Game Delayed, Sun
Walking into the Sam Lynn Ball Park in Sep-1994, when it was a Dodgers facility.
The screen protects batters’ eyes from the sun, as the field faces due west.
Quick Facts:
- Location: Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, Calif.
- Opened: 1941
- Home team: Bakersfield Badgers (1941-42), Indians (1946-55), Boosters (1956), Bears (1957-67), Dodgers (1968-75, 1984-95), Outlaws (1978-79), Mariners (1982-83), Blaze (1996-present), California League
- Capacity: 4,200
Rating:
2 baseballs
I’ll admit, I didn’t do my homework. Until recently, I had no idea who Sam Lynn is or was. (A correspondent from Bakersfield told me in early 2001 that he was the local Coca-Cola bottler who brought professional baseball to the city.) His name, however, remains on the old ballpark in Bakersfield, Calif., the home of one of the two “sun delays” in professional baseball (along with Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Mass.).
Sam Lynn and Wahconah have the joint distinction of a line from home plate through the pitcher’s box to second base running due west. When the park was built in the 1940s, this wasn’t a problem; however, with the advent of lights, the setting sun can get into the batter’s eyes.
As a result, the folks in Bakersfield have erected a huge screen in the outfield, and the starts of games here are often delayed until the sun dips behind the screen.
A new park has been proposed for Bakersfield, but so far it hasn’t happened.
| Game # |
Date |
League |
Level |
Result |
| 154 |
2-Sep-1994 |
California |
A |
BAKERSFIELD 8, Stockton 4, 10 inn |
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Site and images Copyright © 1994 Charles O’Reilly. All rights reserved.
This page updated 6-Sep-2007