers chose U.S. Steel Yard to host their regional part of the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. This is a big college baseball championship. Teams like the Kentucky Wildcats, the Kent State Golden Flashes, and the Valparaiso Crusaders played in Gary from June 1–4, 2012. The Kent State Golden Flashes won the regional and moved on to the next round of the tournament.
