Bader Field was a baseball

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States. It was located at the Bader Field airport and was referred to by the same name as the airfield. It was named after the former mayor of Atlantic City

Edward L. Bader Edward Lawrence Bader (June 8, 1874 – January 29, 1927) was an American politician who served as Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey for much of the Roaring Twenties, when the city was arguably at the peak of its popularity as a vacation sp ...

, who purchased the land for the airfield. The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

held spring training at Bader Field in 1944. The

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

considered using the ballpark for 1944 spring training. On November 17, 1943,

Connie Mack Cornelius McGillicuddy (December 22, 1862 – February 8, 1956), better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball catcher, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds untoucha ...

examined Bader Field and the National Guard Armory as one possibility. But he knew the Yankees were already considering it. The A's went to McCurdy Field in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

when the Yankees chose Atlantic City. The Yankees made the 300-room Senator Hotel their headquarters and practiced indoors at the

Atlantic City Armory Atlantic City Armory is an armory at 1008 Absecon Boulevard in Atlantic City, New Jersey. For the 1944 season the New York Yankees held spring training in Atlantic City. They made the 300-room Senator Hotel their headquarters, trained indoors at ...

. They played their first exhibition game in Atlantic City on April 1, 1944, and beat the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

5-1, behind a home run by

Johnny Lindell John Harlan Lindell (August 30, 1916 – August 27, 1985) was an American professional baseball player who was an outfielder and pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1941 to 1950 and from 1953 to 1954 for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardin ...

. The following day, 4,000 fans saw the Yankees beat the

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the club moved to Los Angeles, Californi ...

, 4–3. In 1945, the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

based their spring training at Ansley Park in nearby Pleasantville. The last spring exhibition played at Bader Field was a Red Sox-Yankees game on April 8, 1945. A municipal stadium, John Boyd Stadium, with a football field and track was opened at Bader Field on October 22, 1949. It stood just north of the ballpark's left-field wall and was built at a cost of $350,000. John Boyd Stadium was the home of

Atlantic City High School Atlantic City High School (ACHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. It is the lone secondary school of the Atlantic City School District. The current school building opened ...

football from 1949 until 1994, and was demolished in February 1998. In 1998, The Sandcastle baseball stadium was built at Bader Field, returning professional baseball to the airport site. The

Atlantic City Surf The Atlantic City Surf were a professional minor league baseball team based in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Surf was most recently a member of the Can-Am League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Surf played its home games ...

played at the ballpark through 2008. The ballpark sits unused today amid discussions of redevelopment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bader Field (Ballpark) Buildings and structures in Atlantic City, New Jersey Demolished sports venues in New Jersey New York Yankees spring training venues Defunct sports venues in New Jersey Spring training ballparks Sports venues demolished in 1998 Baseball venues in New Jersey Minor league baseball venues 1998 disestablishments in New Jersey

See also

References