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Williamsport Sun: April 12, 1934 – Bowman Field Now Compares With Big Time Ballparks in Size

In reducing the size of their playing field, it appears that the Williamsport Grays have merely modeled Bowman Field after the average major league ballpark.

The original dimensions of the playing area of the uptown ballpark were greater than any big-league grounds according to measurements furnished for the sake of comparison. The revised layout, however, is shorter in centerfield than seven of them in left field, and longer than 11 of them in right field.

The only major parks with a longer right field than Bowman Field are, Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox, Navin Field, home of the Detroit Tigers, Braves Field, home of the Boston Braves and Redland Park, home of the Cincinnati Reds.

Every one of the big league fields however, is longer from home plate to centerfield than the Grays’ park.

In left field the local grounds are still larger than all but Comiskey Park, and Wrigley Field in Chicago, League Park in Cleveland Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

The greatest difference between the new and the old fences at Bowman Field is in center and left fields. Right field has only been reduced 35 feet as the old barrier is 335 feet from home plate. However left field has been cut down to 350 feet, and center field from 490 feet to 381 feet

It will require a terrific wallop to clear any section of the new fence and club officials estimate that no more than 20 or 30 homers will be hit outside the park as it now stands.

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  • Beth England
    April 14, 2021, 11:26 am

    Lou does a terrific job retelling local history.

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