×

Pirates-Cardinals game could come to Bowman Field during LLWS

Plans are under way to bring Major League Baseball to Williamsport during the Little League World Series.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are planning to play their Sunday, Aug. 20, game at Bowman Field, amidst the Little League World Series held this Aug. 17-27 at Lamade and Volunteer Stadiums.

The possibility was first reported by Pittsburgh sports web site DKPittsburghsports.com. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the game would be on ESPN as part of Sunday Night Baseball and that an announcement could come as early as this week.

A spokesman for Major League Baseball said Monday that discussions were ongoing, but there was nothing to confirm at this time.

Little League declined comment. It releases the LLWS game schedule in June, but is expected to avoid scheduling games that conflict directly with this game.

The Williamsport Crosscutters, the short-season Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies who play at Bowman Field during the summer, are scheduled to play at Batavia on Aug. 20. The team offered no details on this planned game, but did release new information on continued improvements to Bowman Field this year which include new, and larger, dugouts relocated on traditional spots behind the first and third base lines, thinner and stronger netting to protect all stadium seating areas, and new Field Reserved Seats closest to the field that replace the old box seats.

Those upgrades are being financed through a $1.25 million grant from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

A lighting assessment is also expected to bring the stadium up to MLB requirements.

Other temporary considerations may be necessary, such as major-league quality clubhouses and a press tent.

DKPittsburghsports.com said any upgrades to the field itself would be made by MLB to meet major-league standards before the Crosscutters begin New York-Penn League play in June.

The Pirates and Cardinals are scheduled to play four games at PNC Park from Aug. 17-20. Each team has a player with Williamsport connections. Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen played 13 games as a professional rookie for the Crosscutters in 2005 when they were a Pirates affiliate. Cardinals outfielder Randal Grichuk starred in the LLWS in 2003-04 with Redmond, Texas.

Grichuk wondered if he could take batting practice again at Lamade Stadium.

“Special memories,” Grichuk told the Post-Dispatch about the possibility of returning to Williamsport. “There are a lot of special memories from that place. I’ll go check out the spots I remember, go see some of the places I remember.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has visited Williamsport repeatedly in recent years as part of his efforts at marketing baseball to kids. His 2014 LLWS visit coincided with a game featuring Mo’ne Davis.

An MLB game at Bowman Field would also be across the street from Original Field, site of the first Little League World Series games, and birthplace of Little League Baseball under Carl Stotz.

Bowman Field opened in 1926. Babe Ruth once brought a barnstorming team there. Future major leaguers who played there include Roger Maris, Jim Rice, Nolan Ryan and Jose Bautista.

Other regional connections to this planned game are Crosscutters owner Peter Freund also owns the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League, and the State College Spikes are a Cardinals affiliate in the New York-Penn League.

Last year, the Braves and Marlins played in Fort Bragg, N.C., in a 12,500-seat stadium. MLB and the MLB Players Association partnered in building that stadium. That game was an ESPN telecast, and only members of the military and their families could buy tickets.

The Pirates were also supposed to play the Marlins last year in Puerto Rico, but Zika virus concerns kept those games in Miami.

These developments mean all Bowman Field seating will be new for 2017. The lower seating section, closest to the field with its old box seats, will be demolished to make room for new Field Reserved Seats. These new seats will be 22 inches wide – five inches wider than the existing seats – and feature cup holders and wider aisles.

The Crosscutters had previously announced conversion of the former general admission seating to new individual reserved seats, which will now be known as Stadium Reserved Seating.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today