Game Delayed, Sun

Home plate entrance to the Sam Lynn Ball Park, Aug-2008.

The seating bowl, as seen from the top of the first-base bleachers.

The sun has just set behind the tall screen on a beautiful evening in Bakersfield.

• Location: Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, Calif.
• Opened: 1941 (renovated 1996)
• 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

Chronological Tour: Stop 72

Rating: 2 baseballs

Sam Lynn and Wahconah have the joint distinction of a line from home plate through the pitcher’s box to second base running nearly 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. Games in mid-summer start no earlier than 7:30, as opposed to the usual 7:05 start around the league. The other oddity about this park is the 354-foot fence in straightaway center field, which I believe is the shortest in professional baseball.

The old wooden grandstand behind the plate, which was also covered, has been replaced with a concrete structure with no roof. This is not much of a problem, though, as the club plays only night games and it seldom rains in this part of California in the summer.

A new park has been proposed for Bakersfield, but so far it hasn’t happened. As I arrived here for a 2008 game, a rumor broke that the franchises in Bakersfield and Adelanto were being shifted to the Carolina League. One may move into the ballpark in Richmond, Va., which is being vacated by the Triple-A Braves franchise.