Opened: May 8, 1930
Capacity: 4,600
Affiliated with the Washington Nationals
Municipal Stadium
I never really had an inclination to come down here but then the Nationals put Bryce Harper here so I decided to head down and check it out. This is not a nice park to watch a game in but the team tries very hard. It has been a long road for the Suns and they have even tried to move away but that fell through. It seems like no one wants them so they are stuck in Hagerstown. I have been here when the crowd was large. I came for one of the games that Tim Tebow and the Columbia Fireflies played here in 2017 and the place was packed. I’ve also been here when you can count the number of other people in the stands easily.
How did I get there?
US 30 to Gettysburg, US 15 to Thurmont, MD 77 to Cavetown, MD 64 to Hagerstown and then down Eastern Blvd. Parking is free and the lot is big enough since the team does not draw well.
Ticket prices
$9 get you in for a general admission seat which are the two grandstands. A few bucks more can get you one of the stadium seats behind home plate or down the baselines. The seats behind home plate came from Camden Yards.
Finding my seat and amenities
Not hard since I usually sit in the general admission section. There are not many frills here, not even a radar gun. The scoreboard is manually operated and outside of a video board you wouldn’t know that this isn’t 1970 or 1940. I usually get dinner at Benny’s Pub up the street before going to the game so I don’t eat here. They used to have a local BBQ joint sell their wares and they had a footlong hot dog covered in Pork BBQ and nacho cheese and it was good.
In game experience
The usual entertainment with much of it geared for kids. The star though is Big Tony. If you have been to a game here you know who I mean.
Getting out
Easy to get out. The crowds are usually sparse so you don’t have long to wait.
Wrap
It is a shame that most games this team draws under 1,000 fans. They have put a good product on the field but it just seems like they are the red-headed step child of the league and no one wants them. Planned moves to both Winchester and Fredericksburg fell through. That might be changing and the city may actual build a downtown ballpark. For me, this park is a nice step back into time. Willie Mays made his pro debit in this park and he might very well still recognize it.