ST LOUIS - Sportsman's Park (34,043 | 1880 - 1966)

Sportsman's Park - St. Louis






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The predecessor of Busch Stadium was first built as a much smaller ballfield seating only 8,000. With the arrival of the Milwaukee Browns in 1909, Sportsman's Park was greatly expanded to 24,000 seats and then again in 1926 to its peak capacity of 34,043. the St. Louis cardinals joined the browns at Sportsman's Park in 1920. And while it was the owner of the Browns that had decided on the expansion in anticipation of hosting the World Series, it was actually the St. Louis Cardinals that ultimately hosted the first World's Series at Sportsman's Park, in 1926.


Sportsman's Park in 1926

In 1953 the Cardinals had become so dominant that the Browns owner decided to sell the park to the Cardinals and the Browns left for Baltimore. The Cardinals renovated the stadium which served as their roost until the much larger and more modern Busch Stadium was built in 1966. Sportsman's Park was demolished soon after.


the 1946 World Series at Sportsman's Park


In 1951

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The last days of Sportsman's Park in the 1960s

http://deadballbaseball.com/?p=77