Joe Devine Airway Park
Joe Devine Airway Park was a minor league baseball stadium in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. Opened 81 years ago in 1939, the ballpark was the home of Boise's teams (Pilots, Yankees, Braves) in the Class C Pioneer League, which briefly moved to Class A in 1963, the final year of the Braves and the ballpark.[1]
| |
| Former names | Braves Field (1955–1963) Joe Devine Airway Park (1952–1954) Airway Park (1939–1952) |
|---|---|
| Location | 600 S. Walnut Street Boise, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 43.602°N 116.186°W |
| Capacity | 5,000 3,000 (1939) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1939 |
| Renovated | c.1947 |
| Closed | 1963, 57 years ago |
| Demolished | c.1963 |
| Tenants | |
| Boise Braves (1955–1963) Boise Pilots (1954) Boise Yankees (1952–1953) Boise Pilots (1939–42, 1946–51) | |
Originally "Airway Park," it was the home of the Pilots and was a few blocks east of the Boise Airport, then located at the present-day campus of Boise State University. The city donated 11 acres (4.5 ha) of the western portion of Municipal Park (now Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park) in 1939 for the ballpark.[2]
North of the nearby Boise River, the elevation of the natural grass field was approximately 2,700 feet (820 m) above sea level, and it was aligned to the southeast; the recommended alignment (home plate to center field) is east-northeast.[3] Opened with a seating capacity of 3,000, it was increased to 5,000 after World War II.[2]
Yankees
When the New York Yankees moved their Pioneer League affiliate from Twin Falls to Boise after the 1951 season, the ballpark was renamed in March to honor Joe Devine (1892–1951),[4][5][6] a talented Yankees scout in the West who had played for the Boise Irrigators of the Union Association.[2] The park was officially dedicated to Devine on Thursday, May 1, 1952.[7]
Braves
The Milwaukee Braves became the parent club in 1955 and it was renamed "Braves Field." Boise's last season in the Pioneer League was 57 years ago in 1963; the stadium was soon razed and the site became the headquarters of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
After demolition
The Pioneer League became a rookie league in 1964, and in the Treasure Valley it shifted 30 miles (50 km) west to Caldwell with the Caldwell Cubs through 1971 at Simplot Stadium; they were known as the "Treasure Valley Cubs" for their first three seasons.
The minor leagues briefly returned to Boise in 1975 and 1976 with the Boise A's of the short season Northwest League at Borah Field (today's Bill Wigle Field). The independent Buckskins existed for one unsuccessful season in 1978, and the Hawks arrived after the 1986 season from the Tri-Cities in south central Washington. After two years at Wigle Field, the Hawks moved to the new Memorial Stadium in northwest Boise 31 years ago, at the start of the 1989 season.
See also
- Boise Braves players (1955–1963)
- Boise Pilots players (1939–1942, 1946–1951, 1954)
- Boise Yankees players (1952–1953)
References
- DigitalBallparks.com
- "AIRWAY PARK" (PDF). City of Boise. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- "Layout of the field – Rule 2.01". Major League Baseball. 2019. p. 2. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- "Joe Devine honored". St. Petersburg Times. (Florida). Associated Press. March 17, 1952. p. 15.
- Kling, Dwayne. "Joe Devine". Can He Play? A Look at Baseball Scouts and their Profession. pp. 41–42.
- Chipman, Dee (April 13, 1952). "Joe Devine's Pioneer League help is missed at Boise's spring camp". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. C3.
- Chipman, Dee (May 2, 1952). "Hivers snap loss streak at Boise; Pokes trip Ogden". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. 10A.
External links
- New York Times – obituary for Joe Devine
- Boise State University Library – 1950s photo of Bronco Stadium and Braves Field
- Baseball Reference – teams history, Boise, Idaho