Cinergy Field

The Riverfront Ground

The Ohio riverfront in Cincinnati gave Cinergy Field its original name and its first oddity: the ground was filled with dirt from a local graveyard, and second base sat where Roy Rogers' garage had stood. When it opened on June 30, 1970, it was a cookie-cutter design — the third-base field-level seats could be wheeled on a track into left field to convert the diamond for football. The surface was AstroTurf with a sliding-pit design, meaning the infield was almost entirely artificial, with small dirt cutouts only around the bases and the mound.

Speed on Plastic

Baseball purists disliked the artificial surface. The Reds used it. The fast turf encouraged speed and line-drive hitting, and that helped them win back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. The park's first season also brought the All-Star Game, two weeks after opening day, with President Richard Nixon in attendance. That game is remembered for a violent collision at home plate: Pete Rose slammed into Indians catcher Ray Fosse to score the winning run, leaving Fosse with a severe shoulder injury. Hank Aaron had hit the stadium's first home run on opening day, in a Reds loss to the Braves.

Coming Apart

In September 1996, the stadium was officially renamed Cinergy Field under a sponsorship deal with the Greater Cincinnati energy company Cinergy. In 2001, a large section of the outfield stands was removed to make room for the construction of Great American Ball Park, leaving a 40-foot Black Monster wall in center field. During the final two seasons, the new ballpark was plainly visible beyond the outfield. At their closest point, the two stadiums sat 26 inches apart.

Cinergy Field was demolished by implosion on December 29, 2002. The site is now occupied by Great American Ball Park and the Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Reporting: Wikipedia, Ballparks.com. Park data: MLB StatsAPI and Retrosheet, via the Fever engine.